tion upon the regularly established agents | being made to him because he held a seat of the Government in foreign countries. in Parliament; and on that occasion the It would often be quite impossible to ob- Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted tain the necessary information upon ques- the validity of the objection, and stated tions of great importance, unless indivi- that the Ministers of the time had no induals peculiarly qualified for the duty tention to pay any money to Dr. Bowwere selected. The practice of appointing ring. Than the present Comptroller of missions of this description was not con- the Exchequer he could not conceive any fined to England. Of late years, there person to be more shocked, if called upon had been an increasing desire on the part to make such a payment; and he hardly of foreign powers to obtain correct in- thought, that hon. Gentlemen opposite formation, with the view of promoting would press the vote in direct contradiccommercial objects; and the practice of tion of what he had just stated. He sending persons peculiarly qualified to would say nothing as to the reports, or as conduct inquiries of that nature was yearly to the value of Dr. Bowring's labours; prevailing more and more. This was but he must say, that he thought his hon. particularly the case as regarded France Friend (Mr. D'Israeli) had been rather hardly and Russia, and the United States of dealt with; because, forsooth, he quesAmerica had not been slow to follow the tioned the utility of the reports, he was example. He should regret exceedingly, to be told that he was making a personal if the House were disinclined to sanction attack. Hon. Gentlemen opposite, for the a payment of this kind, because he was few years they had been in office, had satisfied there were no better means of become exceedingly sensitive. It would obtaining information than the manner in be for their advantage would they but which Dr. Bowring had been employed. come to the opposition side of the House It would be unworthy the House of Com- for a short time. What his hon. Friend mons, if they agreed to the expenses of had said was, that when Dr. Bowring the different diplomatic bodies, and at the went to Turkey he only produced such same time grudged the remuneration of information as our diplomatic agent could, the very useful labours of the gentlemen and which in fact he did supply. He he had named. His only object in rising would not say, that they were never to was to bear testimony to the merits and send a person on such a mission as that labours of Dr. Bowring, a question which on which Dr. Bowring had been employed, he thought had been somewhat wantonly but he thought as a rule it was bad. It introduced by the hon. Member opposite. had a tendency to depreciate the regular Mr. Hume said, he was one that had diplomatic agents, who, when they found received considerable information from the others employed to do their duty, would reports of Dr. Bowring, and with regard soon altogether neglect what properly beto his labours, he thought that he had longed to them. In time of peace, he did been most miserably rewarded. He never not think it too much to expect them to had the means of acquiring so much perform such duties. They paid the coninformation as the reports of Dr. Bowring sular agents about 2301. per annum: yet furnished him with and the only fault of the hon. Member for Kilkenny vents his Dr. Bowring, in the eyes of Gentlemen indignation because they would only alopposite, was, that he had been diligent low 31. 3s. a day, with 2s. a mile extra, and had given a faithful report. to Dr. Bowring, a friend of the hon. Member, and a gentleman politically allied with him. Had they not heard the hon. Member for Kilkenny declare, that his chief objection to the vote was that it was only for 31. 3s. a day and 2s. per mile, although this was in in addition to a payment of some other sort. If he had been in office, and had employed a Member of Parliament during the recess on some special mission, and contracted to pay him the sum that Dr. Bowring had received, the hon. Member for Kilkenny would have decidedly ob

Mr. Hamilton had come prepared to support the claim of Dr. Bowring, but from what he had heard he would now give his vote on constitutional grounds. He did not think, that the hon. Member for Kilkenny had, by his advocacy improved the case, and was surprised to hear him treat 31. 3s. per day and 2s. a mile for travelling expenses as a miserable remuneration.

Sir R. Peel said, that in 1837, when Dr. Bowring was in Parliament, his right hon. Friend objected to any payment

"Non ego hoc ferrem calidus inventâ, Consule Planco."

He did not think that the hon. Member for Kilkenny would have supported him in such an unconstitutional course. In regard to the precedent he named, then, if they established no limit, any other Government might select whomsoever they pleased for such a service. The precedent was an objectionable and a dangerous one, and he was sorry that the consequences of it might be visited on Dr. Bowring, while the fault rested with the Government. He could not, however, see how he could so well mark his disapprobation of the transaction, but by voting for the motion of his hon. Friend.

jected to such a proceeding as unconsti- | make the appointment, and that if he had tutional; nor would he have said that his done so in one case, he might do so in chief objection to the vote was its inade- many others? If the situation of parties quacy. Now, in respect to the Act of in that House had been reversed, would Anne, he found that no person a Member they not have condemned it in him as an of Parliament, was at liberty to accept Act leading to great abuse? Suppose he an office of profit from the Crown during had had the misfortune to have denied the such time as he continued a Member, but fact when questioned, and that the Memthat on such an acceptance his election ber so employed remained three or four was to be declared void, and a new writ years in his seat in Parliament, what conissued for the vacancy. The situation struction would they have placed on his which Dr. Bowring held was one of profit, conduct? He could wish no greater punand he could not see how that gentleman ishment to Gentlemen opposite than to was exempted from the clause of the Act. be doomed to hear the speeches which It appeared to him, that his case fell di- they would have come out with on such rectly within it. It was clear that it was an occasion. Would they have supported an office of profit, and that it was held it as they have done the present appointby him during the time he had a seat in ment of Dr. Bowring ?—No. Parliament. The precedents to which the hon. Gentleman had referred he did not bear exactly in his mind, but his impression was, that the appointment to the Carnatic mission was made under an Act of Parliament. He doubted whether the appointment was made under the Crown. It was quite clear that a director of the East India Company did not fall within the meaning of the Act. With regard to Mr. Frankland Lewis, if there was not an Act of Parliament which exempted his case from the operation of the Act of Anne, there was, at least, an address to the Crown, praying that commissioners might be appointed to inquire into the state of education, and he was appointed one of those commissioners. There was also this difference in the case of Mr. Lewis-he was specifically paid by a vote of Parliament, and the names of the commissioners were brought before the House of Commons; but the payment was not made to Dr. Bowring in this way-it was made for a special service. He would not call in question the merits of Dr. Bowring, or the intentions of Governmenthe was speaking of the tendencies of these things. Suppose that a Minister of the Crown found some person that had been previously employed in making certain inquiries for the Government, afterwards a Member of that House, and that he continued to employ him during the recess; that he sent him abroad on some mission, paying his expenses, and remunerating him for his trouble-would it have been a sufficient answer had the Minister said that the gentleman was qualified for the task? Would he not

Lord John Russell would make a very few observations only. The right hon. Baronet had said that, according to the Act of Anne, Dr. Bowring held an office, and ought to have vacated his seat. He believed that an employment of this kind, which was not a regular office, and to which no regular salary was annexed, did not come under the operation of that Act. There were precedents of the kind, and his opinion was that there might be special occasions, in which a person being fitted for the service in which he had been employed, and it being for the public interest that he particularly should be employed rather than any other, the remuneration should be permitted. If indeed it were done in the way which the right hon. Baronet had alluded to, namely, to secure the services of a Member of Parliament, who was not exactly fitted for the task, it would be a most objectionable practice. He admitted, that if it were not done

Troubridge, Sir E. T. Buller, E.