Star. — London, England, 1807-01-27 00:00:00

ZUEKOS AIRES. ASTMS 110 M OFFICERS 1M $ll MOMS !OPIUM'S ski/ADAM . . EXTRACT LETTER:—MIS MAJESTY% IXIP ROW/Is. IN TIE RIO Di LA PLATA, OPP MONTI SIDS°, DATID 13TH OCTOSIR. " No doubt but you will be very much furprifed to hear of !, the force we have at this place, which conifts of three fail of the line, one fifty, two frigates, two gun brigs, and our noble (elves, befides twelve tranfports, with troops, ready to attack Monte Vl deo, which will be in the emu* of a few days. We &all land, in cluding tailors, about asoo men, befides the Chips firing upon the town. lam only forty that Sir Home Popham is going to fend &patches before we attack this place, as you cannot write with t hat Eradication to your friends prior to a bufinefs like this—fomo us tift fall--and under this idea no one teems inclined to write, I full now relate to you the ill fuceefs that has attended our triols ta the terrier attack upon Buenos Ayres : in the fiat place, there was only isco of ourtroops, and the inhabitants, about Bcoo,they r an dy muttered a ftrong force, and retook the place, but not without a fpirited refiltance. We have not heard any thing from them this month palt, and then it was mocking to relate how they treated our foldiers and tailors. I anderftand after we take Monte Video, we shall garrifon it. Both foldiers and Caws are to land, the tailors under that dignified name, the Royal Blues. The regi ments on this expedition are the 38th and 47th, a part of the 54th, two troops of the at ft light dragoons and four troops of the aoth fight dragoons. And now I have given you as much intelligence as Tam maier of, and I hope I hull fooa write spin, relating the upturn." 11TRACT of A LITTER...4IS INAJtSTT'S SHIP ROWS, MALDO NADO ROADS, /N Ilia RIO In LA PLATA, NOTENIIIR 4. " The letter which will accompany this, mentioning our inten ded attack upon Monte Video, took place on the soth of Odober laft, and to our thortification there was not water enough to let our sips within gun asot of their batteties,although we lightened them as mach as poilble ; there was no other refource left us but to corns t• theft reeds, and take Maldonado, a fmall town, Bunted about abtety miles front Monte Videa, a very poor place, but abounds with plenty of cattle. At prefent every thing is confer.. cure, and I believe the general opinion is, that we Mall remain bete, until we have a reinforcement from England, and our prof. pets of making a fortune is, lam afraid, all over. In our [mall Nuadron there Is great promotion " NAUTICAL INTE,LIGENCE. IALMOUTH, JANUARY 14. Sailed the Walfiogham packet, Capt. Roams, with Mails for Lifbon ; Swat. Low sloop of war, and the Pic sca fchooner, on a cruize.—Wind N. DOVER, JANUARY a 6. ArWved the brig Dolphin, Captain TIINADADIR, of and from Lifbon, bound to Amilerdarn, with fugar, coffee, &c. having loft fome of her fails. Sailed, this day, the boy Eendracht, Captain RAHLTIF, of and for Lubeck, with brandy, wine, &c. In the Roads, the KITE (loop, and FIARLISS gun brig. DEAL, JANUARY 26. Vice Admiral He:COWAY is returned to this place, and has again hoißed his flag on board his Majelly's fhip the PRINCISS or ORANGE. Arrived his Majeay's Slips Funious and the Srssnwsit, from a cruize, iend remain in the Dowbs with the flips a! per —Wind S.W. CHATHAM, JAN 27. The Clio, a fine new floop, arrived here on the *di infant. The MItICAINE frigate was commit. honed laR week by Capt. RACKITTS.—The Officers of our Divifion of Royal Marines have jolt put up, in their new meta room at the Barsack, a portrait of the Earl ST. Vincent, for which, at their requeft, his Lordatiii was pleated to fit. YARMOUTH, JAN. 26. Ifefterday after port arrived the ASTREA frigate, from Copenhagen ; and NORFOLK armed fliip, from the Wefiward : by the fussier we have received the melancholy filtration fhe was in on her paGge with Lord Hurearasors and Suite, during the gale : the loft her main and mizenmall, and made r 3 feet water in an hour, they were obliged to throw overboard all her guns except (even, and every one on board except his Lordfhip, were obliged to go to the pump. After the gale hie Lordfhip embarked on board the Svartaow, which landed him in perfee health—the Sratraow afterward encounteted a revere gale, in which the carried away all her mafts, and threw all her guns overboard. She is fafe arrived at Riga. FROM LLOYD'S LIST. • - - - CRAW!!! ND , JAN 24—Pared by the Scipio,Rancl ; RoyalYeo • matt, Was; and the Alexander, Dodds, from Sunman' ; George, Pryce; and the ffabella, Barr, teem Dconerera.