48] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



on the subject, partly seiious and 

 j)artly sarcastic, he concluded by 

 moving, " Tliat a committee be 

 appointed to take into considera- 

 tion the business now remaining 

 to be executed by the secretary of 

 state for the war and colonial de- 

 partment, and to report tiieir o|)i- 

 nion, whether the continuance of 

 the same be any longer necessary ; 

 and whether the duties peifoi ined 

 by the said department may with- 

 out inconvenience to the public 

 service be transferred toanyotiier 

 otlices, and with what diminution 

 of charge." 



Mr, Goulhuni t^aid, that the 

 j)criod which had elapsed between 

 tiie lirst institution of the colonial 

 department in 17*>8 and 17?^'^, 

 wouhl fo) ui a ht subject of com- 

 ])ari:jon witii that which had 

 elapsed between 1S02 and ISKij 

 fur whieli piupose he would take 

 the ])ages of entry in the books of 

 ollice as a fair criterion. Jn the 

 14 years of the lirat j)eriod, the 

 Dundjer of pages for twelve colo- 

 nies auKmnted to 3i;i9, giving an 

 average of about '■124 for ea h 

 year. The same twelve colonies 

 in the second period filled a nmn- 

 ber of i)ages amounting to 6098, 

 forming an average of about 4.<.t 

 for each year; so tli;it the (juan- 

 tity of business in these colonics 

 was nearly d(mbled. IJut if the 

 whole business of the North .Ame- 

 rican colonies be added to that of 

 the twelve above stated, and op- 

 posed to eacli other in the two 

 periods, the disi)arity would be 

 fimndinlinitelygreater. The num- 

 ber of pages written fiom 17C"8 

 to 1782, averages 1-1 (J per annum ; 

 whilst that from ISO I to 1816 

 rises to 191)4. It nught be sup- 

 posed that the increase in the 1 itter 

 period was occasioned by the war : 



but the fact was otherwise; for 

 the war had onl\ made a difler- 

 ence of about 500 pages per 

 annum, and the remaindei' was 

 occasioned by the ordinary influx 

 of business. This difference, in a 

 great degree, was imputed by the 

 right hon. gentleman to the ex- 

 tension of education in every quar- 

 ter of the empire, which has af- 

 lorded to almost e\eiy person in 

 public life, the opportunity of ad- 

 dressing the different ofiices of 

 government. It was this whitli 

 had created the necessity for a 

 third secretary of sUite, and had 

 increased the public business be- 

 yond all former precedent. 



Mr. H'ilber force declared, that 

 from all he knew and heard of 

 tlie ollice in (piestion, it was over- 

 loaded with business; and such, 

 fiom what he inidei stood, was 

 the case in the home department. 

 'J'hc Mouse then should duly con- 

 sider, wliether the liusiness of 

 tlic colonies would be exposed to 

 any neglect by acceding to the 

 ))roposed arrangement, lie was 

 of opinion that it recpiired an in- 

 dividual of great consideration to 

 look after concerns s(» important 

 to the puldic interests: a persn;i 

 who sliouid hold a high station in 

 the public eye. The saving of 

 liJjOOOl. a year was, doubtless, a 

 serious consideration ; but the 

 question was, whether the saving 

 of 1*2,0001. a year would not be 

 much loo dearly i)urchased by 

 hazarding the good government 

 of the colonies. It appealed to 

 him, that the superintendence of 

 our colonial concerns should con- 

 stitute the l)usine's of a distinct, 

 efficient, and d'gnitied depart- 

 ment. 



Mr. Ponsonhy, in allusion to the 

 last speaker, and the compliments 



he 



