essly deputed for the purpose by themselves ? We answer—and
every particular both in Mr. SEDGEWICK'S recent publication, and in the more ex- tended statements, which appeared in the British Press news- paper in 1826, bears us out—because Mr. BREMNER was supported by the Scotch Tory jobbers—by the crew who have so twig bat- tene.d on that much-insn'ted corner of the empire, and whose creatures still fill every office there, and now, as then, display with equal zeal, though not with equal success; their hatred of justice and freedom, by persecuting, as far as they can, all who advocate the cause of either.* This, then, is the working, of the system which Sir ROBERT PEEL makes the theme of' his'laudation •' a system by which the most culpable neglect, if not downright plunder of the national revenue, is justified and rewarded by the highest fiscal officers of the Crown—the Premier, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the other Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury !
But the working of the system did not stop with the defence of the peculator ; it further displayed its virtues by persecuting the enemy of the peculator. We need not rehearse the particulars of an old as well as a long story ; it is sufficient to remind those who have heard it, and to inform those who have not, that from the mo- ment Mr. SEDGEWICK rendered himself odious to the Scotch jobbers in office—that is, to the universal host of Scotch officials—from the moment that he followed up this desperate act by' reading a lecture to Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET and his colleagues, he was pur- sued by the unrelenting enmity of both parties. And this man, who had failed to effect the removal of a subordinate charged with dilapidations of the revenue to the amount of 200,0001. a year, was actually dismissed from a station of honour and emolument, without compensation and in disgrace, on an accusation of having, in conjunction with some sixty other gentlemen, been privy to a de- falcation of 2001.! Incredible as it may appear, the sole charge on which the dismissal of Mr. SEDGEWICK from the situation of Chairman of the Board of Stamps rested for its justification, was an alleged deficiency of some 200/. in the stamp payments of the County Fire-office, of which Mr. SEDGEWICK was a Director. The irregularity (if it was such) of the Fire-office was not attempted to be prose- cuted criminally, but it was attempted to be reached by civil action, and the civil action was, after a few years, abandoned as unte- nable. On this miserable plea was an intelligent and honest public officer discharged, and on no other does he still suffer the conse- quences of discharge. But he was a reformer of abuses under a Government of abuses, and what other treatment could he look for ?
We have not instanced the rase of Mr. SEDGEWICK with a view to its recommendation to the attention of the present Ministers ; * One of these worthies, the Sheriff of the county of Haddington, lately turned off a couple of poor men, his officers, for playing a tune at the procession which took place In honour of Mr. STEWART, the Reform candidate for the borough. This case of Horn versus Bagpipe, made some noise in the Scotch papers, as it was meet two such worthy instruments of sound should do. We do. not know what came of it. It is curious only as exhibiting a system which, like the genius of the Roman tyrant, is as well exemplified in winging files as in crashing men. the whole. Mr. Bremner, the Solicitor's son, is the husband of the Comp- troller's daughter ! Mr. Gray, the first clerk and eriief Manager in the head Distributor's Office, is married to the daughter Of Air. Richards, the head clerk and chief manager in the office of the Distributors for Edin- burgh and Leith. Mr. Bremner's first clerk is his own son. The Comp- troller's first clerk is his own son, his second clerk is his nephew. The housekeeper is his sister-in law, and aunt to his second clerk. Mr. Richards's clerk, the Distributor for Edinburgh and Leith, is his own son. To complete the whole, even the porter who unpacks the stamps consigned from time to time to Air. Hepburn, the head Distributor,—and who, I have good ground to believe, knew more than it was desirable he should know,—has, during the late investigation, been secretly removed, and a late servant of the head Distributor's placed in his stead."
If ever there was a case to be visited with deprivation, surely
such a gross one as this called for it. The revenue had sustained an annual loss fo a very large amount by Mr. BEEMNER's negligence ; the arrangements of the office afforded the strongest presumption that the negligence was not merely wilful, but criminal—did the Lords of the Treasury confirm the suspension of the Stamp Corn.- missi ners, and praise the vigilance of their Chairman ? They admitted that Mr. BastaiNER had not been very attentive ; but " that, upon the whole, there was not sufficient ground for the suspension"—which they directed to be removed ; and they accompanied this justification of MI% BREMNER with a sneer at
the Stamp Commissioners for not noticing his conduct before ; although it had been noticed in consequence of their own special directions, and although such was the spirit in which the animad- version of the Commissioners was received !
