Mr. Humesaid, he had given notice of a Motion for that evening, to the effect, that it was the opinion of the House that no person appointed to any Office after this time, should receive any Salary or Allowances exceeding those paid for the same Office in 1796, and he felt sure that the House would have gone along with him in the propriety of the Resolution, if it had not been for some circumstances that recently occurred. Now, however, lest it should appear as if such a motion involved a want of 630 confidence in the new Ministers, and as he felt no disposition to refuse his confidence to them at present, he should postpone the Resolution till he saw the House filled with the members of the new Administration, for whom writs had been moved. He would then bring- forward his motion, and take the sense of the House upon it, should it be opposed. Meanwhile he took this opportunity to say, that he viewed the recent change with feelings of great satisfaction, because he thought it offered to the country hopes of a radical change in public measures. He understood that Ministers stood pledged to Reform, and as a friend of Reform he was anxious to see them in their places. He also understood that they were pledged to carry into effect measures of economy and retrenchment—principles which he had long advocated. He hoped that Ministers would carry forward such measures in a manner more effectual than their predecessors; if not, they should find him their steady opponent, as he had been the opponent of the last Administration. Under all the circumstances of the case, he thought he should not compromise the duty which he owed to his constituents and the country, by giving the new Administration a fair trial. He had heard with satisfaction that Ministers were disposed to act upon the principles of Free Trade —he hoped and trusted that they would do so, and also adopt measures of liberal policy generally, calculated to satisfy the country. He trusted that they would adopt other measures of Reform, to which, however, it was not now necessary to allude. He hoped that Ministers would imitate their predecessors (whom he must compliment on this point) in upholding public credit. I f a doubt were cast for a single moment upon its being maintained, the results must be most disastrous—Ministers owed it, therefore, not only to the safety of this country, but also to the well-being of Europe, to uphold public credit. On the whole, looking to the principles of the men who had now taken office, he thought them entitled to support; and he should withdraw his motion, without fixing any day for bringing it before the House. He had also upon the paper a notice of motion respecting the names, offices, and salaries of the servants of the Ordnance freemen of Queenborough, but he found that the case was already before a committee, and further, that it was thought 631 his Motion might interfere with the proceedings of the Committee. He was the last person to wish to interfere with the justice of that or any other case, and lest he should be thought to compromise the rights of parties before the Committee, he begged to postpone the Motion. There was a question which he confessed he felt rather unwilling to bring before the House—it was involved in the petition of an individual with respect to the Armagh election, praying for an extension of the time allowed for entering into recognizances. The petitioner asked for thirty days, because the Master in Chancery had fixed an irregular day for entering into recognizance; but on inquiry from the Master, he (Mr. Hume) learned, that the day had been fixed at the petitioner's own request. Nevertheless, the petitioner now demanded indulgence on the ground of an irregularity created at his own instance, Under such circumstances, although he \ did not like to refuse presenting a petition which was properly worded, he could not give his support to its prayer, but would leave it to the House to deal with it as might be thought proper.
§ The Speakersaid, that the original petition to which the hon. Member referred, was reported by him to-day to the effect that no recognizance had been entered into; and on that report being made, the order for the consideration of the petition was discharged. With regard to the merits of the case, he believed them to be precisely as the hon. Member had stated. In the first instance, a day was fixed for entering into recognizances on the petitioner's own suggestion; and now further time was asked for, because the Master, acting on that suggestion, had fixed an improper day. It was for the House to say whether, under such circumstances, it felt disposed to receive this petition, or disturb the decision to which it had come upon the subject [cries of "Withdraw."]