who bought up their paper as it was issued. The country ought to understand the system under which the Commissariat had been carried on and sanctioned by Government during so many years. A commission on the spot could only see that there was a regular discharge by voucher of the person who was to receive the money; it could not know in what manner the person who received the paper disposed of it. That was a case for parliamentary inquiry; and a committee should be appointed, in order that the House might devise the means of stopping such a waste of money. On the subject of a regular account, the right hon. gentleman could not say that a single account in the Peninsula had been audited; certainly not, up to last year. What he (Mr. B.) complained of was, not any individual peculation, but that system on the part of the Government which had proved so wasteful to the country. the items, particularly upon that which regarded lord Aberdeen, against whose name was placed the large sum of 25,000l. "for a particular service." For the service of Spain still larger amounts were charged, a part of which had no doubt been appropriated to that expedition which she had sent out to her devoted colonies, but which the hon. member hoped would never reach its destination. The troops at home, on the contrary, remained unpaid, with the exception of the corps of General Whittingham, which had placed the usurper Ferdinand upon the throne at Madrid. He recommended that ministers should narrowly watch the communications between the inhabitants of New Spain and Buonaparté. The hon. member required explanation from ministers regarding the sum of 10,650l. paid to lord William Bentinck, who had been employed against the King of Naples, whom the noble lord termed Marshal Murat. The expenses of lord Cathcart had been enormous, both in his military and diplomatic capacity. From the Army Extraordinaries in the course of 1814, he, received 11,405l.; and from the Civil List, as Ambassador, 19,8447. In the last three quarters, the charge on his lordship's account was 12,4017.; so that in the space of a year and three quarters he had received nearly 44,000l. of the public money. Lord Stewart had received from the Army Extraordinaries in the year 1814, 15,347., and from the Civil List, 10,7261., and within the last three quarters a sum that made the whole charge no less than 37,700l. The hon. member professed the highest respect for his lordship, and regretted that his name appeared to these unsatisfactory details. He thought these were charges which, from their extraordinary magnitude, demanded the fullest explanation; and he hoped the noble lord (Castlereagh) would be enabled to make them appear satisfactory to the House. The next sum which attracted his attenMr. Bennet lamented that it appeared tion, was one of 7,550l. to the Elector of from the statement of the Chancellor of Hesse; and this he could not but view the Exchequer that the nation was so near with some astonishment, for it was stated the end of its resources. It behoved the to be for expenses incurred by loss of field House, therefore, to examine the more equipage, &c. in 1793, 94, and 95. minutely into the accounts that were laid was impossible for the House not to recolbefore it. The charges for the Army Ex- lect, that since that period a peace had traordinaries were enormous, and the pub-intervened, and that all such accounts lic money seemed to have been squandered without any consideration of the pockets of those from whom it was drained. He wished for explanation upon many of The Chancellor of the Exchequer thanked the hon. gentleman for explaining that it was not by any connivance between the Commissaries that any sum of money had been lost to the public. He was aware of the fact, that much loss had been sustained by the depreciation of the paper, and he did not wish to disguise it. The bills, however, must be paid at the value for which they were given, otherwise it would be a complete robbery. Respecting the concluding remark of the hon. gentleman, he apprehended that the whole of the outstanding debts had been verified, and they only remained to be paid. From the interruption of our commercial intercourse with the Continent, at the time of the Peninsular war, we had not the means of paying for what was required by the Commissariat in money. But he trusted that there was no prospect of our ever being again excluded from all foreign trade, but that in the unfortunate case of any new war, we should be able to exert all our resources to the best possible advantage. It ought long since to have been settled; their introduction now, therefore, was the more extraordinary. He remembered a story of a will made by George the First, which was destroyed by George the Second, and of which copies were in the possession of the two Electors of Hesse. Horace Walpole stated, that he had seen a letter in which these Electors had agreed to deliver up these copies, upon the payment of certain subsidies. Now he knew not whether these copies had been eventually given up, or whether there were any such grounds for the payment to which he had just now alluded, but he certainly thought the subject required a distinct explanation. In conclusion, the hon. gentleman entreated the House to look with the utmost jealousy into the payments connected with a war which the noble lord seemed to contemplate with so much pleasure. some old arrears, which had been regularly established before the Auditors of Army Accounts, and was not at all a matter of discretion with his Majesty's ministers. Respecting the payment of the duke of Wellington, the reason why the hon. member did not find it in the accounts before him was, that it had nothing to do with them. Hereafter it would be found in the Civil List Accounts. The essential part of the accounts to which he should allude, was that which related to the expenditures of military officers who were envoys abroad. The