MARQUIS CAMDEN'S TELLERSHIP BILL. (Hansard, 21 May 1819)

Mr. Bankes
rose and observed, the noble, disinterested, and patriotic manner in which the noble marquis had relinquished the extensive emoluments of this office, was a magnanimous sacrifice to the service of his country, which it was impossible for the House to pass over without some signal mark of its approbation. He had sacrificed, in effect, a much larger sum than the marquis of Buckingham had done in a similar way; for, considering the noble marquis's time of life, and reckoning on the ordinary calculations of longevity, the amount of what lord Camden had thus generously sacrificed could not be less than 100,000l. After a very eloquent panegyric of the generous and patriotic conduct of the noble marquis, he said, he thought the least the House could do, was to recognise it by a public vote of approbation and thanks, in which he was confident of the unanimous support of the House. He concluded by moving, "That this House doth acknowledge and highly approve the public spirit and disinterested conduct of the most noble marquis Camden, in making, during his life, this large sacrifice of private fortune to the service of his country, and that it becomes this House to record with due commendation such an instance of distinguished munificence, so honourable to the giver, and so justly intitled to public gratitude."

§ Mr. Calcraft
said, that not being present at the former discussion, he now merely rose to express his applause and admiration of the conduct of the marquis of Camden. He was glad that the House would hand down to posterity the expression of their sense of an act so truly noble, and so deserving of imitation;

§ Mr. Valentine Blake,
after expressing his opinion of the conduct of the noble 666 marquis, proceeded to suggest, that the House should not stop at merely recording their sense of the disinterested act which he had performed, but should present an address to the Prince Regent, praying that his royal highness would be pleased to bestow some signal mark of favour on the marquis of Camden.

§ Mr. Wilberforce
disagreed altogether with the hon. gentleman who spoke last, as to the course he suggested. He thought the act of the noble marquis truly great, and his great and noble reward would be found in the thanks of the House and the applause of his country. There was a noble simplicity in the act, which he would wish to let stand on its own merits. No mark of honour that the throne could bestow could raise the noble marquis higher than his own act had done—an act the more truly patriotic and disinterested, when it was considered that the fortune of the noble marquis, though respectable, was not affluent. It was honourable to the feelings of the House, that this was not taken up as a party question—that it was not guided by any part sentiment—but that the universal voice of parliament, echoing as it did the voice of the country, thus proclaimed, its sense of the noble marquis's conduct.

Lord Castlereagh
said, that as to the conduct of the noble marquis, there was but one feeling; it was a sacrifice as unexampled, as it was disinterested and pure; and though his noble friend did not court public notice, yet nothing, he was convinced, would be more gratifying to his feelings, than the unanimous expression of the approbation of the House. He hoped therefore that the hon. gentleman would not throw any difficulty in the way which the House were inclined to pursue.