§ Mr. Creeveyrose, in pursuance of his notice, to move for copies of the Patents, under which lord Melville, and the earl of Buckinghamshire, were appointed to the office of President of the Board of Controul. He observed, that in 1784, when the Board of Controul was nominated, none of the members belonging to which were to receive salary, but the President had been allowed 2,000l. per annum, which he received up to last year. In that session, a Bill was brought in for its augmentation, and 22,000l. had been voted for that purpose. His object, therefore, by this motion was, to ascertain what further sum had been given to lord Melville who lately held, and to lord Buckinghamshire, who now filled the office of President of the Board. The former of these noblemen had been in possession of a a Scotch sinecure, producing 2,500l. per annum, of the place of lord privy seal of Scotland, yielding 3,500l. and of 5,000l. under the act of last session, making together 10,000l. a year. The earl of Buckinghamshire had a sinecure and salary, as having served the office of chief secretary for Ireland, of 11,000l. per annum, besides 1,500l. given to him by the East India Company, in consideration of his having served the office of governor of Madras, and his lordship now 260 was in receipt of 5,000l. as President of the Board of Controul, ascending together to the enormous sum of 17,000l. a year. He put it to the right hon. gentleman over the way, whether this amount of public money was not too much to be assigned to one individual. He understood, that lord Melville had thought right to relinquish the tellership of the Exchequer he formerly held, and was content with the 5,000l. per annum he obtained as first lord of the Admiralty. He trusted that this act of liberality would have its due effect upon the mind of the earl of Buckinghamshire, and concluded by moving "That there be laid before this House, copies of all warrants under his Majesty's sign manual, directing the amount of the salaries to lord viscount Melville, late President of the Board of Controul, and to the earl of Buckinghamshire, now President of the Board of Controul, under and by virtue of the act 51 Geo. 3, c. 75."
The Chancellor of the Exchequerobserved, that undoubtedly one object of the act of last session was to increase the salary of Mr. Dundas, who then discharged the arduous duties of the President of the Board alluded to. He admitted that it had been strenuously resisted by the hon. gentleman, but his objections had been overruled by the better judgment of the House. Lord Melville, however, upon his nomination to the situation he now held, had resigned the office previously occupied by his late father, of privy seal of Scotland, with the salary annexed to it. If the hon. gentleman expected that sinecure offices were to be held without the receipt of any salary, it was a new principle not yet recognized by parliament. Individuals who under the last administration held situations to which no public duty was attached, did not think it necessary to set an example which was now considered so laudable. It would not now be denied that the earl of Buckinghamshire was entitled to an adequate reward for the execution of public duties of great importance, but, filling this new office under the East India Company, he had thought it right to resign the annuity of 1,500l. as governor of Madras. As the the papers now required would in the regular course of business be laid before parliament, he thought the motion unnecessary, but if it were persisted in he should not resist it.
§ Mr. Whitbreadwished to put a question of some importance to the right hon. the 261 Chancellor of the Exchequer. He wished to know whether the pension of the President of the Board of Controul depended upon the continuance of the East India Company's charter? If so, considering also his former attachment, it appeared that the earl of Buckinghamshire must have a direct and obvious interest in supporting the monopoly so grievously complained of by the nation.
The Chancellor of the Exchequerthought it extremely probable that the grant depended upon the contingency of the renewal of the charier. He could not see why the previous employment of his lordship should render him unfit, under the present circumstances, to fill the office of President of the Board of Controul. Certain it was that there was no legal incompetency, and no other objection could be assigned.
§ Mr. Whitbread, leaving the earl of Buckingamshire out of the question, thought that he might assume, from the known motives that influenced men in general, that any other person but the noble earl might be induced more strenuously to support a cause in the success of which he was so largely interested. He was not surprized that the right hon. gentleman had fixed upon an interested individual, considering the great difficulty he had found in discovering persons who would consent to serve under him.
§ The Motion was then agreed to.