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L O N 
precedent were eftablifhed'. He would then beg the houfe 
to look a little to the future. We might have a monarch 
whofe debilitated frame would render afliftance of that 
kind dangerous, or one ruhoj'e love of indolence, and abhorrence 
of public duly, would equally dilpofe him to employ it. 
Would that private fecretary have no influence on the 
government under fucli circumftances ? Was it not likely 
that the fovereign would fometimes lean upon his opi¬ 
nions and fuggeltions ? It was not in the nature of things 
but that fucli an officer muft be a powerful inftrument in 
the adminiftralion. It became, therefore, the duty of par¬ 
liament rigidly to inquire into the nature and duties of 
fuch a polt. Several other gentlemen followed on each 
fide ; fome fupporting the appointment on account of its 
utility ; others perfifting to confider it as merely a pretext 
for obtaining an additional falary for a favourite fervant. 
The houfe at length divided : for the motion, ioo; againfl 
it, 176.—Although the miniftry were thus victorious in the 
houfe, they were doubtlefs fenfible that the idea of a new 
burden impofed upon the country, under circumftances 
of fuch dubious propriety, excited much public difcon- 
tent. They thereforetook the hint of one of their friends, 
^(Mr. Wilberforce,) who, in defending the appointment, 
had exprefled a with that the falary of the new fecretary 
lliould have been paid out of the regent’s privy purfe ; 
and this alteration was afterwards announced by the Chan¬ 
cellor of the Exchequer. 
One of the debates in which the influence of the crown 
in impeding the due limitation of the public expenditure 
appeared to give the molt general offence, was that on the 
barrack-eftim,ates.—On April 13, Mr. Wharton moved, 
;n the committee of fupply, “That a fum not exceeding 
5 54,44.11 ■ be granted for the expenfe of the barrack-depart¬ 
ment for the current year.”—'Mr. Freemantle faid, he faw 
many things in thofe eftimates which required a great deal 
6f explanation ; and he particularly inftanced a barrack for 
the fecond regiment of life-guards to be built in what was 
called the Regent’s Park, at the expenfe of 138,000k bar¬ 
racks at Liverpool, eftimated at S2,oool. at Briftol, at 
6o,oool. and a new {fable at Brighton, at 26,000k—Mr. 
Wharton, in explanation, ftated that the term of the 
rented barracks of the life-guards being expired, if they 
were to be kept in barracks at all, it was neceflary that 
they thould be built; and he gave reafons for the conftruc- 
tion of the others. 
Mr. Hulkiffon could not be fatisfied with this explana¬ 
tion. The expenfe of the barracks for the life-guards, he 
faid, would be found, on calculation, to come to nearly 
4.50k for each horfe, an enormous fum, amounting, ac¬ 
cording to the intereft ufually allowed for money laid out 
in building, t0 4ol. a-year for the lodging of each trooper 
and his horfe. At Liverpool he thought fuch expenfe 
was unneceflfary, as many warehoufes might now be got 
which would make good temporary barracks. This was 
a time in which every expenfe, that could be fpared, ought, 
to be fo; and he thought the realons for poftponing thofe 
buildings were fully as ftrong now as when he was in the 
treafury.—The Chancellor of the Exchequer endeavoured 
to (how the neceflity of thefe expenditures 5 and the debate 
then took a perfonal turn, with confiderable acrimony, 
till it was doled by a divifion on an amendment propofed 
by Mr. Hufkiffon, that the grant Ihould be reduced to 
400,000k The numbers were, for the amendment, 40; 
againfl; it, 88. 
