Mr. Wilbraham. Mr. Courtenay. Capt. Lutrell. would poffibly have an effect on the teftimony which he fhould give. Shortly after the bill was brought in, restraining the power of the Crown in the granting of penfions, it became neceffary to defer it until an application to Parliament, fuch as that now made, fhould be brought forward to empower his Majefty to make good his gracious promife. Mr. Wilbraham contended, that he only objected to fuch important fervices not having been specified in His Majesty's message, as in the cafes of the two noble Lords, Rodney and Hood. Mr. Courtenay faid, that he could easily explain the reason why His Majefty had, in fome instances, specified the fervices of the perfons meant to be rewarded, and had omitted to do fo in the present. The fervices of Lord Rodney and Lord Hood were confpicuous and brilliant; and His Majesty, as well as every other perfon in the kingdom, was fully acquainted with them; they were therefore eafily enumerated. Whereas, there had been no fervices whatsoever performed by Sir Guy Carleton, and therefore none could poffibly be mentioned. Sir Guy Carleton had by no means protected Quebec; it was the inhabitants of Quebec, in conjunction with Lord Chief Justice Livius, (whom General Čarleton afterwards expelled from his fituation) who protected it. Instead of taking any measures for the defence of the province of Canada, he had left St. John's, which was the frontier and barrier of that province, in a ftate completely defencelefs; fo that there could be no reason whatsoever for granting him a penfion on account of his military fervices. He fuppofed, therefore, it was for fervices of a different nature, and principally for contriving the law, by which British fubjects were deprived of the privileges of the British Constitution, that this penfion was to be conferred upon him. On the whole, bowever, he could not but approve of the caution of the right honourable gentleman in his filence on the subject of Sir Guy Carleton's fervices, and totally refting the question on His Majefty's promife, which certainly was the only ground on which the House could comply with the propofal contained in the meffage. Captain Luttrell begged leave, in answer to the fevere and unjuft ftrictures of the honourable gentleman who spoke laft, to call to the recollection of the Houfe the whole life of Sit Guy Carleton, which had, he faid, been a feries of fervices. In the most brilliant war we ever fuftained, he was foremost in our hard-earned victories, and in the most difgraceful conteft in which we ever were engaged, he alone, of all our Generals, was unconquered. All he regretted was, that the motion for a penfion did not originate in that House; and he alinoft envied His Majesty the honour of having anticipated the the people of England and their reprefentatives in fuggesting it. He wished that to the 1000l. a year propofed by the Crown, that Houfe could, with propriety, add another thoufand: and he regretted that any promife had ever been made to Sir Guy Carleton, because he was now entitled in justice to what he wifhed fhould have been the voluntary gift of generofity. Mr. Fox thought it by all means the moft conftitutional Mr. Fox. method of rewarding a military officer, that it should be done at the motion of the Crown, rather than from the original fuggeftion of that House. He conceived, however, that as there had been a confiderable delay fince the time when the circumstances which prevented Sir Guy Carleton from accepting the penfion had any existence; and as that delay was a manifeft injury to that gentleman, it ought to be accounted for. Sir George Howard faid, that it was Sir Guy Carleton Sir Geo. who firft armed the inhabitants of Quebec; and that if he Howard. had not himself, with great.addrefs, contrived to get into the town, the inhabitants, notwithstanding their being armed, would not have been able to defend it. The queftion for the House refolving itself into a Committee was then put and carried; and Sir George Howard having taken the chair, Mr. Chancellor Pitt obferved, that a confiderable part of Mr. Chan cellor Pitt. what he had intended to ftate to the Houfe had been anticipated by the Chairman, and an honourable gentleman behind him, Captain Luttrell, in their account of the fervices performed by Sir Guy Carleton, and the causes which occafioned fo long a delay in carrying into execution His Majefty's promife. He had declined touching on those topics until the House fhould go into the Committee, as he thought