part of his duty; and I address myself | opportunity of showing personal favour; more particularly to the hon. gentlemen but such favour could not be charged in opposite, and ask whether they had reason any one of these instances. Of the twento complain, that in any case, a man's ty-two captains who received majorities political sentiments presented any bar to without purchase in 1825, the average his receiving the reward of his merit in service was twenty-six years; and of these the army. I am sure they will agree with seventeen were spent in their particular me, that no objections were made to a regiments. In 1825, sixteen majors were man's promotion from anything like per- promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonels sonal hostility, and that his royal highness without purchase, whose average service always showed an earnest disposition to was twenty-eight years, fifteen of which forget and overlook all associations, as they had spent in their own regiments. connected with any claimant for reward, In short, Sir, I am justified in saying, that other than his actual merits or demerits. there never was an instance in which any But, Sir, I do not conceive this to have officer has been promoted without purchase been his royal highness's highest merit. over the head of his senior, unless where In the administration of his high office, this latter, by some misconduct, had forthe exalted individual had not merely to feited all reasonable claim to priority; and, guard against the influence of personal let me add, where the promotion was by prepossession, but to exercise a reasonably purchase, the officers of the same regiment jealous apathy with respect to the fame of were first invariably consulted. Of the individuals; for, if he suffered himself to first commissions granted without purchase be dazzled too much by the eclat of military in 1825, three-fourths were given to the glory derived from actual service, he might sons and relations of officers in the army be tempted to overlook those who, deprived and navy-to young men who had no of the opportunities of distinguishing them- other claim than that which was derived selves, were panting for such opportunities. from the services of their parents or relaUpon all occasions in which the Duke of tives.-I have thought it right, Sir, to York had to bestow promotion, he acted state these facts, because the simple truth with impartial justice-not only to those is the highest honour to the memory of the who had merited distinction by their deceased Duke. That his royal highness valour, but to those who had shown a dis- possessed singular advantages for his high position, but had not had the opportunity situation is beyond doubt. In the first place, of distinguishing themselves. As proofs having been in the army forty-six years, of of his strict impartiality, I will recite one which, for thirty-two years, he was comor two facts. În the year 1825, when an mander-in-chief, he had opportunities of augmentation of the army took place, no watching over the conduct and progress of lieutenant, with a solitary exception, was a vast portion of the officers. He knew promoted who had not entitled himself by their persons; he was cognizant of their service. From 1810, I can state confi- services; and, in very many instances, he dently, that no favour was shown to any was aware, from personal observation even, individual, with the single exception which of the circumstances under which their I have stated, and that was a case which wounds had been received. And let me can reflect no dishonour on the illustrious remark, that it is matter of no slight condeceased. One lieutenant, whose stand-solation to a gallant, but suffering soldier, ing was only from 1814, had been promoted; but it was under these especial circumstances. At the battle of Waterloo this officer, though a subaltern, became in command of his regiment, all his senior officers having been killed upon the field. This was the only one promoted, who was not of the required standing; and could it be said that it was a case unworthy of notice? With respect to the ensigns the same impartiality was shown. In 1825, twenty-two captains received majorities without purchase. The grant of a commission without purchase affords a great to know that there is an eye which constantly watches his progress, notes his services, and gives him credit for his merits; for such a conviction must greatly lessen his pain and enhance his exertions. Sir, the service has derived many and most substantial advantages from the noble Duke's administration; but perhaps, of all, that is the most substantial which gives the soldier the conviction, and consequently the confidence, that his merit, if he has any, will not be overlooked. I think, therefore, that the House will be certainly disposed to mix up with its expression of Condolence to his Majesty upon this oc- with which I shall conclude, I shall studicasion, a repetition of that sense of his ously abstain from every topic calculated to royal highness's services which it has made provoke angry discussion, or to interrupt more than once before.