that fubject. The only object before them was, a grant of a sum of money for the cftablishment, as had been done in a former inftance, and a jointure to her Ryal Highness. This being opened to the Committee, he fhould proceed to the incumbrances of the Punce, and to ftate the principle on which he refted the whole proceeding. Whatever might be the amount of the vote of the Houfe for the establishment, he was clearly of opinion that fome measure fhould be adopted to relieve his Royal Highnefs from his prefent embarrassment. He did not nevertheless mean to call on the prefent Committee to confider the extent of these incumbrances. The first point, and the only one he intended to propose a vote for in the motion with which he fhould conclude, was that of an establishment for the Prince and his illuftrious confort. In confidering this, he deared the Committee to ask themselves. what they thought they ought to grant to their Royal High neffes in their prefent fituation. The income of the Prince was already 60,000l. a year, exclufive of the Dutchy of Cornwall, the produce and revenues of which amounted to about 13 000l. per annum.-It was difficult to form a precife calculation on the expence which neceffarily attends the dignity of the Heir Apparent to the Throne, but in forming their thoughts upon that fubject, it was natural to look back on what had been allowed to. former Princes of Wales. Fifty years ago, the prefent Prince's grandfather poffeffed a net income of 100,ool. per annum, in addition to the Dutchy of Cornwall. Lighty years ago, his great-grandfather, the then Prince of Wales, potieffed 100,000l. without the Dutchy of Cornwall. If Gentlemen would look at thefe eftablishments, they would fee that his prefent Royal Highnels ought to have a co fiderable addition to his income, even fuppofing that he was not at all incumbered with debt. Let the Committee therefore confider what they thought was abfolutely neceflary for him; and in confidering this they would naturally reflect on the great difference in the price of all the articles of life; they must be aware that the expences of every defcription of men, from the highest to the lowest, ware much advanced; they would in confequence find that neither luxury, dignity, or even eafe or comfort could be at prefent procured, in a degree adequate to what had been en yed in the times he had alluded to without an advance in the income, to at least a fourth of the whole. It he erred in his calculation, it was from being rather below than above the mark. He therefore propofed, that the income of Es Royal Highnefs fhould be 125,000l. per annum, exclufive of the Dutchy of Cornwall, which was 25,000l. a year. more than was enjoyed 50 years ago. He thought he might reft there that part of the question; for furely this was not more than than the Committee would be difpofed to allow to a Prince of Wales on the event of marriage, which they all approved of, and rejoiced in. This being the only vote he had to propofe, the rest he fhould only flate in the nature of a notice, of what regulations were intended to be made hereafter. The preparations for the marriage would be about 27,000l. or 28,000l. for jewels and plate, which greatly exceeded the expence, but the excefs would go to the outstanding debts; and 25,000l. for finishing Carlton Houfe, the accounts of which were laid upon the table, and they might be brought into difcuffion when the whole amount of the debts fhould come before them for their diftinct confideration. The jointure of the Princefs of Wales he propofed to be 50,000l. a year, being no more than had been granted on a fimilar occafion This was all he thought neceflary to fay on the first branch of the fubje&; but although he meant to propofe nothing more at prefent, he would ftate to the Committee the amount of the debts of his Royal Highnefs, which was between 600,000l. and 700,000l. according to the most accurate accounts he had had an opportunity of feeing; to speak more precifely, they were according to thefe accounts from 620,000l. to 630,000l. up to the last April quarter. He had no reafon to fuppofe that there exifted any other debts of his Royal Highnefs, where he is the principal debtor. There were fome in which he was fecurity for his illustrious brothers. He had the fatisfaction to ftate to the Committee, that from the meritorious exertions of these two illuftrious characters, fuch debts were put into a train of liquidation, and in a courfe of punctual discharge, that he had no reaton to apprehend they would become a burden to them or to the Public, and therefore he did not confider thefe as any part of the debts of his Royal Highnefs, for which it would be neceflary to make any legislative provifion, as they were provided for already by the laudable determination of their Royal Highnefles. The future confideration of the Houfe would be, whether the debts of his Royal Highness were brought into a fhape and mode that would enable them to form fome plan with a view of freeing his Royal Highnefs from the prefent effect of his incumbrances. When they fhould be fo, the Houfe would have to confider of the mode of relieving him; that was not however the fubject of that night's difcuflion, and before he stated an opinion upon that topic, he was defirous of collecting the fenfe of the Houfe as to the mode of proceeding. He was convinced that, before the Houfe fhould take any step towards the liquidation of thefe debts, they would feel that they ought to be clearly flated for accurate inveftigation, both with regard to their nature nature and extent. He propofed a Secret Committee of the Houfe for that purpofe. But if it was the defire of any confiderable number of Members of the Houfe that the whole fhould afterwards be fubmitted to a Committee of the whole Houfe, he faw no objection to it; at the fame time he should fubmit to the Heufe the impreffion which that part of the subject made upon him. He did not conceive it would be poffible that the inquiry of a Committee could be finally fufficient for all purpofes; becaufe, if there was to be an examination into thefe debts in detail for the purpofe of proving that many of them will acait of no defalcation, then there must be a general inquiry, and an inquiry in detail, and that could not be brought within the compafs of the prefent feffion. In that view of the fubject, nothing but a Committee arined with Parliamentary power, to examine upon oath all evidences neceffary to fubftantiate any claims, would be fatisfactory to the Houfe or to the Public, and therefore it was clear there muft in that event be fome legislative provifion upon the fubje&t. If any confiderable number of Gentlemen wifhed, neverthelefs, to have a Secret Committee as a preliminary step, he was far from having any objection, but he wished to have that point fettled one way or other, or both; `for on the determination of it would reft the mode which he fhould propofe for the