latter year. After demonstrating the truth of his
assertions by appealing to facts and figures, he said, that he trusted
the house would negative the motion, in which case, in order to show
that he was not desirous to get rid of the question, he would himself
move the following resolution:--"That whereas his majesty was
graciously pleased, in answer to an address of the house, to assure the
house on the 27th of June, 1821, that his majesty would cause an inquiry
to be made into all the departments of the civil government, with a view
of reducing the number of persons employed in the various offices,
and the amount of salaries paid: Resolved, that an humble address be
presented to his majesty, that his majesty might be graciously pleased
to lay before the house an account of the progress which had been made
in such inquiry, and of the measures that had been taken in consequence.
Also, that it was the opinion of that house, that in every establishment
of the state, every saving ought to be made, consistently with the due
performance of the public service, and without the violation of existing
engagements." Sir James Graham thought this proposition of the secretary
of the treasury better than his own, and he therefore withdrew his
motion, and the house agreed to that of the minister.

This motion regarded the civil establishments only. On the 15th of
February, Mr. Hume proposed a similar resolution in regard to the
military and naval establishments, by moving an address to the crown,
recommending a repeal or modification of all taxes required for the
support of all the naval and military, as well as civil establishments,
in order to afford immediate and effective relief to the country. Mr.
Hume maintained that the scale at which the army and navy were kept up
was much greater than necessity required, or the country could bear; and
that they ought to be brought back as nearly as possible to what
they had been in 1792, when the whole cost of the civil and military
government was little more than one-fifth of the present cost. In his
speech, he treated of every possible topic connected with taxation
and expenditure. The taxes he proposed to reduce were numerous; and
he insisted that all the reductions he proposed were practicable,
if government would only apply the priming-knife to our overgrown
establishments. The chancellor of the exchequer declined following Mr.
Hume over the field in which he had expatiated, but he object