—Saihd the (Num Hoby, for the Cape of Good Hope ; and the Tarleton, Jackfon. for Madeira. The Minerva, Strati., froM Memel to Hull, i.loft on the coal% of Norway, with feveral others. The Sally, MORTIMIR, from Barbados for Liver pool, was captured on the nth into. recaptured on the Irk and is arrived at Padllow in &firers. DISTURNANCI AT COvINT•GARDIOI Laftnight, in the fecond fcene of the Pantomime , and while the younger Botocas and Mifs SIARLE were on the Rage, a perfon in the two frilling gallery threw a glafs bottle, fuppofed to be aimed at Mr. Bot.ocwa, jun.; it fell near the Orcheffra, and le 'turfy wounded in the head a Gentleman in the pit ; a great quantity of blood gated from the wound— he was immediately carried out for furgical affittance. The honfe was thrown into a great confufion, and the cry of Manager refounded from all parts of the The atre. Gat MA D! came forward, and after f.me time had elapfed, he obtained a hearing. He Rated, that the Manager was not in the Houle, but a proper Officer was fent up into the gallery to endeavour to find not the offender. Shortly afterwards, FALLS?, with two of the Bow-flreet Officers, appeared in the gallery, and in the name of the Proprietors, offered a reward of so guineas to any one who would difcover the perfon who had thrown the bottle. He was im mediately pointed out, and was, by the Officers, car ried to Bow-Rreet. Mr. FALLS? begged that the perfons who faw the man throw the bottle wolrld, at the dole of the performance. Rap and give their names to appear as evidences againff him. The per formance thvn proceeded. We have not heard the name of the perfon who committed this abominable outrage) aor the name of the unfortunate (offerer. THIRD REPORT OF TAB COMMISSIoNERS OF MILITARY lAZUIRT. OFFICE OF THE BARRACK MASTER GENERAL. STORRS •ND euenies. (Concluded from the STAR or Friday htt ) When George Richard Walker aded as Mr. Da vifon's agent, he received two and a half per cent. Commiffion on an agreed valuation of 655. per dial dron on all the coals meafured into the B trracks He had thus an intereft on the qnantity delivered in. It was during this period that the great increafe on the cargoes we have before noticed appeared. We mutt remark, that Mr. Davifon think, George Richard Walker was a proper perfon to certify the prices of coals, becaufe he was largely concerned in the coal trade ; and that Mr. Wilkinfon believes " Mr. Davifon's agents, and the perfons of whom he bought the coals, as competent to certify the prices, or more In, titan any other perfons." Having, in confequence of wh a appeared from an infpedion of the three invoices of coals delivered at Guernfey and Jerfey, required from Mr. Davifon lime other invoices of coals delivered at the out ports into the barrack fibres, we were informed by him that no others could be found ; brit frame hills of par cels of coals purchafed by him at Brighton, Deal, and Dover, were fent to us, which, from the Barrack Mallet's receipts in our poffeffian, appeared to have b en delivered to the barracks at the two former places. The circumftances of fome of there tranfallions are of a very fingular nature, and we have feleded two or three of them as deferving particular notice. On the 23ct January, 1799, Mr. Hargraves, a coal merchant of Brighthelmltone, delivered at the barracks there fixty chaldron of coals on account of Mr. Davifon, for which he charges Mm 465. per chaldron, and draws a bill for the amount (1381.) at forty da) s. The certificate of the price (which Mr. Davifon fent to the Barrack Office as the v , ucher for his charge) is figned by this very Mr. Hargraves, and Rates the price of coals