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The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. / From the Accession of George III. to the Twenty-Third Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria cover

The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. / From the Accession of George III. to the Twenty-Third Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria

Chapter 340: PITT’S PLAN FOR REFORMING THE TREASURY ETC.
By Edward Farr
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About This Book

The volume traces British political, parliamentary, and military developments from the accession of George III through the early nineteenth century, chronicling changes of ministry and cabinet, debates over colonial taxation and the American conflict, parliamentary controversies involving figures such as Wilkes and Warren Hastings, questions of Catholic relief and slave-trade abolition, and responses to the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, including major naval and continental campaigns, the union with Ireland, and domestic legislation on finance, civil liberties, and parliamentary reform.

PITT’S PLAN FOR REFORMING THE TREASURY ETC.

In the course of this session, Mr. Pitt brought in a bill for making some economical reforms in the treasury. In his speech on this subject, he demonstrated that extravagant abuses existed; and his bill was carried in the commons, but lost in the lords. But though ministers could not countenance Pitt’s plan, they were under the necessity of producing one of their own. At the end of June, Lord John Cavendish carried a bill through the house, for abolishing certain offices in the exchequer, and limiting the salaries of others after the death of the present possessors. In consequence of a motion made by Pitt five months before, Lord John Cavendish also presented to the house a book, containing a list of accountants, who having received public money by way of imprest, had not yet accounted for it; and of those persons from whom balances of declared accounts were still due. By this book it appeared that a sum of about £44,000,000 sterling was still unaccounted for; and this induced Mr. Pitt to move an address to the king, requesting him to take measures for the recovery of this sum, and to prevent similar delinquencies for the future. This was objected to by ministers; but it was allowed to pass with a few trifling amendments. About the same time, Lord Mali on introduced a bill for preventing bribery at elections; and Alderman Sawbridge made his annual motion for a reform in parliament, both of which were negatived.

GEORGE III. 1782-1784