that was the only proper place for fuch a difcuffion. The fervices of Sir Guy Carleton were of fuch a nature, and of fuch long standing, that had it not been His Majesty's pleafure long ago to have promised him the penfion now propofed, he fhould have been happy to have been himself the prime mover and adviser of it. The uncommon but meritorious delicacy of Sir Guy Carleton had created the neceffity of recurring to Parliament on the prefent occafion; for had his fenfe of honour permitted him to accept of the penfion when it was offered to him on his return from America, the King was then of his own power competent to grant it, the bill restraining that power not being at that time in exiftence. He was fure, however, that the prefent difcuffion would be rather an advantage than the contrary to Sir Guy Carleton, as he would have the fatisfaction of finding the measure país unanimoufly, or, at leaft, with but one diffenting 3 K 2 Viscount fenting voice; and that one, which if it did not add to, would at least not diminish the honour of the grant. The Chairman had, before they went into the Committee, accounted for a confiderable part of the delay which attended the completion of His Majesty's promife; and he should explain the causes of the remainder. Shortly after the circumitance which occafioned Sir Guy Carleton to decline the iminediate acceptance of the penfion, the act of Parliament for limiting the difcretion of the Crown in the difpofal of penfions had taken place. This naturally caufed a farther delay; the many changes in Adminiftration, fubfequent to that period, ftill added to it, and it was highly probable that His Majefty's Minifters might, from the fcrupulous nicety and difinterefted fpirit of Sir Guy Carleton, he ignorant of the exiftence of any fuch promife. For his own part, he was ignorant of it for fome time fince his coming into office; but ftill he confeffed he might have taken an opportunity of bringing the bufinefs forward at the end of the laft feffion of Parliament; he fhould therefore endeavour to atone for his remiflnefs, by propofing that the grant fhould have a retrofpect to as to indemnify Sir Guy for what he had loft by the delay of the feffion. He therefore moved, "That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the an"nual fun of 1000l. be granted to His Majefty out of the "aggregate fund to be fettled on Lady Maria Carleton, wife "of Sir Guy Carleton, Guy Carleton and Thomas Carleton, "fens of the faid Sir Guy Carleton, for their lives." Viscount Beauchamp obferved, that though Sir Henry Beauchamp Clinton was the only officer who commanded during the late war in America who had not received fome lucrative reward, yet he had been honoured with one of a nature moft noble, honourable, and to him more precious, the fullest approbation of his Royal Mafter of every part of his conduct during his command, being the longest and most painful epoch of the late American war. His Lordfhip concluded, by reminding the Houfe how often the General had teftified his wifhes to vindicate his conduct at their bar, or in any other place, and by affuring them of the fame readiness at the prefent moment, provided that the fmalleft fhadow of doubt remained in any gentleman's breaft, which he concluded was not poffible. Mr. Cour tenay. Mr. Courtenay obferved, that as His Majefty's word was pledged, he should make no oppofition to the motion, The motion paffed unanimoufly. The Houfe being refumed, Mr. Chancellor Pitt moved, That the Houte fhould go into the confideration of His "Majefty's other meffage, for enabling His Majefty to con "fer a penfion of 500l. per annum on Brooke Watfon, Efq. "Efq. late Commiffary General of the forces in North Ame"rica." This, he faid, ftood on grounds nearly fimilar to the former, as it had been promised to Mr. Watson when he first accepted the employment of Commiffary, that he fhould ftand on the fame footing as his predeceffor, with whom it had been exprefsly ftipulated, that, on his leaving the employment, he fhould have a penfion of that amount. This he should venture to affert on the authority of a noble Lord then in His Majefty's Councils, but whom he did not then fee in his place. That noble Lord had been so good as to give him the teftimony of the truth of fuch a promife having exifted under his hand. He fhould, however, he confeffed, in the prefent as in the former cafe, had no fuch promfe exifted, have felt much pleasure in bringing forward fuch a motion, as he was perfuaded that no pension was ever more