-Sir, I do not that unanimity which will, I am certain, know that it is necessary for me to offer any mark the proceedings of the House on an additional observation to induce the House occasion of this nature. I shall studito acquiesce in the proposal for this Ad- ously abstain, I say, from every topic that dress. Some persons may think that all can, by possibility, render any one man reference to the personal qualities of the reluctant to give his assent to this motion. individual, upon occasions like this, is un- In the same feelings, Sir, I disdain to take necessary; but no man can, I think, read advantage of any particular opinions which the history of the monarchy of this and of this lamented personage may have enterother countries without acknowledging how tained, by any appeal to the concurring far the personal character of the sovereign views of those who entertain, on that subinfluences the manners of the age, and how ject, similar opinions; for I am confident, much they strengthen the claims of royalty that every man in this House, be his poupon the people. And in that history, it litical opinions what they may, will be would, I think, be difficult to find an in- anxious to concur in an address, that exstance in which there has not been ex- presses no other feeling but that of sinhibited, not only by the Duke of York, but cere grief, for the loss of an illustrious by every member of his illustrious family, prince, who administered his high functhe warmest disposition to promote every tions with great attention, great justice, charitable object, to enter into every bene- great fairness, and great success ;-who volent enterprise, and to contribute, not improved, in a most extraordinary degree, only by their money, but by their personal the discipline, and raised the character, services, to the completion of these laudable of the British army; and whose name purposes. In truth, Sir, I think we might all will ever be associated with its distinof us benefit by the example of active charity guished reputation and its brilliant which has been set us by that illustrious achievements. I believe, Sir, that no family. Every one who hears me knows, man, whatever his political sentiments I have no doubt, after his time and atten- may be, will refuse to participate in the tion have been very fully occupied with feelings of those who were admitted to a business, how painful it sometimes is, on more intimate and friendly acquaintance receiving an application to attend at some with the royal Duke; but that they will meeting for charitable purposes, to make concur in sympathising with his majesty the requisite exertion. But I would ask for the loss of one, whose last moments any man, who ever had occasion to apply, were consoled by the reflection, the purest with such an object, to the late Duke of and best of consolations, that, during the York, whether his application did not course of a long and varied intercourse meet with a cheerful acquiescence from with society, he had never abandoned a his royal highness? whether such assist- friend, nor resented an injury. I, thereance was not immediately given, with that fore, propose, Sir, "That an humble ready benevolence, which it is impossible Address be presented to his Majesty, to to assume, and which could flow only assure his Majesty, that we fully particifrom a generous and charitable disposi-pate in the deep regret which has been so tion, to co-operate in every scheme, having for its object the relief of misery and distress?—I shall here, Sir, close the few observations with which I have deemed it necessary to accompany this motion for an Address of Condolence to his Majesty. I trust I have adhered to the intention I expressed, at the outset, of confining my-recording our sense of the eminent serself strictly to the truth in any statements I might make, and of abstaining from all exaggeration, as unsuitable either to the occasion, or to the character of him to whom those statements relate. In like manner, in the wording of the proposition generally manifested by his Majesty's loyal subjects, on the death of his royal highness the Duke of York:-To convey to his Majesty the expression of our sincere condolence with his Majesty, on the loss of his beloved and lamented brother :That we take this opportunity of again vices which were rendered by his royal highness the Duke of York, in the capacity of Commander-in-chief of his Majesty's forces:-That we witnessed, with the utmost satisfaction, the continuance, to the last period of the life of his Royal Highness, of that unremitting attention to the duties of his high office, and of that strict impartiality and justice in the exercise of all its functions, which have so essentially contributed to perfect the discipline, and exalt the character, of the British army:-That, to the expression of these feelings of grateful acknowledgment of the public services of his Royal Highness, and of sincere sympathy with the present affliction of his Majesty, we add the dutiful assurances of our loyal and affectionate attachment to his Majesty's sacred person." Mr. Brougham, feeling the deepest sympathy with those who most deplored the decease of his royal highness, the late commander-in-chief, assured the right hon. gentleman, that the language he had employed on this occasion, made it not only perfectly easy, but extremely grateful for him to concur in the proposed Address. In now rising to express his own entire concurrence in the language of the right hon. Secretary, he should abstain from all comment, further than to add that he considered it to have been no small praise to his royal highness, and one that might with perfect truth be applied to his memory, to have, for so long a period of time, enjoyed the disposal of the immense patronage of the army, without ever allowing political considerationsby which, he would be understood to mean, such as were more commonly termed party considerations-to interfere with the disposal of that patronage. And he would add another just eulogium, that his royal highness had shown himself quite incapable of allowing mere personal feelings-feelings of asperity towards any particular individuals for example-to cast any shade across the path of his public duty; and, surely, the best testimony which the country could have of the sincerity and honesty of those strong political opinions which his royal highness confessed himself to entertain on certain questions and, on some subjects, he might be almost tempted to call them prejudices the best test that his royal highness at least held them