HC Deb 14 August 1843 vol 71 cc640-1
Sir C. Napier

repeated the question which he had asked a few evenings ago, whether any prize money was to be given to the troops and seamen who had distinguished themselves at Canton? He trusted he should obtain a satisfactory answer. The officers had been rewarded by honours, but the seamen, to whom the prospect of prize-money was a great inducement to enter the service, had received no prize-money.

Sir R. Peel

was not prepared to give an answer to the question. The House would feel that before her Majesty should be advised to grant any sum of money to the army and navy, it was fitting that the Government should have all the facts before them, so that they might be enabled to offer to Her Majesty advice relative to the subject on satisfactory grounds, and this information the Government did not yet possess. They did not properly know what sum of money was necessary for the expenses of the war, and what was the amount of the prize-money. There was a sum of 250,000 dollars with respect to which a communication had been made to Sir H. Pottinger, with a view of ascertaining whether or not it should be considered as prize-money; but before the Government knew the expences of the war, it would be premature to offer their advice to her Majesty on the subject.

Sir C. Napier

hoped the case of appropriating the prize-money to pay the expences of the war would not be drawn into a precedent.

Sir R. Peel

said, the money in question was not prize-money, and he wished the hon. and gallant Member to bear in mind that the Crown had not appropriated a sum of money. A sum of money had been demanded from the Chinese for paying the expences of the war, and the duty was imposed on the Government, for the protection of the public purse, to have all the facts of the case before them before they tendered advice to Her Majesty on the subject. They all acknowledged that the gratitude of the country was due to the army and navy in China; but still he hoped that the House of Commons, as the guardian of the public purse, would aid the Government in postponing a decision on the subject until the Government should be in possession of all the elements necessary for forming a decision.