HC Deb 13 December 1830 vol 1 cc1067-8
Colonel Sibthorp

commented on the great expense of the Foreign Ambassadors, and begged to ask if it was true, that Lord Granville had been nominated to the Embassy of Paris, with all the former salary of 11,000l. a year attached to the post.

Lord Palmerston

said, it was necessary that a change should take place in the Embassy; and Lord Granville was appointed. With regard to the salary of the Ambassadors, the late Government had revised that portion of the public expenditure, and the new Ambassador was going out at the reduced allowance; but if the House thought a further reduction should take place, the subject was open to consideration.

Mr. Long Wellesley

said, that the English Ambassadors were not paid so high as foreign Ambassadors. He could state, from his own knowledge, that a relative of his own had spent a large portion of his private property in sustaining the becoming dignity of his appointment, and had not received a pension till after seventeen years' service. It was very well known that many others in the diplomatic service had employed their resources in a similar way. It ought also to be observed, that many persons had been placed in actual employment in order to save the country the expense of pensions for them, so that, on the whole, it could not be said that the Ambassadors were too highly paid.

Colonel Sibthorp

said, that there was a pension of 2,000l. a year, in addition to the salary of 12,000l. paid to the Ambassador at the Court of Vienna; and no fewer than five pensions were paid to Ambassadors to the Ottoman Porte.

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