to the inhabitant* on that day to be 58i. per chaldron, and that the car riage to the barracks is two fhillings per chaldron more, making tcgether fixty fhillings, and giving therefore to Mr. Davifon a net profit of fourteen fhillings per chaldron. Mr. Davifon, when clerked to explain this tranfac• tion, referred us to his clerk, Mr. Daniel Wilkinfon, who eudeavoured to explain it on a fuppofiti 3n that this particular quantity of coals was part of a larger quantity purchafed fome time previous to the 23d of January. and contraled to be paid for when deli vered ; for that there were fome contraas or agree memo with Mr. Hargraves for coals to be delivered at the barracks at Brighton. At our defue frame of thefe were produced ; from 'them it appeared, that there were at times agreements between Mr. Davifon and Mr. Hargraves for the fup ply of coals to the barracks at Itipulated prices, but there was none produced to us for the period alluded to. And in the fame year we find that the prices charged by Mr. Hargraves for coals delivered at the barracks,.on Mr. Davifon's account, vary in almoll every inltance in the months of May, June, and July; from whence we infer that Mr. Davifon had not at that time any contra& with Mr. Hargraves fur coals at a fixed price. We mull obferve, that the certifi cates of the prices of thefe Taft coals are not tigned by Mr. Hargraves, and that they do not give to Mr. Davifon fo great a profit as that which we have par ticularized. The two other tranfaBions of the fame fort, which we have feleaed from many others, are of coals de livered at Deal barracks in the fame year of 1799. In the firs, Mr. George Leith, a coal merchant of Walmer, delivered on the 25th of March, firty nine chaldron fix bufhtls, for which he charged 725. per chaldron, including all eapences. The certificate, figned by two inhabitants of Deal, Rates the price of coals on that day to be 9os. per chaldron, and that the carriage to the barracks is 2s. 6d. per chal dron more, making therefore together 925. 6d. per chaldron, charged by Mr. Davilon to the 13 irrack Office. and giving him a profit of one pouod and fixpenee per chaldron, or about thirty pounds per cent. on the colt price. In the other inttance, Richard Emerfon end Co. charged Mr. Davifon forty-five Millings per chal dron, and nine (billings and fixpence more for porte rage and carriage from Dover to Deal, together filty•four (billings and fixpence, for lour and a half chaldron delivered at the Barracks on ,3d April The certificate is, that the price of coals on that day to the inhabitants of Deal is three pounds per chal dror, and that the pot terage and carriage from Dover is feventeen (billings and eight pence per chat dron more, together feventy-feven 'billings and eight pence; giving Mi. Davifon, therefore, a com pounded profit on the cartiige and on the coals of one pound three (billings and two pence per chal. dron, or above forty per cent. Neither Mr. Davifon, nor his late Clerk, Mr. Da niel Wiikinfon, to whom he referred us, attempted to explain there two IA tranfaaions. Many of the obfervations which we have before made on the courfe purfued is fupplying coals to the Barracks apply to the facts we have jug Rated ; in addition to there we have to remark, that if no fraud was praaifed in procuring thofe certificates (a mat ter which at this ditlarice of time we could not un dertake to afcertain) and the inhabitants were eau ally paying the prices certified at the particular dates, and the advantages Mr. Davifon obtained arofe from his buying large quantities, and making his agree ments at favourable feafons, it 'does not appear to us but that the late Barrack Maier General might have obtained nearly the fame advantages. But there may be a fallacy in thefe certificates, in refpea u 1 the quality of the coals of which the price is certified, for that price is probably regulated both by the quality of the coals and by the quantities pur chafed ; the certificate, however, never Rates either the one or•the other. If, therefore, the coals deli vered at the Barracks were of tome inferior quality, and the