uld not complain of the manner
in which the right honourable gentleman had exerted his right in the
present instance; yet he well knew that he could be taunted with the
names of persons in the same situation, and connected with parties whom
he highly respected. That mode, however, was too invidious to follow:
the house had a right to examine into supposed abuses as to the
application of this as well as any other branch of the revenue; but the
honourable gentleman had not made out any case calling for censure."
The motion was lost by a majority of one hundred and three against
fifty-seven.

EXPENSES OF THE CORONATION.

During this session the expenses of the coronation came under
consideration. Mr. Hume inveighed not only against the length of time
which had elapsed before they were laid on the table, but against their
enormous extent. The chancellor of the exchequer, he said, had promised
that they should not exceed L100,000; but they were L238,000, the
surplus having been taken from French indemnities. Estimates at variance
with the expenses were a farce. And of what service, he asked, was it to
attempt the relief of public burdens by cutting down small clerks, and
inflicting distress on other individuals, when such sums were expended
for such purposes as the decoration of Westminster-hall, which cost
L111,000, and the habiliments of his majesty, for which the master of
the robes was paid L27,700? Mr. Hume also reproached the ministry with
bad faith, in calling for a smaller, and expending a larger sum. He
also accused the chancellor of the exchequer and his colleagues with
violating the public faith, by taking money to which they had no right
in order to pay the difference. He thought the house would fail in
its duty to the public, if it did not call for an examination into the
profligate extravagance of this affair: and he concluded with a proposal
for a committee for such purpose, and more especially to inquire by
what authority the sum of L138,000 had been applied to the coronation
expenses without the previous sanction of the house. This motion was
negatived; and the house next went into committee, in which the sum of
L160,000 was proposed toward the civil contingencies of 1823. This
gave Mr. Hume an opportunity of exhibiting the extravagant system of
expenditure pursued, particularizing items as proofs. He moved for a
reduction of L52,799 from the sum required; but Mr. Canning defended
the expenditure, an