HC Deb 18 June 1841 vol 58 cc1574-6
Sir F. Burdett

rose to put a question to the noble Lord with reference to a motion which the House would recollect that he had intended to bring before the House upon the erection of a monument to the late Sir Sidney Smith, but which he was prevented from submitting to the House by an assurance that it was the intention of the Government to take tip the subject, and he was willing to leave it in their hands, conceiving them be the fittest persons to conduct the necessary arrangements. He was, however, much surprised and disappointed when he found that amongst the supplies proposed by the Government no grant for such a purpose was mentioned, and, that in fact, no further notice was taken of the matter. He really had expected that some intimation of carrying out this object would be made by the Government, and he felt the disappointment the more because he was anxious to have said a few words respecting the gallant individual in question, with whom he had been formerly acquainted. Only the night before last he received a note from the noble Lord, stating that it was not the intention of the Government to do anything in the business during the present Session. He believed that there was a concurrent desire on the part of the public that a monument should be erected to the memory of Sir S. Smith, and some explanation of the intentions of Government was due to the House, to the Friends and relations of that gallant person, to the profession of which he was an ornament, to the country at large, and he might be permitted to add, to himself, because he felt that he was in rather an awkward predicament, not knowing what answers to give to those applicants who wished to be in-formed what had become of the project. All he knew at present was, that a promise had been made on the part of the Government, which had not been carried into effect.

Lord John Russell

replied, that he certainly undertook that a sum sufficient for the erection of a monument to Sir Sidney Smith should be provided out of the public funds, if the House of Commons would consent to such a vote; but upon taking the matter further into consideration, the cases of some other officers who had also been engaged in the service of the country, were brought before the Government; and there were two of those cases, which seemed to be of sufficient importance to induce the Government to consider whether, in those instances, as well as in the instance of Sir Sidney Smith, it would not be proper to erect monuments at the public expense. He alluded to Lords Ex-mouth and Saumarez. If the Session had proceeded in the ordinary manner, it was his intention either to have taken out of the civil contingencies, a sum sufficient for the erection of the proposed monuments, or to have obtained the amount by a separate vote in the miscellaneous estimates. The hon. Baronet was, however, aware that an interruption had occurred in the ordinary proceedings of public business; and, for that reason, Government had thought it better not to bring forward any supplementary estimates, but merely to take those which were necessary for carrying on the public service. Such, indeed, was the understanding of both sides of the House, and it seemed to him the better course, to reserve the application for such a sum, until Parliament met again. He could assure the hon. Baronet, that his opinions in favour of erecting a monument to Sir Sidney Smith had undergone no change, and that the delay in bringing the subject forward had entirely arisen from the peculiar circumstances of the present Session.

Sir F. Burdett

understood the noble Lord to say, that the delay had occurred, not from any change in his opinion as to the propriety of erecting a monument to Sir Sidney Smith, but from the unlooked-for circumstances which cut short the present Session. The family of Sir Sidney Smith, and the public, might then expect to see the promise of erecting a monument fulfilled, for he understood the noble Lord to say, that he had not given up his intention of taking the matter in hand.

Mr. Hume

said, that the monuments ought to be erected in some place where the public could see them. They had thirty or forty public monuments, which had cost the country upwards of 100,000l., but to which the public had no access. He hoped, therefore, that in future, no monuments would be placed in a situation to which the people were debarred access, and he trusted the noble Lord would give his attention to this part of the subject.

Conversation at an end.