juftly merited, or could, with greater propriety, be beftowed. Mr. Watson had filled the duties of a moft laborious and confidential office with the greatest ability and fidelity, and had arranged the most complicated accounts with the greatest accuracy and ciearnefs, and had received the fanction of the favourable report of the Comptrollers of army accounts. It would not be neceffary to charge this penfion on the aggregate fund, as the former, but on the Civil Lift; he fhould therefore move to bring in a bill, "To enable His Majefty to grant a certain annuity to "Brook Watson, Efq. late Commiffary General in North "America, in confideration of his diligent and meritorious "fervices in the faid office." Sir George Howard rofe to fecond the motion, declaring Sir Geo. that he had the authority of Sir Guy Carleton to give Mr. Howard, Watson the highest character for ability, integrity, and attention in his office of Commiffary General. Mr. Huffey obferved, that, in common juftice, he muft Mr. Huffey. exprefs his moft hearty concurrence with the motion from his knowledge of the important fervices performed by Mr. Watson, and from his having truly prophefied in that House, at the time of Mr. Watfon's appointment, that the greatest advantages would be found to refult from that gentleman's integrity, ability, and induftry. Mr. Brickdale remarked, that he alfo confidered himself as Mr. Briskbound not to fuffer the queftion to be put without bearing dale. his teftimony in favour of Mr. Watson, whofe accounts, among others, he had been employed to examine, and which he found, notwithstanding their great variety, extent, and complexity, the most complete and fatisfactory. He fincerely regretted the Royal Promise which put it out of the power of that House, of their own accord, to grant a reward fuitable to his merits. Mr. Mr. Wilber force. Mr. Fox. Mr. Chan Mr. Wilberforce obferved, that it likewife behoved him to pay his tribute to Mr. Watfon for his meritorious ferving in the important fituation which he had filled. It was the best fpecies of economy to reward, with becoming liberality, fuch perfons as, by their integrity and diligence, had been inftrumental in the prudent adminiftration of the public mo ney. The question was then put, and carried unanimously. Mr. Fox faid, that he muft beg leave to embrace the prefent opportunity of putting within the recollection of the Houfe, that, notwithstanding the treaty of Paris in 1763, it was ftipulated and guaranteed, that the fhips of British fubjects navigating the Miffiffippi fhould be exempted from any moleftation what foever on the part of France or Spain, yet the fhip of a British merchant had been captured in that river in the year 1778, by order of Don Bernardo Galvez, the Spanish Governor The Governor, however, fome time after, confcious that he had done an unjustifiable action, had confented to make compenfation to a confiderable part of the amount of the lofs fuftained. The perfon to whom this propofal was made being only an agent in the bufinefs, had declined to comply with the terms. Before the business could be concluded, the Spanish war broke out in the year 1779, which rendered it impoffible to proceed to any adjustWhen he was in Adininiftration, he had caufed a reprefentation to be made to the Court of Spain upon the fubject; but no anfwer had been given during his continuance in office, nor had the perfon concerned received any ac count of an answer having been given to the prefent Miniftry. As it might fo happen, that political motives preven ted Minifters from taking fuch fteps as were most likely to enforce the compliance of the Court of Spain; and as the juft claim of an individual ought not to fuffer from views of public policy, he thought it a very proper fubject for the confideration of that Houfe. He reprefented that the gentleman in queftion had fuffered a lofs to the amount of 17,000l. and that eight years ago, which was certainly 2 difadvantage of the utmoft magnitude, and of an extent which it was impoffible to afcertain, as he had by fuch means been deprived of the capital, and by which he was enabled to carry on a very beneficial trade up the Miffiffippi with the province of Weft Florida. He had a petition from the party praying relief of that House, which, for the prefent, he fhould move for leave to bring up. Mr. Chancellor Pitt lamented the hardfhip which was cellor Pitt. fuffered; he admitted that it was a cafe which deferved much confideration, but nothing could be done in it with propriety by |