318 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



civil offices, your committee cannot 

 but entertain an opinion that, con- 

 sistently, as they trust, with this 

 important object, it will be prac- 

 ticable to make the new means of 

 reward which it is proposed to 

 grant to the Crown less extensive, 

 and, at the same time, to place 

 the power of conferring those re- 

 wards under limitations more re- 

 strictive than had been jirovided 

 by the regulations of that bill. 



Retaining the list and classi- 

 fication of offices according to that 

 bill, your committee are of opi- 

 nion, that it would be expedient 

 either to limit the total sum, which 

 shovdd in no case be exceeded, or 

 to proceed, in another mode, to- 

 wards attaining the same object : 



1st. By limiting the number of 

 pensions which coidd be gianted, 

 and in operation at any one time 

 in each class. 5dly. By providing 

 that the power of granting such 

 pensions should be called pro- 

 gressively into operation at stated 

 intervals, affording a reasonable 

 probability, that at least an equal 

 saving will have been effected by 

 the falling in of the salaries or 

 emoluments of some of the offices 

 to be regulated or abolished, in- 

 stead of commencing at once upon 

 the vacancy of the first of such 

 offices as might exceed 2,000/. a 

 year, or at any one given period. 

 2dly. That the provision of the 

 bill which would have made it 

 lawful for his M.-ijesty, when any 

 pel son should have served in more 

 than one of the four classes, to 

 grant such pension as is aniiexcd 

 to the highest class in wlsich he 

 may have been employed (without 

 any reference to the duration of his 

 service in thiit class) should be so 

 far amended us to require from 



any such person a certain period 

 of service in the higher class. 



With reference to these prin- 

 ciples of modification, your com- 

 mittee submit, that the number 

 of pensions in each of the four 

 classes should be limited as fol- 

 lows : 



1st Class — First Lord of the 

 Treasury, First Lord of the Admi- 

 ralty, Three Secretaries of State, 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer — six 

 pensions of 3,000?. 



2d Class — Chief Secretary for 

 Ireland, Secretary at War — three 

 pensions of '2000/. 



N. B. The Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer for Ireland was included 

 in this class in the Bill of 1813. 



3d Class — Two Secretaries of 

 the Treasury, Principal Secretary 

 of the Admiralty — 6 pensions of 

 1,500/. 



4th class — Under Secretaries of 

 State, Clerk of the Ordnance — 

 6 pensions of 1,000/. 



Tliat the Crown should have the 

 power of granting one pension in 

 each of these classes, except the 

 second, at the end of two years 

 from the adoption of this system 

 by the legislature, and so in suc- 

 cession at intervals of two years, 

 \mtil the expiration of twelve years, 

 when it shall be lawful to the 

 Crown to grant tlie whole number 

 of pensions proposed in each clas;3. 

 With respect to the second class, 

 it is proposed that the power should 

 not commence till the cxpiiation 

 of four years, so as to come into 

 complete operation at the same 

 period of twelve years, as in the 

 three other classes. 



Your conuuittee conceive that 

 the offices of the Piesident of the 

 Board of Control, and Secretary 

 to that Board, come within the 



description 



