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Friend (Mr. Fox), for having the days of election ballots confidered as Calls of the Houfe, he certainly approved of, and he would himself propofe a regulation that might fave the Committees much trouble; it was, as is done in the Old Bailey, to have the evidence taken in fhort hand-this, he was confident, would fave two days out of five; he however thanked Mr. Grenville for the neceffary regulations he propofed.

Mr. Sylvefter Douglas thought the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Grenville) had ftruck out a proper medium in the business, and one which he preferred to a Call of the Houfe. With regard to the length of time, taken up in controverted elections before a decifion enfued, there was certainly great caufe of complaint, and the Public were much inconvenienced by it. Many caufes however were of that complicated nature in point of evidence and law, that they occupy perhaps two or three days, and if the time were abridged, the Public may fay that juftice may not be done. Mr. Douglas referred to the practice of the House of Commons in Ireland, in refpect to petitions on contested elections.

After fome further remarks from Mr. Hawkins Browne, and a few words in reply from Mr. T. Grenville, leave was given to bring in the Bill.

CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS TO HIS MAJESTY.

Lord Parker fignified to the Houfe his Majefty's pleasure to receive their addrefs of congratulation, on the nuptials of his Royal Highnefs the Prince of Wales, at three o'clock next day.

MOTION FOR A MONUMENT TO CAPTAIN FAULKNOR.

General Smith faid, that pursuant to the notice he had given on a former occafion, he rofe to make a motion to which he conceived that there could not be the fmalleft oppofition. He must own-indeed, he was rather surprised that fome difficulty was entertained with refpect to the propofition which he meant to bring forward, as not being fanctioned by any precedent. He should have thought that it would only have been neceffary to leave the decifion to the justice of the House. They could not, whin the space of three fhort months, have forgotten the difted merits, and gallant fervices of the brave officer, to wcie memory he now propofed to erect a monument. To coinmemorate the fervices of thefe officers who had fallen in the courfe of a naval campaign, with fuch, diftinguished courage, did honour to themselves and country. General Smith entered into a recital of the conduct of Captain Faulknor on different occafions, particularly the action in which he lost his life. It was true that it was in fome mea-,

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fure an unprecedented action, and confequently of a different nature to thofe ufually fo honoured under the conduct of Admirals and Captains; it was an action wherein the task at once devolved to a fingle individual both to plan and to execute. He recapitulated the various fervices of Captain Fauiknor in the Weft Indies, both on board the Zebra and La Blanche, as they have formerly been detailed in the Gazettes, and expatiated largely on his gallantry. He had no doubt, he said, but that there were hundreds of officers, who in equal fituations would difplay an equal degree of patriotifm and valour, but that it rarely happened that fuch opportunities occurred. He lamented that three months fhould have tranfpired without any public notice of Captain Faulknor's bravery on the part of the Houfe of Commons. Many for exertions lefs meritorious had received the greatest rewards, and been elevated to the highest honours. He alluded to the gratitude which they before had fhewn to the eight furviving children of Captain Farmer of the Quebec, trufting that they would be no lefs generous on this occafion. He concluded by moving, "That an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, to request that his Majefty would be pleafed to order a monument to be erected in the collegiate church of St. Peter, Weftminster, to the memory of the late Captain Faulknor, and to affure his Majefty that his faithful Commons would undertake to make good the expences of the fame."

Mr. Grey faid, that he was anxious to fecond this motion, not because he feared it would want the fupport of perfons of greater influence than himfelf, but becaufe, from information which he had received from a particular channel, he was enabled to add fome circumftances to the teftimony which had just been borne to the merits of the gallant officer who was the object of the motion. If, indeed, as the Hon. General had fuggefted, there was fome difficulty entertained on the prefent occafion, with refpect to precedent, this was a cafe, in which, of all others, precedent might be difpenfed with. A tribute of national refpect and gratitude was due to Captain Faulknor, not merely for his behaviour in the action in which he fell, but for a long feries of gallant fervices in the course of a life, which, though fhort with refpect to time, was not lefs illuftrious from the number and brilliancy of his atchievements. He was a man, the admiration both of the army and navy, and indeed of all who knew him, and in an expedition which, he might take upon him to fay, was diftinguished by military enterprife and conduct, had fignalized himself beyond his peers. Mr. Grey entered into a recital of the particulars of his conduct on different occafions, particularly at Fort Bourbon, at Guadaloupe, and at Fleur d'Epée. He trufted, that on

this motion to erect a monument to the memory of an officer, who after having rendered the most eminent fervices to his country, had fallen covered with glory, there would not be one diffentient voice, but that all would cheerfully concur in paying a tribute not lefs honourable to him, whofe merits it was intended to commemorate, than it would be ferviceable to the nation, by infpiring in others an emulation of his virtues. Mr. Grey adduced the inftance of the monument erected at the public expence, in confequence of a vote of Parliament, to the memory of the late Earl of Chatham, to prove that the Houfe had not always felt it neceffary to govern itself by the narrow rule of general precedent.

