HISTORY

OF THE

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

HOUSE OF COMMONS,

&c. &c.

ON the 20th January, 1809, Mr. Wardle rose in his

place, and gave uotice that on the Friday following he would make a motion relative to the conduct of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, in the sale of commissions, their exchange, and the raising of levies thereon.

On the twenty-seventh of the same month, he rose to submit to the house his promised motion, respecting certain abuses which had obtained in the disposal of commissions in the British army. In doing this, he said, he should make no assertion in which he was not supported by positive facts. The power of disposing of commissions in the military service of this empire had been placed in the hands of a person of high birth, power, and influence; and he was sorry to observe, that this power had been exercised to the worst of purposes. But notwithstanding the high authority and powerful influence which the commanderin-chief of this country possessed, no respect to either should induce him to swerve from his duty as a member of that house, or operate with him as a motive to screen his royal highness, in any misuse of his power or authority, from that public justice which was called for by the voice of the people. No other motive impelled him that day than a sense of his public duty; for if corruption were not attacked in a quarter where it was so for midable, the army and the country must fall the victims of its influence. It was necessary, in the first instance,

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to put the house in possession of the true purposes for which the disposal of commissions in the army was placed in the hands of the commander-in-chief, It was for the purposes of defraying the charges of the half-pay list for the support of veteran officers, and of increasing the com. passionate fund, for the aid of officers' widows and orphans; and, therefore, any commissions which fell by deaths or promotions, the commander-in-chief had no right to sell or dispose of for his own private emolument, nor to appropriate for the like purpose any differences arising from the change or reduction of officers from full to half pay. He had thus explained, he believed, the nature of the power vested in the hands of the commander-in-chief; but he could bring positive proofs that such commissions had been sold, and the money applied to very different purposes from the legitimate ones re quired by the military usages and establishments of the country. If he could prove that those purposes were, in a variety of instances, abandoned by the commander-inchief; that officers had been reduced to the half-pay list without receiving the usual difference in such cases; and if he could substantiate such a violation of the rights of military officers, it was a duty he owed to his constituents and his country to do so.

In the year 1803, his royal highness set up a very handsome establishment, in a fashionable quarter of the town, consisting of a superb house and elegant carriages of various descriptions, for a favourite lady of the name of Mrs. Clarke. Of the lady's name he should have occasion to make frequent mention in the course of his speech, in connection with a number of names and facts, to shew the house that he had not taken up this subject on light grounds.

The first fact which he should state was the case of Major Tonyn, of the 48th regiment, who received his commission as a captain on the 2d of August 1802, and was promoted to a majority in the 31st regiment, in August 1:04. He meant no reflection upon this gallant officer, nor in the smallest degree to depreciate his merits; he meant merely to state facts as communicated to him. Major Towyn was the son of a very distinguished officer, and might have purchased his promotion, if he chose; but this gentleman was introduced to Mrs. Clarke by a captain of the royal waggon train; and it was agreed,

that upon his appointment to a majority, he should pay 001. the money to be lodged at a house to be named, three days before he was gazetted, and then paid to a Mr. Donovan, a surgeon, in Charles-steet, St. James's square. As he should have occasion to mention this gentleman (Mr. D.) again, it was necessary to state, that in 1802, he was appointed to a lieutenancy in a garrison battalion. He had never inquired what was the nature of the services he performed; but certainly no military ser rices, for he had never been near his regiment, and seemed to have a perpetual leave of absence. He could not account why this gentleman's appointment was not in his professional line, upon the medical staff, sufficiently extensive as it was for the purpose. The introducer was Captain Huxley Sandon. This money was appropriated by Mrs. Clarke towards the purchase of an elegant service of plate from Mr. Parker, a silversmith, the commander-in-chief paying the remainder. Thus it was evident that Mrs. Clarke had the power of disposing of commissions for purchase; secondly, that she received pecuniary considerations for promotions; and thirdly, that the commander-in-chief partook of the emoluments; and this he could prove, by the evidence of five witnesses, including the executors of Mr. Parker.

The next fact he would adduce, was that of Colonel Brooke, on the 25th July, 1805, and which was transacted through a Mr. Thynne, a medical gentleman of high respectability. It was agreed between him and Mrs. Clarke, that she should receive 2001. on his exchange being gazetted: the lady was extremely anxious, and said she could have an opportunity of getting 2001. without calling on the commander-in-chief, and on the Saturday following the promotion was gazetted. He should be able to produce Lieutenant-Colonel Brooke and Lieutenant-Colonel Knight; and he would be the last person in that house to bring forwards such charges without competent evidence. He should now state a case by way of contrast to the last, and for the purpose of shewing that such permissions to exchange were not easily obtained from the Duke of York. It was the case of Major M'Donnell and Major Sinclair, of the first regiment of foot. Major Sinclair had been a considerable time in the West Indies; the climate perfectly agreed with his health, and therefore he was desirous of going upon that service,