The further confideration of the barracks did not take 
place till May 1, when Mr. Freemantle renewed his oppo¬ 
sition to the eftimates. .The molt ferious objections, 
however, were againfl the propofed barracks in Mary- 
bone-pavk, where 133,500k was to be expended for the 
lodgment of 450 cavalry; befides which, there were artil¬ 
lery-barracks, magazines, and ordnance-ftores, in contem¬ 
plation. The honourable gentleman then entered into 
fome particulars of the expenfe, which he (bowed to be 
fcnormous, and far beyond all former eftimates 5 and con- 
D O N. 
eluded with moving the fubftitution of 437,000k for the 
barrack eftimates, inftead of 524,000k 
Several other members fpoke againfl the extravagance 
of the barrack-fyftem, and the unneceflary multiplication 
of thefe ereftions. One member hinted that the Chancel¬ 
lor of the Exchequer himfelf lamented this watte of the 
public money, but that he had not the power of prevent¬ 
ing it, and muft conform to the willies in a higher quar¬ 
ter. Another alluded to what was certainly the general 
opinion, that the barracks at Maryboue were intended 
as ornaments of the Regent’s Park. The divifion fuffici- 
ently proved the unpopularity of the plans brought for¬ 
ward, by the comparative fmallnefs of the niinifteri.il ma¬ 
jority. The numbers were, for the amendment, 112; 
againfl it, 134; majority, 22.—The effed of this public 
difeuffion was manifefted when the new Chancellor of the 
Exchequer brought forward his budget. He informed 
the houfe that an additional vote or 90,000k for the bar¬ 
rack-department had been agreed to, but that the treafury 
had determined to ilrike off that fum; which diminution 
proceeded from a refolution to poftpone the execution 
of the projected barracks at Marybone-park, Briftol, and 
Liverpool. 
The fubjeCt of the corporal punilhments inflicted in the 
army had at different times been introduced into parlia¬ 
ment ; and one effeCt of thefe difeuffions had appeared in 
a claufe of the mutiny-aft paffed in the laft year, giving a 
power to courts-martial to commute the punithment of 
flogging for that of temporary imprifenment. See p. 246. 
There were members, however, who thought that the lyf- 
tem of punifhment adopted in the Britilh army required 
a further reformation; and on April 15, the honourable 
Mr. Bennet rofe, in the houfe of commons, according to 
notice, to make a motion on the fubjed. After fome ge¬ 
neral obfervations on the ignominy and cruelty attending 
the practice which he had in view, he moved, “That 
there be laid before the houfe a return of the number of 
corporal punilhments inflicted in the army, in the militia, 
and in the local militia, during the laft feven years, up to 
January 1812, fpecifying the offences, where committed, 
and the number of ladies infliCled refpedively.” 
This motion no doubt was intended as an indited at¬ 
tempt to leflen the frequency, or entirely abolilh the ufe, 
of corporal punilhment in the army ; and to do away tire 
difgraceful bulinefs of flogging. No man whofe bread: 
harbours a feeling heart can think coolly of the lituation 
of a free-born Englilhman fullering uuder the lafli; and 
would to God that any other means of bringing the lol- 
dier to a fenfe of his duty could be deviled. But we 
mult: confefs that, in the prefent Hate of fociety, (and in¬ 
deed lince fociety exilted among men,) the neceflity of 
punilhing the body for the crimes of the mind has been 
unavoidable. The feverity of the pain endured has been 
apparently meafured upon the heinoufnefs of the guilt; 
but the fliame, the difgrace, attending the infliction of 
the punilhment,^has been acknowledged by the firft law¬ 
givers as the molt powerful coercive. We grant that 
the fad of flogging and of being flogged are both be¬ 
neath a man who feels for honour ;—but, when that pre¬ 
cious, that irrecoverable, feeling is loft, where is the power 
of coercion ?—Yet about this very time, our brethren of 
America did entirely abolilh flogging in their army, fub- 
llituting confinement, (toppages of pay, See. (to which 
might be added, additional guards, and labour of various 
kinds.)—The houfe divided on Mr. Bennet’s motions 
ayes, 17 ; noes, 49 ; majority againfl it, 32. 
We have before remarked, (p. 213.) that the cry for 
reform is a fort of “ cheval de batnille,” which the oppo- 
fitionifts generally bring forward whenever ajack of more 
interefting or more urgent matter is felt in the houfe. To 
this war-horfe, we have alfo a “relay,” in the cry for ca¬ 
tholic emancipation. Thefe two medley-Ihow oi Hiding 
glades move fo regularly to and fro in the grand magic 
lantkoru of the anti-nunifterkl party, that no one is at a 
1 lots 
