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able Member had ftated the precedent of the Duke of Marlborough, which none had prefumed to controvert. Now, after this exploit had been fpoken of in fuch terms, what ought not the Houfe to feel when they heard the Chancellor of the Exchequer talking of anniverfaries, and referring to dates a twelvemonth back? How ought his Majefty's Minifters to blush at their conduct, in procraftinating the reward due to fuch fervices, and then in bringing forward the bufinefs in the scandalous and dirty manner they had? To mark their proceedings on the 14th of February, 1797, this gallant victory was achieved by the arms of Lord St. Vincent. On the 3d of March a propofition was made for an Addrefs of Thanks to the Admiral, the Officers, and Seamen; at the fame time it was faid, that it would be the more proper way to leave to the Executive Government the task of remuneration. It was hinted that fomething was intended to be done. He knew, that prior to that time it was in agitation to have rewarded him with a barony, for his fervices in the Mediterranean; but this exploit feemed to have merited a peerage, which was immediately conferred on him. On the 11th of October the victory of Admiral Duncan took place. It was inviduous to draw comparifons between the merit of the two exploits. No man estimated more than he did the brilliancy of each, but if he might be allowed to compare them, he would beg leave to call to the memory of the House and the Committee, that the victory of Lord St. Vincent was one which certainly was unparalleled in the annals of the navy. It was a victory gained over the enemy with an inequality against the British fleet of fifteen to twenty-five. Minifters themselves had acknowledged it to be the greatest action ever fought. He fcorned to make invidious comparifons; but he could not avoid remarking, that from the time the peerage was conferred, no further mention was made of the name of Lord St. Vincent. A peerage was alfo conferred on Lord Duncan for the fignal victory he had obtained; and before he could well know the road to the Houfe, a meffage was brought from his Majefty, that fome pecuniary recompence was to be conferred. Then fo late as Monday laft came the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Houfe, and with a fort of cold-blooded recollection, as if he had confidered that fomething elfe was required to be done, put off the motion to confider of the meffage till this day, in order to have an opportunity of making another, which he had recollected was neceffary, at the fame time.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer had acted with more than his ufual ambiguity and duplicity on this occafion, and his conduct had the effect of conveying a mean, dirty infinuation, that

in confequence of the propofition in favour of Lord Duncan, an application had been made on the part of Lord St. Vincent or his friends for a fimilar remuneration. It was fo contrived, that it might feem as if fomething had intervened, which made it neceffary to think of Lord St. Vincent-then came down the meffage. He fhould take no notice of its being couched in the fame terms as that refpecting Lord Duncan, though it must be obvious that the legal operation of the grant must be very different with regard to the two perfons. If the grant to Lord St. Vincent appeared to be the fame as that to Lord Duncan, in point of fact it was very different. True, it met the ears a precifely fimilar, but fo did it not the understanding. Lord St. Vincent had no children on whom his title could devolve. In this fituation ftood the complaint he had to urge, as to the grofs and manifeft partiality of Minifters to one in preference to the other. They had brought forward a propofition in favour of Lord Duncan in the courfe of three months, and then came the cold-blooded after thought of Lord St. Vincent, making him follow in the wake of Lord Duncan. See the policy of such a system, and the effect it would have on the navy. What would be the fentiments of the admirals, captains, and officers of the navy, when they perceived a low, paltry, party spirit preventing the rewards and honours due to meritorious and valorous achievements. Thus much as to the manner in which the bufinefs had been introduced,-then as to the time. It was brought forward at a period of national distress and bankruptcy, unequalled in the hiftory of the country. The Minifter called upon the Houfe to vote a fum of 2000l. or 4000l. annually, at a moment when the pecuniary embarrassments of the country exceeded what were ever known; at a moment when it was admitted the funding fyftem was obliged to be abandoned; at a moment when begging-boxes were hung up in every street, for the purpose of fcraping guineas and half guineas from the hands of menial fervants, merely to fupport Minifters. (Repeated acclamations of hear! hear!) Certain he was, Minifters were never better pleafed than when by fuch delufions as they had practifed, they could extort money from the people. Mr. Jekyll faid, he knew the Noble Earl well whofe caufe he was pleading, and well he was perfuaded, that at a period of public diftrefs like the prefent, he would be the last to ask for pecuniary recompence, even though he were fure of finding, in every one of his Majefty's Minifters, a relation to forward his requeft, efpecially if thofe Minifters had been the means of bringing the country into its prefent fituation. He was perfuaded of this, because he knew the Noble Lord was too virtuous a character to feek pecuniary remuneration by any fuch in