honestly and conscientiously, was this, that he cherished them as much as possible, free from all admixture of asperity towards those whose notions were opposed to his own on such matters. Sir Robert Wilson regretted that the right hon. gentleman, in proposing this Address, had not stated to the House more particularly the means by which the Duke of York had brought about so salutary a revolution in the army. In 1791, its inefficiency, as to the public interests, was carried to an incredible degree of inattention to the means of enabling men to discharge their duty in the army. Under the Royal Duke's administration great changes were soon effected; but the right hon. gentleman had omitted to state, that the improvement which the Duke of York had effected in the discipline of the army was brought about without any exaggerated severity. When his royal highness. came into office, corporal punishment, which had been carried to so great an extent that it had become a matter of opprobrium in the eyes of foreigners, was considerably reduced, and he now called upon the House to complete that which the late commander-in-chief had begun. The kindness, the benevolence, and the impartiality of the Duke of York were well known; and although parties, upon whose cases he judged, might sometimes think his decisions harsh, yet in no case had any one impeached the motives upon which he had come to his determination. The Address was agreed to nem. con. NAVY ESTIMATES.] On the order of the day for going into a committee of supply, and for referring the Navy Estimates to the said committee, Mr. Hume said, that before the Speaker left the chair, he wished, seeing the right hon. the chancellor of the Exchequer in his place, to ask him whether this was not a proper occasion for the right hon. gentleman to state what was his intention with respect to the expenditure for the year. He thought that, before the House was called upon to vote on this subject, they ought not only to know what was proposed as the amount of expenditure, but also the income of the past year, that they might judge of the scale on which. the estimates should be formed, with a view to the means that the revenue of the country possessed of discharging its debts. He wished to know whether the expedition to Portugal had added to the amount of the estimates, and he wished also to impress upon the House the necessity of their considering that, in the present distressed state of the country, no increase should be sanctioned, and that they ought not even to be allowed to continue at their present amount. There was no part of the public establishment in which he wished less to see any reduction than in the navy; but he wished also that one general view of the proposed expenditure should be laid upon the table, before the House was called upon to vote at all. He took that opportunity of asking particularly, whether the navy estimates for the present year were to be on exactly the same scale as those for the last, or whether, as he had heard, they were to be increased? If the latter, he wished to know whether the right hon. gentleman could state, if the revenue was adequate to meet the increased expenditure, without resorting to a loan. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that any answer which he could make to the inquiries of the hon. member must of necessity be unsatisfactory, unless it could be accompanied with a full explanation, and a discussion of all the points involved in it. As he was not prepared to enter upon such an explanation and discussion at that moment, he could only pursue the course which he had adopted in antecedent years, and generally approved of by the House, whatever objections might have been made to it by individuals. He must also remark, that he thought, at the present moment, the state of the navy was an object of so great importance, that no obstacle ought to be placed in the way of the vote; and for this reason, even if he were prepared to enter on the discussion which the hon. member seemed to invite, he should decline doing so. At no distant period he should be in a situation to make the fullest statement on this subject, and he trusted the House would not think that it was from any unwillingness on his part to meet the discussion, that he now declined to let it interfere with the present vote, but because he thought that nothing should stop the course of so important a branch of the national strength as the navy. Colonel Davies said, that shortly after the meeting of parliament, he had given notice of a motion to refer all the estimates to a committee above stairs. It might be expected that he should, therefore, object to the present vote; but he begged to state his opinion, that every thing ought to be done to support the government of the country in the manly line of conduct they had adopted, and that he would be the last man to do any thing which might diminish the establishment of the navy. With respect to the army and the ordnance, he entertained the same opinion; and he therefore should not make the motion of which he had given notice. Sir J. Yorke said, that the hon. member for Aberdeen might be assured that the Board of Admiralty, as well as the other departments of the state, had fully inquired what were the exigencies of the state and what its expenditure, before they prepared their estimates, and that they had shaped them as low as was consistent with the honour and safety of the country. Mr. Maberly thought his hon. friend, the member for Aberdeen, had done no more than his duty. He had no doubt that ministers knew what was the state of the revenue; but that was not enough for the House. They had a right to the information which his hon. friend asked for, and ought not to take any thing for granted. Before the House consented to vote away the public money, they should have an account laid