SUPPLY—CIVIL CONTINGENCIES. (Hansard, 9 July 1847)

MR. WILLIAMS
said, he had strong objections to several of the items in this vote. One item was 4,000l. to pay for the outfit of the British Ambassador at Paris; and he could not see how such a sum was to be required when a mansion and every other requisite were already provided. He hoped some explanation would be afforded on this point, and also as to the mode in which the sums advanced to other public officers were apportioned; thus he found that one Gentleman, Mr. D. F. O'Leary, received 936l. reimbursement of expenses incurred by him in proceeding with his family to Bogota, on his appointment as Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at New Granada; while Mr. Ball, the late Chargé d'Affaires at Buenos Ayres, received for his passage from Monte Video to this country, on board Her Majesty's ship Apollo, 112l. 15s.; and Mr. Turner, the Charge d'Affaires who succeeded him, together with the Secretary of the French legation there, cost the country 187?. for being conveyed the same journey on board another ship. Another case still more extraordinary was the cost of the passage of Consul Layton to China, amounting to 301l. 16s. 10d. Considerable charges were also made on account of excursions made by six bishops; and he was sure his hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Mr. Brotherton) would feel gratified in having an opportunity to record his vote against the expenditure of the public money for such purposes. The excursions of the Bishop of Gibraltar for the year cost the country 109l. 12s.; of the Bishop of Newfound-laud, 120l; the Bishop of Antigua, 621. The entertainment of the Bishop of Jamaica and his chaplain on board the Hermes cost 100l.; the entertainment of the Bishop of Barbadoes and suite, in Her Majesty's sloop Hyacinth, cost 70l.; and the charge for the late Bishop of Jerusalem and family, in going from Jaffa to Beyrout in the Warspite, was 60l. Seeing that all the Protestants in Jerusalem under the bishop's care only amounted to twenty-seven persons, more than half of whom were his Lordship's family and servants, he could easily have found time for making pleasurable excursions. He (Mr. Williams) did not object to his having done so; but he thought the expense ought to have come out of his own pocket. He had also to object to the item of 1,079l. for robes, badges, and collars, for knights of the 147 several orders, as he thought the expenses ought to be borne by the knights themselves. He hoped some explanation would be afforded on those matters; and on others, such as chains and badges for the marshal, and 113l. expenses for watermen's badges and attendance of the barge-master and watermen at the House of Lords. He thought, if their Lordships wanted watermen, they ought to have paid for their services themselves. He should object likewise to the very large sums charged for the travelling expenses of foreign princes and other personages in this country; and he thought in all these matters it was too bad to make the overworked operatives of England contribute such immense sums. The hon. Member concluded by moving a reduction to the amount of 6,104l. 16s. 7d. in the vote.

§ MR. BANKES
said, it was impossible for the House to go into the vote at that hour, as the hon. Member had gone into so many details, and asked so many questions; and he, therefore, would move that the Chairman report progress.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
said, it was absolutely necessary to keep up the dignity of our Ambassadors, and that their scale of expenditure was lower than that allowed by France, Spain, and Austria.