'On the 15th of February [1780], Sir George Saville moved that an
account of all places with salaries, and all pensions payable at the
exchequer or out of the privy purse, with a list of the persons
holding them, should be laid before the house.
In making this motion, Sir George encountered a most violent
opposition, and the debate was broken off by a sudden illness of the
speaker.
Subsequently it was revived, and Lord North [the Prime Minister] then
moved an amendment, restricting the account to such pensions only as
were paid out of the exchequer, and excepting those paid out of the
privy purse. This, however, gave such manifest dissatisfaction that
the minister was obliged to qualify it by moving in addition, that the
general amount of all pensions should be given, but without any
specification of names, and without stating the sums paid, except in
the case of those who were paid from the exchequer.
But even with this qualification, though ably supported by the
minister himself in a long and argumentative speech, and by
Wedderburn, the attorney-general, and Mr. Dundas, lord-advocate for
Scotland, the amendment was only carried by a majority of two, the
numbers being one 188 against 186. A similar motion was made in the
upper house by Lord Howard of Effingham, but it was there negatived by
55 against 24.'