liquidation of the debts. Whatever mode fhould be adopted, it was neceffary that regard fhould be had to a provifion against contracting debts in future; this was neceflary, as well from affection to every branch of the Royal Family, as from attention to the interefts of the Public; and he trusted there would be found no man in that House, who would feel that he had difcharged his duty to the Public, or to what he felt to be the general intereft of the Royal Family, if he gave his Royal Highnefs an additional income, and fhould fhut his eyes to the effect of these incumbrances. They would defert the material part that was effential to the fplendour of the Heir Apparent, and to the interefts of the country at large, if they left his Royal Highnefs infecure from what he must be exposed to in confequence of his incumbrances; for whatever the liberality of Parliament might be, whatever facrifices his Royal Highnefs might be difpofed to make, they could not be effectual without the affiftance of a pofitive legiflative' provifion as to the mode of liquidating the debts.-The next confideration was as to the mode in which this provifion was to be made.Would the Houfe fay they would leave his Royal Highness to arrange thele things after they had granted him the additional allowance? Upon that point he confeffed he was not prepared to go that length. The cafe was fo unfortunately circura fanced, ftanced, that they could not do any thing that was wholly fatisfactory. If they cut off the fplendour of the Royal Family under the idea of doing it for public purpofes, they would injure the real interefts of the Public. If they went the length of removing the fe incumbrances at once, they would then fet a bad example, and imprefs the Public with an idea that his Royal Highnefs had been wholly free from indifcretion, in the manner he had brought himself into this fituation. This would be holding out an inftance of excefs and prodigality, which would be very injurious to the character of their proceedings, and at the fame time holding out a bad leffon to his fucceffors. The fituation of the House enabled them only to make a comparison of evils. They muft, by looking at the paft, endeavour to provide for the future. The great difficulty was to reconcile prefent intereft with future fecurity. This was a fubject which called for the wifdom, the patriotifm, and the loyalty of Parliament. But in his opinion they would do but little if they did not counteract the poflibility of any fuch evil appearing in future. It was neceffary, in his opinion, for Parliament to mark the fenfe they had of the mode in which his Royal Highnefs brought himfelf under his prefent embarrafiment, and in that view it would be proper that the liquidation of the debt fhould in fome meafure be a tax on the affluence of his Royal Highnefs. In a future ftage, therefore, of the proceeding, he fhould propofe certain provifions to be made for the liquidation of thefe debts out of the Dutchy of Cornwall and the other income of his Royal Highness; that for a limited time certain parts of fuch income be vested in the hands of commifliorers, to difcharge the whole debt, with intereft at four per cent. except fuch as bore legal intereft at five per cent. For this purpofe he propofed that 25,000l. a year fhould be fet apart. This plan would difcharge the whole debt in about feven and twenty years. He was aware, that in twenty-feven years it was likely that there fhould be a demife of his Royal Highness as Prince of Wales. In that event 25,000l. would be charged annually on the hereditary fucceflion of the Prince of Wales. But in the event of the demife of the Crown and of his Royal Highnefs as Prince of Wales, before the expiration of the twenty-feven years, the charge would become a burden on the confolidated fund, and confequently be borne by the Public: An event against which it was not practicable to make any provifion. He had endeavoured to apply the principle which he had already ftated as well as he could, namely, that of maintaining the fplendour of his Royal Highness, and of guarding against fuch an evil as the prefent in future; it was for the Com Committee to judge whether it was a right principle, and whether thefe provifions fhould be made at all, and he hoped they would take the whole into their moft ferious confideration; but if any Gentleman had any other plan to offer that would accomplish the end better, he should be glad to hear him propofe it. Without providing for thefe debts, fo as to make it impoffible for them to increafe, all the withes of the Houfe might be difappointed, and without ftating fomething of this kind he could not expect the concurrence of the Houfe in what he had to propofe. He would go further; he would admit that these points fhould be provided for in the most rigid manner; for the Houfe could not, after what had happened, be expected to reft on any general aflurances. There were two principal heads to be attended to in this cafe. The one was the faithful punctual payment of the debt already contracted.. The other, that no further debt fhould be contracted: The latter of which was to be guarded against, by making it impoffible for fuch credit to be obtained again. With this view he hould propofe to infert in the Bill a claufe of the fame nature as that which was inferted in that excellent and memorable Act which was framed by a Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Burke) who unfortunately was not at the prefent time a Member of the Houfe-That it fhould be impoffible for any part of the expenditure to exceed the estimate-That no arrear fhould, under any pretence, go beyond the quarter-That debts not claimed then thould wholly lapfe-That debts thus claimed fhould be punctually paid, but no other. Thefe points being fettled, he fhould propole, that Carlton Houfe fhould be invefted in the Crown for ever, and the furniture be deemed, under the legal phrafe, to pafs as heirs-loom.-Finally, that no fuit for the recovery of any debt should be instituted against his Royal Highnefs; but that they fhould all be againit his officers, who fhall be refponfible for the whole power and authority which they fhall have in the conduct and management of his affairs. He confidered it to be an effential part of their prefent object, that, when this bufincfs was arranged, no fuch fubject fhould ever come for difcuflion again, for he confidered it to be a most painful, as well as a moft anxious difcuffion. Nothing fhort of this would go the length which the Public had a right to expect from that Houfe, whofe duty it was to fatisfy its conflituents. He felt this impreffion with double weight, as a Member of Parliament, and from the fituation in which he food as Chancellor of the Exchequer; in both which characters he wished neither to add unneceflarily to the burdens of the Public, nor from any weak regard to his own feelings neglect to bring forward a menfure in which their interefts' |