inhabitants meant to Rate the price of the bell coals, a part of the great difference between the price paid by Mr. Davifon and the prices certified may be thus accounted for, as another part may be, on the fuppofition that the inhabitants certified the price of the fmall quantities they ufually purchafed, and not the price of the whole cargoes and fnch large quantities as were delivered at the Barracks. We examined Mr. Henley, whofe name we have before mentioned, as tb the difference in price of cnals of difereat qualities in the port of London— • From him we learn, that there are many curt! of coals brought to the port of London; that he has known the difference of price as high as twenty Milo lings, but that it is ufually about twelve fhillings per chaldr on. " What in the port of London are called Belt Coals," he lays, " come from NeWCAIIIe, none from Sunderland, and that the difference in price between belt coals and good Sunderland coals is about five fhillings per chaldron." Mr. Davifirn's undertaking, in his letter of the IA Apia 1795, is to fupply the belt coals ; an expel Pion, the import of which we fuppofed he mutt have I been well acquainted with at the time ; hut in hi s examination he lays it meant " coals acceptable to , the troops." This explanation we cannot admit, for good Sunderland coals, and other coals of inf.:dor quality to belt coals, might not have been thought infufficient by the troops in barracks, but the p:ices of them might he very different from the prices of thole certified. It would be very difficult, perhaps impradicable, to afcertain at this time what was the real quality of the coals delivered at 'the Barracks, and of thofe of which the price is cer tiCed ; bar if in any inflances this can be alcertained, it %: wild be deferving of confideration, whether Mr. Divifon owght not to‘refund the differences which he has re ceived, beyond what he ought t• have tectised, in the price of that coals, by means of the certificates proctored by hitufelf. We have now gone through the whole which has attrafted our attention on an tolpedion of Mr. Davi fon's half yearly accounts, and the acco.'panying vouchers, rind the documents, futniflied us by Mr. Davifon, which it will be noticed are few and partial. It was impoffible for us to alcerain the Ws to the public, or the gain to Mr. Davifon, through the im providence of the late Barrack, Matter General in the bargain made with him, and the inattentirm of the Barrack Office to the proceedings whiltt the fupply of coals was going on. But in office to Mr. Davi fon we ought to lay, as we have already laid on fubjed of his fupply of Barrack Articles on Commit: lion, that we do not find, but that at all times the Barrack Mallets were fatisfied with the coals which were delivered to them, or that the Barracks were ever in want of coals, although at times great bodies of troops were unexpededly fent to them, and efpe cially in the fall of the year 1799, when a very large force of Ruffian troops were suddenly ordered to Guernfey and the adjacent Wands. And we mutt add a part of Mr. Davifon's anfwer to one of our queftions, 4 , Whatever advantage re fulted to me from Englifh Commiflions for coals, I had none whatever at any time upon thole fupplies to the Barracks in Scotland. Thole coals were not fupplied on certificated prices, nor on commiflion ; I only charged the prime colt and expences." We have extracted from Mr. Davifon's accounts the amount of his charges for coals fupplied in the year 5799, (the accounts for which year had been pat ti. cularly examined by us) and we find that the amount is one hundred and (even thoufand fix hundred and twenty nine pounds, of which firm one thoufand five hundred and thirty pounds is the charge for coals, fupplied to the Barracks in Scotland in that year. Whiff} we were put firing this enquiry, the refult 'of which, v ith the obfervations arifing on it, we hive detailed In much at length, the circumtiance of a profectition at the Old Bailey of George Richard Walker (whole name has been mentioned) for the forgery of a will, brought to our notice, that in the year I Box