on the table of the means from which that money was to be derived. Mr. Hume said, he would not now prevent the Speaker's leaving the chair, but should take the earliest opportunity of ascertaining the sense of the House on this subject. Mr. Calcraft thought there was a great deal in the hon. member for Aberdeen's objection, but considering the state of the country, he could not consent that any obstacle should be put in the way of the vote for the navy estimates. He was glad to hear that the establishment was not to be cut down, and that government had paused before they put into execution their intention of reducing it. Even if our foreign relations had been less urgent than they were, he should be against any reduction. Every body knew how much depended on the navy, and that when the country was involved in war, notwithstanding the reliance which we placed on the army, it was the navy that must fight us through. The praises which had been so justly bestowed on the duke of York, reminded him that the system of regularity and fairness of promotion in the army, which had been put in practice by him, was one of the most honourable parts of his character. He wished to recommend to those who had the direction of the navy, the adoption of a similar system, which would be satisfactory to the service, and eradicate the notion which prevailed almost universally, that the army was exclusively favoured. He was aware that the commissions not being bought had some influence in producing this notion but he still thought that means ought to be adopted, by which those who merited preferment would be rescued from the hopeless state in which the present system plunged them. Sir George Cockburn assured the hon. member, that there was the strongest desire in the admiralty, to do every thing in their power to forward promotion in the navy. Some years ago it had been thought to go on too rapidly; but he was glad to see a more liberal feeling springing up, and was confident that nothing would be wanting on the part of government to give it a beneficial effect. The House having resolved itself into the committee, Sir George Clerk said, that in calling the attention of the House to the navy estimates, he meant to confine himself to the differences between those of the present and of the past year. The difference in the total amount was not more than 10,0001. The number of seamen was exactly the same, and no reduction could be expected when it was considered, that long ago as great a reduction had been made as was compatible with the public service. The cessation of hostilities in the East Indies, and the more settled state of the governments in South America, would, perhaps, have justified the government in reducing the numbers, but other events which had happened recently rendered the necessity for keeping up the naval force as great as ever. The state of Greece required as great a force in the Levant as before; and, if any objection could be urged against the estimates, as respected this part of the establishment, it would be that the force was too small rather than too large. The wages were precisely the same, but a considerable diminution had taken place in the victualling charges. The Board had been enabled to effect this diminution by sending out provisions, instead of buying them through the hands of agents, and thus procured better as well as cheaper provisions. But some increase had been consequently occasioned in the transport service. The diminution of the half-pay charges amounted to 15,0007.; but that for widows' pensions had increased considerably. In the other departments there had been no change. The charge for new works was 36,000l.; and, respecting this, it was necessary for him to explain, that some of them had not been contemplated when the vote of last year was proposed. The finishing, repairing, and enlarging the Woolwich basin amounted to 15,000l. A sum of 8,000l. had been expended in the erection of flour-mills at Deptford. This had been done in consequence of serious complaints having been made against the contractors for the bad quality of the article. The greatest benefit had been experienced by this improved manufactory of flour, for which reasons he trusted that the expense of the mills would not be objected to. The marine infirmary and hospital at Chatham had cost 7,000l.; and, although this building seemed larger than was necessary, it must be remembered that it enabled the board to do away with the hospital ship, and reduced the medical staff to 4,000l. The hon. baronet then moved, "That thirty thousand men be employed for the sea service, for thirteen lunar months, from the 1st of January, 1827, including nine thousand Royal Marines." Mr. Hume said, that it was high time to confine this vote within due limits. It was given as a reason that no reduction had taken place in the number of men this year, that our expedition to Portugal had interfered to prevent such reduction. But if we were to right the wrongs of other countries at the expense of our own, the number of men which the committee were now called upon to vote, would in a short time be insufficient for the purpose. The House ought to pause a little, and consider whether an expense of six millions per annum was not too much to pay to support Portugal and preserve the faith of treaties. At the same time that he deprecated the system of keeping up expensive war establishments in time of peace, he was ready to avow, that he would rather preserve the whole of our naval force, expensive as it was, than keep up half Our present military establishment. If this country had not a redundant military force, ministers would never have ventured on the rash step which they lately thought proper to take. A superabundant army tended to encourage a nation to go to war, Where was the necessity for our keeping up an undiminished navy, |
