Debates upon the 1779. Parliament acceded to the demands of the king. When the speaker, Sir Fletcher Norton, addressed the throne, on presenting the bill for the royal assent, he said, the Commons "have not only granted to your Majesty a large present supply, but also a very great additional revenue; great beyond example; great beyond your Majesty's highest expense." The speaker's uncourtly address became the subject of remark and censure in the House of Commons; but his friend, Mr. Fox, having come to the rescue, he was thanked for expressing with "just and proper energy, the zeal of this House for the support of the honour and dignity of the Crown, in circumstances of great public charge." His conduct, however, was not forgiven by the court; and in the next Parliament, he was punished by the loss of the speaker's chair.2 Promptly as these demands of the Crown were met, Civil List, they yet excited lasting dissatisfaction. The public expenditure and the national debt had been prodigiously increased by the American War, when the abuses of the Civil List were again brought under the notice of Parliament. In 1779 the Duke of Richmond moved an address to the Crown praying for the reduction. of the Civil List, which was rejected by a majority of Mr. Burke's more than two to one. But a few days afterwards Economic Mr. Burke gave notice of his motion on Economic Reform, with which his name has since been honourably associated. On the 11th of February, 1780, being fortified by numerous petitions, he propounded his elaborate scheme. This embraced a considerable reduction of offices, a diminution of expenditure, and improved administration and accounts in the various departments scheme of Reform, 1780. 1 Parl. Hist. xix. 227. 2 Wraxall's Mem. i. 372. 3 Dec. 7th, 1779; Parl. Hist. xx. 1255. of the State; and in his masterly review, the expenditure of the Civil List attracted a large share of his scrutiny. Describing the royal household, he pointed out the social changes which had taken place, and the obsolete character of many of the offices which were still retained. "The royal household," he said, "has lost all that was stately and venerable in the antique manners, without retrenching anything of the cumbrous charge, of a gothic establishment." Examples of profusion and abuse were given, - useless offices, and offices performed by deputy,-the king's turnspit being a member of Parliament2, — jobbing, waste and peculation in every department, without restraint. He proposed the reduction and consolidation of offices, the diminution of the Pension List to 60,000l. a year, and the payment of all pensions at the Exchequer. 3 Mr. Burke obtained leave to bring in five bills to carry out these various objects: but his Establishment Bill was the only one which was discussed in that session. It was read a second time, and several of its provisions were discussed in committee; but it was ultimately defeated by the Government. The discussions, however, led to a proposition from Lord North, for a Commission of Public Accounts. Establishment Bill, In the following year Mr. Burke resumed his efforts, Mr. Burke's and again obtained leave to bring in his Establishment Bill. In advocating this measure he was boldly sup- 1781. ported by young William Pitt, who then first offered himself to the notice of Parliament. The bill was lost on the second reading.5 1 Parl. Hist. xxi. 30. 2 Ibid., 33, and Lord Talbot's Speech in 1777; Ibid., xix. 176. See Parl. Hist. xxi. 111, where it is printed at length. 5 Parl. Hist. xxi. 1292. Wrax- Measures of the Rocking But a sudden change soon took place in the prospects of this question. Lord Rockingham's administration acceded ham Minis- to office, pledged to economic reform, and resolved to try, 1782. Civil List Debt, 1782. carry it into effect. Lord Rockingham, in laying his plan before the king, explained" that not a single article of the expense to be retrenched touches anything whatsoever which is personal to your Majesty, or to your Majesty's royal family, or which in the least contributes to the splendour of your court;" and that in fact he only intended to reduce the patronage and influence of the ministers. On the 15th April, 1782, a message from the king was sent to both Houses, recommending economy in all branches of the public expenditure, and stating that he had already considered the reform and regulation of his civil establishment. Well might Mr. Burke congratulate the House of Commons and the country, on so favourable a change in the policy of the Government, and on the attitude of the king towards his people. In both Houses this communication was cordially received and acknowledged. It was soon followed by another, which though not so satisfactory, at least afforded convincing proof of the necessity of that economy which had been already recommended. The king was now obliged to announce to Parliament another debt upon his Civil List; but instead of proposing that it should be discharged, as on previous occasions, out of the general revenues of the state, he intimated that its liquidation was to be secured by intended reductions of the Civil List establishment. Notwithstanding the recent additions to the Civil List, the arrears now amounted to 295,8771.; and the proposed savings, instead of being available either to the 1 Lord Rockingham's Letter to the King. Rock. Mem. ii. 477. 2 Parl. Hist. xxii. 1269. Wraxall's Mem., 43-47, 54. king or to the country, would thus become immediately mortgaged for the payment of a debt, by annual instal ments. Act of 1782. The Civil List Act of Lord Rockingham, though fall- Civil List ing short of Mr. Burke's original proposal, was nevertheless a considerable measure. Many useless offices were abolished, restraints were imposed upon the issue of secret-service money, the Pension List was diminished, and securities were provided for a more effectual supervision of the royal expenditure. And now, for the first time, the Civil List expenditure was divided into classes, eight in number, which led to more important changes hereafter.1 debts in But debt continued to be the normal condition of the Subsequent Civil List throughout the reign of George III. Again this reign. and again applications were renewed to Parliament; and the debts discharged at different periods after 1782, exceeded 2,300,000l. From the beginning to the end of this reign, the several arrears paid off by Parliament, exclusive of the debt of 300,000l. charged on the Civil List in 1782, amounted to 3,398,0001.2 revenues. In defence of these continued excesses it was urged, Surplus of hereditary that they were more than defrayed by the surplus of the hereditary revenues, which the king had surrendered; and which, in 1815, exceeded by upwards of 6,000,000l. the entire expenditure of the Civil List since the accession of the king,-including all the debts which Charges removed had been paid off by Parliament, and the charges from which the Civil List had been relieved.1 Meanwhile the Civil List continued to comprise charges wholly unconnected with the personal comfort Civil List. and dignity of the sovereign, -the salaries of judges, from the Regulation List of the ambassadors, and other officers of state,-annuities to members of the royal family, and pensions granted for public services, all of which were more fairly chargeable to the state revenues, than to the Civil List of the Crown. From many of these charges the Civil List was, from time to time, relieved, amounting, between the accession of George III. and 1815, to 9,561,396/2 On the expiration of the first year of the Regency, in of the Civil 1812, the Civil List was increased by 70,000l. a year, and a special grant of 100,000l. was voted to the Prince Regent. In 1816 the Civil List was settled at 1,083,7277., including the establishment of the king; and its expenditure was, at the same time, subjected to further regulation. It was relieved from some of the annuities to the royal family: the payments on account of the several classes of expenditure were defined and controlled; and the expenses of the royal household were subjected to the supervision and audit of a treasury officer, the auditor of the Civil List.a Regency. Civil List on accession of King George IV., on his accession, expected a larger Civil List than he had enjoyed as Prince Regent ; George IV. but yielding to the persuasion and remonstrances of his ministers, he stated in his speech from the throne, that so far from desiring any arrangement which would lead to the imposition of new burthens upon his people, he had no wish to alter the settlement adopted by Parlia ment in 1816.5 1 Report on Civil List, 1815, p. 4. 352 Geo. III., c. 6.7; Hans. Deb. 4 56 Geo. III. c. 46. 5 Twiss's Life of Eldon, ii. 363; Hansard's Debates, 2nd Ser., i. 11. This concession, "if report be |