fome abufes in the fupply of coals had been al:edged, and had been made the lubjed of fume in velligation ; we in confequence procured from the Treafury and frotn the Barrack Office all the docu ments relating to the Wind's. From there we learn, that on the Seth of June, in that year, a perfon of the name of Robert Ellington addreffed a letter to the Lords of the Treafury, which profelfed to charge peculations and frauds in the fupply of coals to a great extent in the ill Ands of Guernfey, Jerfey, and Alderney, and the eallern dif triCt of England. He accufes, he Pays, , r Alexander Davifon, Efq and one Walker, and their &pendant confederates in the frauds, and General de Lancey alfo of conniving at, and attempting to fupprcfs en quiry into the frauds, and he has no doubt hut that thefe peculations will be Muld to have exitted up to the clear amount of 15oapool. This letter, it appears, was fent by the Treafury to Mr. Yorke, the then Secretary at War, defiring that the matter of it fhnuld be inveftigated, and the refult Rated to their Lurdfhipi ; the Secretary at War tranfmitted it, on the loth Auguß, 18oz, to Lieute nant General De Lance'', then Barrack Mailer Ge• neral, and &fired, " That he would caufe the Me ta enquiry to be made into the feveral matters (et forth in it, and that he would furnifh the Secretary at War with a particular ftatement of the proceed ings that should be had thereupon, in order that he might make his Report to the Treafury." From the correspondence which patted upon the fubjea between the Secretary at War and Lieutenant General De Lancey, we coiled that the requited in velligation was not proceeded on with much aftivity, or in the way that it was expated by the Secretary at War it would have been. On the z4th June, 1803, however, the Secretary at War was enabled ro make his' Report on the fubjed to the Treafury ; in this, AO noting that he had tranfmitted to their Lord (hips the cr.rrefpundence which had paid on the !m -ailers, he lays, " That the refult is not entirely fatif faaory to him : for that, although thF crirreftnefs of the prices of coals in the Auld of Gueenfey (which was the only plate to which the enquiries had been' direded) was confirmed by the certificates lately ob tained, yet he could not confider that the certificates originally produced by Mr. Davifon, being figned by one at lead of the perfons concerned with him in the fupply, were of the defcription which, according to the terms of his agreement with the Barrack Depart ment, he limpid have brought forward as vouchers in fupport of his charges ;" he adds, '0 That he mull at the fame time Rate it as his opinion, that he fees no ground whatever for Mr. Ediogton's allegations refpeding the connivance of Lieutenant General De Lancey in any Rage of thebufinefs." We have thought it neceffirry to feleit for the Ap pendix the three papers only, the fubllance of which we have jug Rated : for, although we agreed with the Secretary at War in the opinion which he formed on the evidence before him, we thought it neceffary, with the means we had, to examine in detail into all the matters alledgcd in the letter of Robert Eding ton to the Treafury, as well as into thofe alto contain ad in another paper of his, fent to us from the Bar- Date of Delivery. 1799 May 22 June 17 July 4 Aug. z Scpt 16 16 Nov.; a a Dec. 6 tt t 9 23 Jan. 1 Fcb. 13 March 18 May so June to July so Aug 6 Sept. 30 17 OR. 18 Nov. 13 3 0 Dec. 24 . . . _ tack °free, fume fuppofed inattention to.sehich eft paper was the caufe of his letter to the Treafury. Muth of our examination of Meths. Davifun and Wilkinfun, it sill be ken, refer to matters connefted with the chlrges mentioned in Robert Edington's letter ; and we particularly examined all the ac counts and vouchers relating to the period to which he alludes, and many of our obfervations are founded on the inhumation= which we thus contact:l. We might have had Robert Edington before us, but we fund his allegations 'hewed fuch a want of know. leJgc of the real date of the tranfaltions of the pe riod, and he had to untruly reprefented many mat ters, that we