The Minute of the Treasury was commented on most ably, and, as it turned out most unfortunately for himself, by Mr. SEDGE- wIcK. We shall merely slate one fact, with which his observa- tions conclude,—namely, that Mr. BREMNER, as Solicitor of Stamps for Scotland, held his office by a warrant, the express words of which were—" that his appointment should be in force so long as the Commissioners of Stamps for the time being, or a majority of them, should think fit, and no longer ;" and that, alter being suspended by the Commissioners, he was restored by the Lords of the Treasury, in the face of evidence ten- dered by Mr. SEDGEWICK to prove, that by his negligence and incapacity the revenue had suffered to the amount of 200,000/. annually !
It may be asked, how could the Lords of the Treasury so fly in the face of all justice and decency, as to reappoint a man against whom such a charge was made, and made on evidence collected under their own mandate, and by an officer expressly deputed for the purpose by themselves ? We answer—and every particular both in Mr. SEDGEWICK'S recent publication, and in the more ex- tended statements, which appeared in the British Press news- paper in 1826, bears us out—because Mr. BREMNER was supported by the Scotch Tory jobbers—by the crew who have so twig bat- tene.d on that much-insn'ted corner of the empire, and whose creatures still fill every office there, and now, as then, display with equal zeal, though not with equal success; their hatred of justice and freedom, by persecuting, as far as they can, all who advocate the cause of either.* This, then, is the working, of the system which Sir ROBERT PEEL makes the theme of' his'laudation •' a system by which the most culpable neglect, if not downright plunder of the national revenue, is justified and rewarded by the highest fiscal officers of the Crown—the Premier, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the other Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury !
But the working of the system did not stop with the defence of the peculator ; it further displayed its virtues by persecuting the enemy of the peculator. We need not rehearse the particulars of an old as well as a long story ; it is sufficient to remind those who have heard it, and to inform those who have not, that from the mo- ment Mr. SEDGEWICK rendered himself odious to the Scotch jobbers in office—that is, to the universal host of Scotch officials—from the moment that he followed up this desperate act by' reading a lecture to Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET and his colleagues, he was pur- sued by the unrelenting enmity of both parties. And this man, who had failed to effect the removal of a subordinate charged with dilapidations of the revenue to the amount of 200,0001. a year, was actually dismissed from a station of honour and emolument, without compensation and in disgrace, on an accusation of having, in conjunction with some sixty other gentlemen, been privy to a de- falcation of 2001.! Incredible as it may appear, the sole charge on which the dismissal of Mr. SEDGEWICK from the situation of Chairman of the Board of Stamps rested for its justification, was an alleged deficiency of some 200/. in the stamp payments of the County Fire-office, of which Mr. SEDGEWICK was a Director. The irregularity (if it was such) of the Fire-office was not attempted to be prose- cuted criminally, but it was attempted to be reached by civil action, and the civil action was, after a few years, abandoned as unte- nable. On this miserable plea was an intelligent and honest public officer discharged, and on no other does he still suffer the conse- quences of discharge. But he was a reformer of abuses under a Government of abuses, and what other treatment could he look for ?
We have not instanced the rase of Mr. SEDGEWICK with a view to its recommendation to the attention of the present Ministers ;
* One of these worthies, the Sheriff of the county of Haddington, lately turned off a couple of poor men, his officers, for playing a tune at the procession which took place In honour of Mr. STEWART, the Reform candidate for the borough. This case of Horn versus Bagpipe, made some noise in the Scotch papers, as it was meet two such worthy instruments of sound should do. We do. not know what came of it. It is curious only as exhibiting a system which, like the genius of the Roman tyrant, is as well exemplified in winging files as in crashing men. although it is one which deserves, and will surely receive at their hands, grave consideration and ample redress. We notice it merely as one out of a thousand, which might be brought forward for the purpose of showing that the system which is now at length crumbling under the assaults of public opinion, has never worked well, but for the doer of evil and his interested abettors.
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