hon. member should take into his consideration that these officers had a double sum, in their civil and military capacities. Out of the sums which these public officers did receive, they were taxed to the amount of onefourth, by the difference in the course of exchange, being from 25 to 30 per cent., and when the armies were at a greater distance from large towns, they were obliged to submit to a loss of 40 per cent.; and therefore to represent these gentlemen as receiving the full value or amount of their salaries was wrong. It would be more fair to say, that they had not one Lord Castlereagh said, he was happy that the hon. gentleman had given him an opportunity of explaining those items in the accounts before the House, which he seemed to regard as so objectionable. The first to which the hon. gentleman alluded, was the sum standing in the name of lord Aberdeen. He begged to state, that, although this sum stood as if issued for the use of lord Aberdeen alone, yet that noble lord only received it as a public account-half of the amount against their respective ant, and was answerable for its disbursement in that light. In fact, the law of the land had provided the best check upon the expenditure of such sums; inasmuch as an officer was established who was sworn, and who had full power to trace the application of every sum in detail. This 25,000l. had been issued for political purposes, while lord Aberdeen was resident at the Court of Austria, and was at first given to Mr. Johnstone, with the view of being applied in aid of a spirit which had manifested itself in the Low Countries, and in Holland, towards throwing off the French yoke. Not more than 3 or 4,000l. however had been devoted in this way, and the remainder was paid into the hands of the Commissaries towards defraying the expenses of lord Lynedock's army. With respect to the 10,000l. issued to lord William Bentinck, it was only necessary to state that it was for the purpose of being applied to the Italian levy. The next material point which occurred was the sum paid to the Elector of Hesse; and here he begged to assure the hon. gentleman, that he had raised a ghost without the slightest foundation. The old story of the Elector of Hesse, had nothing to do with the sum in question, which was neither more nor less than the amount of (VOL. XXX.) names. The sums standing against them not only covered their own expenses, but the whole expenses of the missions. In lord Stewart's account of 12,6351. only 2,8951. ought to be considered as his personal expenses. And here he must declare, in justice to the nobleman in question, that the most painful part of his duty was to see the servants of the country abroad exposed to the utmost difficulties to keep within their incomes. In fact, it was absolutely ruinous to a man's private fortune, to be employed in a diplomatic capacity. The military officers who formed the subject of the hon. gentleman's remarks, were in situations peculiarly expensive. They had to keep a table at head-quarters of the most expensive description. As far as he had been able to look into the accounts of lord Stewart, he had no occasion to complain of the result of his accounts, for he had reason to know the great expense he was put to for horses and other incidents. As to lord Cathcart's accounts, he had not been in possession of them long enough to investigate them; but they had not the same causes to regulate them, as operated upon the others. On the whole, he must declare, that if this country had not instruments enough abroad to understand what (21) was going on, her interests must inevitably | miral Fremantle, for entertaining persons suffer. He could speak a little to the ex- of distinction in the Adriatic, and the sum penses necessarily incurred by the ambas- of 600l. was mentioned as the charge for sadors, from his own experience at Vienna. conveying marshal Blucher and other In that capital, from so many Sovereigns officers merely from Dover to Calais. On and their Courts being assembled, a com- the other hand, so small a sum, he underplete revolution had taken place in the stood, was offered to captain Usher for the prices of things, and the expense of living expenses of conveying Buonaparté to Elba, was in consequence inconceivably great. that that officer had thought proper to He mentioned this, not from a wish to pre- refuse it. The hon. gentleman also wished vent the items in question from being in- for an explanation of the sum of 3,000l. quired into, but to prove that it was a de- stated to be paid to the captors of Demelusion to suppose the sums which appeared rara and Essequibo, for slaves delivered in the estimates against the names of the over to the use of Government. Also, a persons so employed in the service of the sum paid to colonel Bloomfield, for extracountry were really received by them for ordinary services. This last sum, as well their own emolument. A plenipotentiary as the sum voted to lord Burghersh, for or ambassador at a foreign Court, nomi- extraordinary services, which were of a nally receiving a salary of 5,2001. per political nature, came, he thought, improannum, reduced by taxation 5s. in the perly under the head of Army Extraordipound, and further diminished by the loss naries. As to the expenses of our ambason the exchange, frequently found his in-sadors at Vienna, he thought these persons come brought down to a sum on which, where they were, a gentleman could hardly live in the most complete obscurity. Lord Proby agreed with the hon. gentleman on the floor, as to the great degree of confusion which prevailed in the Commissariat department. As illustrative of this remark, he instanced the fact of a dollar per day being charged by the commissaries for mules, when an ordinary traveller would not pay more than half a dollar for the same animal, out of which the muleteer would provide for himself Lord Castlereagh sai!, the ambassadors and his mule, while the