54] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



House of Commons on Marcli 

 20lh, by Mr. Methuen, a gentle- 

 man, who was habitually a sup- 

 porter of the measures of govern- 

 ment when he thought they de- 

 served support. After having read 

 some extracts from papers laid 

 before the House, to prove the 

 little attention paid to retrench- 

 ment, displayed by the augmen- 

 tation of the salaries in various 

 offices, he proceeded to a docu- 

 ment consisting of the copy of an 

 order in covmcil, dated June 21st, 

 1815, and relating to the salaries 

 of the secretaries of the Admi- 

 ralty. It stated, that an order of 

 council made in January ISOO, 

 having directed, tliat there should 

 be a difference in the salaries of 

 the secretaries and clerks in times 

 of war and of peace, namely, an in- 

 crease in time of v/ar of one-fourth 

 in those of the secretaries, and 

 one-iifih in those of the clerks ; 

 and a subsequent order of coun- 

 cil in 1 S07, having sanctioned a 

 principle laid dov.n by the com- 

 missioners of naval revision, 

 " That it is unjust that persons 

 whose whole time either in war 

 or peace, is required to be de- 

 voted to the public service, and 

 who consequently cannot, even 

 in peace, apply to any other oc- 

 cupation, should suffer a material 

 diminution of their incomes when 

 the war ceases;" the council, 

 agreeing in this principle, humbly 

 submitted to the Regent, that he 

 would ple.ise to direct, that the 

 salaries established as war sala- 

 ries by tlie said orders of council, 

 should be the permanent salaries 

 both in war and peace of the per- 

 sons therein named. The hon. 

 gentleman then asked, if there 

 was ever such a moment chosen 



for augmenting the expenses of 

 the country in the wildest infa- 

 tuation of ministerial indiscre- 

 tion ? Instead of increasing sa- 

 laries, they ought to be reduced, 

 not only on account of the unex- 

 ampled difficulties in which we 

 woe placed, but on account of 

 the diminution in price of the ar- 

 ticles of life. He concluded with 

 moving, " That this House does 

 .approve of the order in council 

 of the 5th of June 1800, fixing 

 the salaries of the secretaries of 

 the Admiralty at a lower rate in 

 time of peace than in time of war, 

 and does consider the departure 

 from this order, in the order of 

 council of the 21st of June 1S15, 

 by which an increase of the sa- 

 lary is conferred on the secreta- 

 ries, as highly unwarrantable." 



Lord Cmtlereagh began his re- 

 ply with stating the retrench- 1 

 ments actually made, and about ' 

 to be made, in various depart- 

 ments of govei'nmcnt, as a jiroof 

 that the ministers were not inat- / 

 tentive to the point of economy ; 

 and these he stated at a total of ^ 

 650,0001. On coming to the par- • 

 ticular subject in question, he first '• 

 observed, that the proposed resolu- . 

 tion sanctioned the principle laid] 

 down in 1800, in contradistinction i 

 to that acted upon in 1815; 

 but the foimer included the clerks , 

 as well as the secretaries : the 

 resolution, therefore, if adopted, 

 would modify a measure which it 

 professed unqualifiedly to recom- 

 mend. Proceeding to explain the 

 reasons, which had induced the 

 Board of Admiralty to recom- 

 mend to the treasiu'y the rise ot 

 salary foi- which the order of 

 council had been obtained, he 

 said that he owed it to his hon. 



friend, 



