GENERAL HISTORY. 



[59 



subject of sinecures and rever- 

 sions, but had not inquired into 

 the state of many offices, which 

 had therefore been unexamined 

 for nearly twenty years. Not- 

 withstanding the pledge which 

 had been given on the subject of 

 economy, no one step had been 

 taken to put it into practice. 

 The only argument which he an- 

 ticipated against his motion was, 

 that a commission of inquiry had 

 been appointed by the treasury, 

 consisting of his noljle fiiend, 

 Lord Binning, and two right hon. 

 gentlemen ; but for various rea- 

 sons, which he stated, he thought 

 it not entitled to the conlklence 

 of the House. He concluded with 

 moving, " That a select com- 

 mittee be appointed, to examine 

 and consider what increase or di- 

 minution has taken place, since 

 the year 1798, in the number or 

 the amount of the salaries and 

 emoluments of diffeicnt public 

 offices J a)id from time to time, 

 with all convenient dispatch, to 

 reptut what further measures can 

 be adopted for diminishing the 

 amount of such salaries and emo- 

 luments, without detriment to 

 the public service." 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 entered into a tiain of argument, 

 to prove that the business was 

 already placed in better hands ; 

 and stated facts to controvert the 

 charge against the ministers, of 

 having done nothing to redeem 

 their pledge respecting economy. 



Lord Milton, in reply to the 

 last speaker, who had referred to 

 a reduction of 400,0001. in the 

 naval department, said, it should 

 be recollected, that all this re- 

 duction applied to imderlings in 

 office 5 for the salary of no one 



in the higher departments had 

 been touched — no, not one branch 

 of any high family, nor any mem- 

 ber of that House, had had his 

 emoluments in the slightest de- 

 gree reduced. 



In the rest of the debate, which 

 was much too copious to admit 

 of an absti'act, the leading topics 

 were those above touched upon, 

 namely, the disposition shewn, 

 and the progress made, towards 

 economical measures by the mi- 

 nistry, and the grounds for ex- 

 pecting such future I'esults, under 

 that management, as the public 

 might have reason to be satisfied 

 with. Several of the speeches 

 were marked with personality and 

 recrimination ; and the keen sar- 

 casms of Mr. Tierney against 

 Lord Castlereagh, terminated with 

 a warning, that if he should per- 

 sist in following the system which 

 he declared a resolution to pur- 

 sue, he would raise a storm of 

 lesentment whicii he woidd find 

 It impossible to allay. 



After Lord Althorp had ended 

 his rej)ly by saying, that the ques- 

 tion appeared to him to lie in a 

 very narrow compass — whether 

 the inquiry should be conducted 

 by the treasury, or by a com- 

 mittee of the whole House, a di- 

 vision took place, which gave the 

 numbers. For the motion 1^6 ; 

 Against it 1G9; Majority 43. 



An important financial measure 

 which took place in this session 

 of parliament, was the consoli- 

 dation of the English and Irish 

 exchequers. 



On May 20th, Mr. Vezey Fitz- 

 gerald, Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer in Ireland, having moved, 

 that the House should resolve 

 itself into a committee of the 



whole 