commissaries being assembled at Vienna, the country provided both for the one and the other, had a claim to any services they could at an enormous expense. He considered perform. Lord Cathcart was the ambas the whole system as abominable and ex-sador to Russia, lord Aberdeen to Austria, travagantly profuse. No man could have an idea of the profusion with which the public money was lavished in that depart. ment, who had not served in the armies to witness it. Indeed he had heard one commissary declare, in a public manner, that he thought economy was the ruin of the public service in his department. He begged not to be understood as reflecting on the conduct of any particular individual by these remarks; his observations went to the system, and not to the men, and that system he thought called most loudly for correction. Mr. Gordon remarked on the extraordinary difference in amount of the charges on the transport of persons of distinction, on the face of the estimates, and wished to know whether there was any established scheme, according to which those charges were paid; 2,000l. had been paid to ad should be enabled to live in a manner suitable to their dignity, without injury to their private fortunes; but it remained to be explained why we had at the Congress four or five ambassadors instead of one. It might be said that they were ambassadors to the several Courts whose sovereigns were at the Congress; but this supposition was contradicted by the fact that they had all signed the Declaration of the Allies of the 13th March, which, but as ministers at the Congress, they could not have signed. lord Wellington to the Congress; and lord Clancarty having performed the high mission on which he was sent out with great honour to himself and advantage to the public service, was the only ambassador who was not there in the regular discharge of his duty. He could assure the hon. gentleman, that there had not been one too many there, while he (lord Castlereagh) was at Vienna. Their presence had afforded him much assistance while the negociations of the Congress were going on, and had been found of much importance in the discussions which had taken place on the numerous topics which were there to be taken into consideration. Mr. Croker, in answer to the questions respecting the sums paid to naval officers in the instances which had been referred to, said these matters were regulated by a scale which it had been thought wise to adopt in 1812, which had been printed, and which was in the hands of every naval officer. In this scale, in one column, the regulations were set forth, showing the remuneration to be made to the officer according to the length of the voyage, and in the other the sum to be paid on account of the rank of the party to be conveyed. This scale, if any thing, he was inclined to think, was fixed at too low a rate, but it was understood the officers were to have no profit; all that was to be secured to them was, that they should not be ruined. From looking at this, every commander so employed could tell as well what he was to receive, as the Board of Admiralty could, by whom it was to be paid. The sum paid to rear-admiral Fremantle had not been paid till after the minutest investigation. The 2,0001, he had received was less than he ought to have been paid; and had he not had that sum advanced to him, he would have lost by the service 2 or 3,000l. of his own private property. In the case of captain Usher, who for convey. ing Buonaparté to Elba, was said to have been offered so small a sum that he had not thought proper to accept of it, the proceedings of the Admiralty had been regulated by the scale of which he bad spoken. That scale did not provide for a case like that which had occurred (he did not expect for this it would be censured for improvidence), but by that it was settled that for the conveyance of a crowned head, where the voyage was performed within a week, 100l. should be paid to the captain. The title of Buonaparté having been recognised in the Treaty of Fontainbleau, captain Usher had been directed to receive him as a crowned head. Captain Usher had, when he came home, been directed to make what charge he thought proper, but had declined making any, and under such circumstances the Admiralty could do no more than give directions for him to be remunerated according to the scale of regulations which had been adopted. With respect to a charge which had been preferred against the Admiralty for not suffering sailors who had returned from a long voyage to have sufficient time on shore to spend their money, he admitted, that in some instances this might have occurred; but the established rule was, when a ship returned from three years service, to pay the men a third of the money due to them, and allow them from a fortnight to a month's leave of absence to see their friends. This practice, which it was feared would promote desertion, he was happy to say had produced a contrary effect. It had greatly tended to prevent that enormous desertion which was formerly common. The men almost always returned when their leave of absence expired, to claim the remainder of their money, and after they came back, they were generally allowed some days to be on shore before they sailed again. Mr. Whitbread said, that in respect to what the bon. secretary had stated regarding admiral Fremantle, he had no doubt but that gallant officer was deserving the remuneration he had received; but he thought the case of captain Usher, one of the most distinguished names in the English navy, was a very hard one. He was stationed in the Mediterranean, and his ship lying at anchor near the place where Napoleon Buonaparté was to embark for the island of Elba. He was ordered to take him on board with his whole suite, which he accordingly did, and furnished him with all his necessary stores and provisions to a considerable amount. He was obliged to keep seven tables on board, to give up the