direct methods. He understood the Peerage had not been applied for by Lord St. Vincent. With refpect to the honour of Peerage, no man venerated it more than he did. It was an honour which he always wifhed to fee referved for heroes, and truly glorious characters. He wished not to fee it proftituted, by being bestowed on vile fycophants, minifterial jobbers, and mitcrable borough-mongers. On the ground of this bufinefs being brought forward at a time when the country could not bear it, and from the manner in which it was done, evidently to caft a flur upon Lord St. Vincent, by fuffering it to lay a twelvemonth in obfcurity, and then taking it up, he could not but condemn it. From whatever quarter fuch proceedings originated, he muft fay that they reflected great dishonour on his Majefty's Minifters. They had conducted them:felves in a manner fcandalous to themfelves, difgraceful to Lord St. Vincent, and he trufted their conduct would meet with the difapprobation of the Houfe.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he ought to make an apology to the Committee for taking any notice at all of the Honourable Gentleman's fpeech. It was a fpeech of a nature fo fingular, that he really was at a lofs how to begin. The Learned Gentleman had ftated he had been pleading the caufe of Lord St. Vincent. It however happened, fortunately for Lord St. Vincent, that his distance from this country fecured him from the imputation of having retained him. Confident he was the Learned Gentlemen had not, by his pleading, acquired any fee which he could contribute to the begging-box of which he had fpoken. As to the extent of the Learned Gentleman's contributions for the benefit of his country, he was himself the best judge. It had been ftated that this measure was brought forward too late. With refpect to Lord Duncan, he took fhame to himself that he had fuffered fo long a period as four months to elapfe, but the great preffure of public business has prevented him from bringing it forward fooner; and with regard to Lord St. Vincent, the circumstances that rendered it neceffary to make a fimilar propofition, were unknown to him till within twenty-four hours previous to its being mentioned in the Houfe. Was this annuity to be granted, because the Houfe thought a pecuniary remuneration neceffary, in order to add luftre to thofe great characters, whofe exploits had entitled them to the gratitude of the country? Admitting that a pecuniary reward was fomething better than an honorary title, was the peerage depreciated, because it was neceffary to give fomething elfe? It must be obvious that a peerage ought not to be conferred where there was not a fufficiency of property to enable the perfon ennobled to fupport the high rank he was called to; 4 E

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at leaft fuch was the principle in ordinary cafes; but where, for fplendid exertions and magnanimous exploits, by which the country had benefitted, it became neceffary a man fhould be advanced beyond that rank he was born to; in such case, if, from his former fituation in life, he had not been able to raise a fortune fufficient to enable him to fupport a station to which the voice of the country called him, then, the rank being given, it became neceffary for the public to make provifion to maintain it. Thus it was with refpect to Lord Duncan. He knew it was fo. As to Lord St. Vincent he did not, nor did any of his Majefty's Minifters, till a very short period before the bufinefs was brought forward, know that his fituation required it.

The Honourable and Learned Gentleman had affected to be the friend and advocate of the Noble Lord; but his real object was only to have an opportunity of making an illiberal, indecent, and unwarrantable attack on his Majefty's Minifters. Such was the object of the Honourable Gentleman, and fuch was at all times the object of those who acted with him. From the ftyle which he had affumed, it feemed as though he cared not how much he endangered the intereft of his own friends, io he could thereby attack thofe whom he called his enemies. It was not till a very late period he knew that the fituation of Lord St. Vincent was fuch as to leave him with an income as little adequate to fupport his title as Lord Duncan. The Honourable Gentleman had bewildered himself about the affair of the Baronetcy and Earldom; he had thought proper to infer, that the honour was not conferred on the Noble Lord for his fervices in the Mediterranean. Now the fact was, that when the Baronetcy was offered him, it was offered previous to the 14th of February, on the grounds that his former fervices had been fo meritorious. When the news of that celebrated victory arrived, his Majefty, unfolicited by him, unfolicited by any of his friends, unfolicited by any volunteer counfel, offered not only the Baronetcy, but the further honour of a Peerage. What there was illiberal in the manner in which the Peerage was bestowed, he would leave to the Honourable Gentleman to determine. The Peerage was beftowed fpontaneoufly by his Majefty, and unafked by Lord St. Vincent, and it was objected to, becaufe the pecuniary remuneration did not come fooner, though the circumftances that rendered it neceffary were

unknown.

The Honourable Gentleman had obferved refpecting the manner in which the business was brought forward, that it had a tendency to fow diffentions in the fleet, by the invidious comparison it held forth between the two admirals. He alfo

had

had stated, it was brought forward at a moment when the fituation of the country, and the diftrefs of the times were fuch, that the people could not bear it. Such were the infinuations by which he pretended to ferve his country, and the interest of his friend. As to the invidious comparifon made by the manner of bringing forward the business, it was what no one could feriously attend to. The two glorious achievements were in themfelves fo much alike, that it was impoffible to draw any comparifon between them; and fure he was no officer of either fleet would infer any that were invidious. The Honourable Gentleman had exerted all the powers of his cloquence, not to exaggerate the exploits of Lord St. Vincent, for they were beyond his ability to exaggerate; but to depreciate thofe of Lord Duncan; but it must be felt, that no diftinction ought to be made between two perfons who, under circumftances very different, both contending with an enemy of greater fuperiority, in point of number, and of great refolution, as appeared by the actions, had rendered fervices to the country as fplendid as any that were to be found in its naval annals, at the brighteft period of its hiftory-Actions which were both eminent, and both unrivalled, compared to any period to which he could allude. But having faid the action of Lord St. Vincent, on the 14th of February, was unrivalled, the Honourable Gentleman was extremely indignant that it should in fix months' after be followed by another, which had fo rivalled it, that it might be placed on the fame footing with it. This was a curious figure in rhetoric, a fort of anachronifm, by which the Honourable Gentleman would prove, that an action in the beginning of the year which was meritorious, ceafed to be fo, because it was rivalled in fix months after. The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, the Honourable Gentleman would not have the reward he expected. He would not have the thanks of Lord St. Vincent; and if he hoped to raise a jealousy between fuch characters as Lord St. Vincent and Lord Duncan, he would find that their fuperior minds could poffefs the feelings of a noble emulation without jealoufy, and of equality without envy; and all men who were capable of being their admirers, muft, at the fame time, be incapable of admiring the conduct of the Honourable Gentleman, who, by his infinuations, was attempting to fow diffentions in the fleet, at the very time too when he was loading others with the imputation of fo doing. When the Honourable Gentleman reflected on his conduct this day, he would have no reason to be proud of it. As to the particular diftrefs of the country, the Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted that the public expences were heavy. No one could doubt it; but the circumftance to which

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