The Secretary at War faid, that he felt himself placed in an unpleasant fituation, in being obliged to oppofe the motionthe more fo, from the ardour with which it had been brought forward by the Hon. Gentleman, and which might give to his oppofition the appearance of fome difference in opinion, or in feeling. No man, however, was more ready than himself to allow, that no actions could have been more brilliant, and no life more illuftrious, than thofe of Captain Faulknor. He was not, however, from any thing that had been faid, relieved from the difficulty with respect to erecting a monument to his memory. What had been the rule obferved in the cafe of other meritorious officers? It was neceffary either to look to the principle that had been followed in former instances, or to adopt fome new rule of action. The rule hitherto existing in ufage was in oppofition to the motion now propofed, and forbad them to give way to their feelings on the present occafion. What, he asked, had formerly been the cafe, with respect to Captain Gardener (in a 64-gun fhip against the Foudroyant of 80), and more recently with refpect to Captain Courtenay, who had both fallen gloriously in the fervice of their country? Neither of thefe officers had any public monument erected to their memory. The rule had been only to erect monuments to thofe officers who fell in great and general actions, though the merit of those who perished in feparate actions might be equally, and perhaps even more diftinguished. Honours must go either by rules, or by difcretion. If the principle was to be extended, why fhould not lieutenants and midshipmen, who fignalized themselves, come in for a fhare of the fame diftinctions? What he then objected to in the prefent inftance was, that the claims of individuals fhould be brought forward in that House for separate difcuffion. It was not true with respect to honour as with refpect to all other good, that it became improved in degree in proportion as it was more extenfively communicated. He regretted the abfence of his Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, who was better acquaint

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ed with the rules and principles upon which fuch motions were brought forward. He had given his opinion, and in order to get rid of the motion in the moft refpectful way, he faid, he would move that the other Orders of the Day be now read.

Mr. Fox faid, that he fhould have thought it wife, reasonable, and juft, to have at once affented to a motion founded on the ground of extraordinary merit. The Right Hon. Gentleman had however thought proper to answer it by a long ftory of a rule which no where appeared. The Right Hon. Gentleman had laid down a very true principle, that honours did not become more valuable in proportion as they were la vishly bestowed; and he wifhed it had been more attended to in the diftribution of the votes of thanks of laft feffion. But would the honour of any of the British heroes be tarnifhed by having the monument of Captain Faulknor placed next to theirs? Would not the catalogue rather receive frefh splendour from the addition of fo illuftrious a name? When the Right Hon. Gentleman laid fo much ftrefs on precedents, was he afraid that the precedents for conferring honours on fuch fingular and extraordinary merit might become too numerous? He was fure that there was no precedent in which fuch a motion as the present had been brought forward and refused, and he trufted that the House on the prefent occafion would attend to the dictates of their own feelings and the national honour, rather than the authority of the Hon. Gentleman.

Mr. Ryder defended the Secretary at War, but expreffed his with that a refolution might be drawn up, ftating the reafon why the motion was negatived, that there might be no room to fufpect that there was any difference of opinion as to the merits of Captain Faulknor.

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Sir William Pulteney differed entirely from the two Right Hon. Gentlemen on the other fide of the Houfe-This did not appear to him to be at all a queftion of precedent, but a queftion of feeling; and the only point for confideration was, whether Captain Faulknor did not merit the honour which it was proposed to pay to his memory. Sir William said, that the effufions of refpect and gratitude, called forth by extraor dinary exertions in the fervice of the country, were equally creditable to the parties, and to themselves. Were they to be fettered by rules and by precedents? No; it was impoflible to reftrain the feelings of men. It had been faid that there exifted a rule by which the Houfe of Commons were precluded from granting fuch honours to any officer standing in the fituation of Captain Faulknor-That is to fay, where the engagement was only between fingle fhips, and not between fleets. In the first place, the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Windham) had by no means proved that any fuch rule existed, and even

if it did, he fhould contend that it was a bad rule, and ought to be refcinded. If the Houfe agreed with him in opinion, that it should not be tied down by any such supposed rule, he was fure they could not find a more proper occafion than the' prefent to break through it. He was at a lofs to know why officers belonging to fleets fhould alone be entitled to honours, for the fituation of an officer, commanding a fingle thip, feem-, ed to him much more difficult. An officer, commanding a ship in a fleet, acted not upon his own judgment, but in obedience to the orders of his fuperior; and he could not, without flagrant mifconduct, avoid doing his duty. On the contrary, the commander of a fingle fhip must act upon his own judgment, and whatever he did was perfectly voluntary-He was always of opinion that the Houfe was much too niggardly in bestowing honours, which appeared to him equally impolitic and unjust-In other countries any extraordinary act of skill or bravery was conftantly rewarded with preferment; in this country nothing could obtain promotion but feniority or money. This practice greatly injured our fervice, for it induced officers to have recourfe to other means to obtain preferment, instead of feeking it by fignalizing their courage: Upon the whole, he thought the country owed this tribute to the memory of Captain Faulknor; it was a debt of gratitude, and ought to be paid.

After fome explanation, the Secretary at War profeffed his readiness to withdraw his motion for the Order of the Day, if fome mode could be found of adjourning the original motion, in order to fearch for precedents.

Mr. Wilberforce fupported this laft propofition.

The question was then put, that the other Orders of the Day be now read, and negatived without a division.

The Secretary at War faid, the question of the Order of the Day being difpofed of, he would move that the debate on the original motion be adjourned for a few days-which being feconded,

Mr. Fox rofe immediately, and declared, that after attending to all that had been faid of rule and precedent, he muft reprobate in the strongest terms the motion now made, after the Order of the Day upon the original motion had been lost -a motion, which he would venture to fay, was one of the most indecent, irregular, and disgraceful, that could have been made in that Houfe. He wished to afk on the fubject of rules and precedents, by what rule or by what precedent they were to estimate the merits of officers who had diftinguished themfelves in an extraordinary manner? How could fimilar fervices be compared?-and how could rules be made to direct and re

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