wardroom, and to expose both himself and his officers to many inconveniences for six or seven days. On arriving at Elba, Buonaparté sent an officer to captain Usher, to pay the whole of the expenses of the passage. Captain Usher thought his Government would be offended if he accepted such payment, and, as he (Mr. Whitbread) thought he ought to have done, civilly declined receiving the prof. fered remuneration. It was proper to state that when Napoleon landed in Elba he was destitute of wines and stores; captain Usher supplied him with what he had on board his ship; and when he returned and applied to the Admiralty for the expenses, he received for answer, that it was supposed Napoleon had paid for himself and his whole suite. Indignant at this, as it seemed to accuse him of endeavouring to obtain money under false pretences, capt. Usher inquired whence this information was obtained, which was finally traced to a memorandum written by the hon. gentleman opposite (Mr. Croker), and proved to be a mere supposition of his, founded on some hearsay or newspaper report. The captain was then told to make out an account of his expenses. He replied, that he could not, and left the case to the consideration of the Admiralty, who had directed 100l. to be paid to him. The expense of conveying Buonaparté to Elba was thus left to fall on captain Usher,-a man in moderate circumstances, with a family, who had been engaged a hundred and thirty-five times against the enemies of his country, and who was called on unexpectedly to perform a very extraordinary and delicate service, and who had performed it to the satisfaction of all parties. This, he contended, was a case of great hardship; he trusted it would be taken into consideration, and that captain Usher would be completely indemnified. Mr. Croker denied that there was any thing disrespectful to captain Usher, in the supposition that Buonaparté had kept his own table on the voyage. This was commonly done, and it was natural to suppose that it would have been done by Buonaparté for his own accommodation. Captain Usher had never been asked to make out his account item by item, but merely to state the expense incurred, 1, 2, or 300l. When he declined to do this, the Admiralty could do no more than direct the payment of the sum permitted to be paid in the case of a crowned head being conveyed from one place to another, by the order in council of 1812. Mr. Whitbread said, the hon. gentleman seemed to think captain Usher would have been right to suffer Buonaparté to pay for his passage. [Mr. Croker said "No." He put it to the hon. gentleman if any officer, or gentleman, could have acted better than captain Usher had done. When it was remembered that no man had fought more bravely, or bled more freely for his country, he trusted some way of remunerating his services would be found without wounding his feelings. Mr. Croker was anxious, though he had already denied that he wished Buonaparté had been allowed to pay for his passage, more formally to state such had not been his wish. That could not be permitted. No offence to captain Usher was meant, in supposing that, for his own convenience, Buonaparté might have kept his own table. He was anxious to state this, lest improper motives should be imputed to captains, who permitted that to be done, which it❘ had been supposed it might be Buonaparte's pleasure to do. The course taken with respect to captain Usher was the same with that pursued, under similar circumstances, with sir R. Codrington, admiral Fremantle, and other officers, without the smallest slight being intended or supposed. Mr. Barham said, that being a relative of the gallant officer in question, he might be permitted to say a few words, though he had no idea that the topic would have been brought before the House. It was not so much the matter, as the manner of the refusal that had hurt captain Usher. The circumstance that hurt his mind was this, that when he stated that he had been at expense in conveying Buonaparté to Elba, an opinion was expressed by the hon. gentleman opposite, that Buonaparté might have paid for his own table. Captain Usher naturally felt hurt at this implied doubt, which was rather increased than softened by being desired to make out his bill of expenses. Mr. Croker observed, in reply, that captain Usher had received no treatment different from other officers who happened to have a similar service to perform, and who stated generally the expense thereby occasioned. It was not understood that every item should be specified, but merely the expense generally. The hon. gentleman said, however, it was not so much the matter as the manner of the answer to captain Usher's application that had hurt him. Now, it so happened, that he never had the honour of a personal interview with that gentleman in his life. The whole of the transaction took place in the regular correspondence of the Board of Admiralty, and he was quite unconscious of having given any offence to captain Usher. Lord Castlereagh said, that the only wish could be that captain Usher should have a proper reimbursement of his expenses. He was most desirous that such a reimbursement should be made; but it would be a great assistance to the judgment of the Government if captain Usher would state in the most general way the sum which he supposed himself to have expended. Mr. Whitbread felt satisfied, since the question had been put in a point of view agreeable to captain Usher's feelings, that no further difficulty would be found. Mr. W. Smith conceived, that captain Usher had thought his word doubted, and therefore refused to comply with what was a very reasonable request. He wished to know why the captain who conveyed marshal Blucher from Calais to Dover, had been paid 600l. It was said the captain was not to profit by his guests, but here he thought 5001. must have been paid over and above the expense incurred. In these things he thought there might be |