thought, under the circumilances in which he flood, we might well juliify the omitting's, examine him, for lie wac hind& a party in the for gery of which George Iti,..;ratd Walker was clitvic ted, having been admitted an evidence for the Crown. . Soblecittent to the conviCtion of George 'Richard Walker, a paper, figned b 1 him, was communicated t r us by the Secretary for the Home Depa , tmeot, in viiich, under different heads, is riven an ettimate of the lodes to the public in Guernfey, and the adjacent iflands, by abide. in the litpply and iffue of coals and other articles ut Barrack experolature. On an infitec lion of this paper it appealed that the ttatements in it were very lo"fely made, in moll of them it could not be weer itined what was the nature of the abufe intended tc be dated, r,or by whom it O•as commit ted, riot how tire risk% were to be ellahlithed. Some names of perfuns were indeed mentioned at the end of the paper, who, it was paid, could prove the faits, but it was not dated what Nets they could prove, nor where thofe petfons could be found. We had heard of two or three of chore named, but they were nototioufly unfit to he examined by us en filch as enquiry. George Richard Walker kerns to have been confcious of tittle deficiencies in his Raiment, and therefore pointed out that it would be neceffary he himfelf !hoot.' be aflidant in the enquiry ; but he intimated that the condition of giving his affiftance was that he lhould obtain a refpite. It appeared to 'us therefore on the whole that this was the effort of a man endeavouring to ward off his fate ; for if any application on the part of the public was made to him for information, he hoped perhaps that whether he gave any or not, the humanity of thofe who ap plied would interfere in his behalf. We in coats. quence declined to have any communication with him. But having learnt, after his execution, that a book of his was in the poffefficn of his mother, in which he had Paid would be found fome proof of the matter alledged in his paper, we procured a fight of it ; it is intitled a " Wade Book ;" but is in truth 4 Ledger, containing Debtor and Creditor Accounts with variou. perfons, and amongft others with Mr. Davifon. We could find nothing of the kind which Walker had faid was in it. The only ufe therefore we could make of it was to notice fome of the prices charged by Walker to Mr. Davifon for the coals de livered at the Barracks in Guernfey and Jerfey. Mr. Davtfon's half yearly accounts (hewed the price he had charged to the Barrack Office for the fame coals. The following Itatements of thefe different prices corroborates one of the obfervations which we have beford made—for, if Mr. Davifon could obtain the coals at the rate he paid Walker for them, why could not the Barrack Office, by a fimilar mode of purcha. ling, have laved fome part at lead of the price paid to Mr. Davirm. The following i. a ctatemea Barracks iia Go c o,fry an d the prices paid by Mr.Davh by him to the Barrack of the Deliveries of Coals to the ferfey in the year 1799 ; faewfog an to Mr. Walker, and thofe charged and allowed per Certificate s Price apppearing Price charged in by Mr.Davifon, Walker's journal per Certificate. Per Chaldroa. 55$ qtjant!ty. GUERNSEY. Cb.Bajb. orßrft. 13 . 8 is 5,700 1 94 1 6 7,00 1 9 2 3 3,3 1 5 170 0 6,120 54 26 1 ,97 3 103 30 3 810 138 32 5,000 153 2 5,5 1 0 75 0 2.7 X 104 6 3.750 115 10 4,150 9S 35 3,455 JERSEY. 36 22 1,318 194 16 7,00 0 361 4 13P00 97 8 3,5 00 166 24 6,000 83 12 3,000 2.28 8 8.000 3 88 3 2 14,000 52 Is 1,184 :66 24 Coco 225 0 B,too 177 9 99 81 136 0 4,896 SS SS 65 65 6 S 65 6s 74 74 74 74 So 86 86 SS SS SS SS 65 not in Walker's Ledger 65 65 74 74 ?bend EISO 4 68 65 o 75 7 75 7 90 3 9 0 3 9 0 3 9 0 3 9 3 3 y 0 3 9) 4 90 4 9 0 4 74 4 74 4 74 4 74 4 74 4 74 4 93 3 9 0 3 9 3 1 9 0 3 Whatever may be our impreffion, the precedin; obfervation is the only one we think ourfelves julb fied in making from the information obtained either from Edington's or Walker's papers.—But we can not difmifs the fubjea without noticing, that a Gen tleman of the proteffion of the law, who had teen Walker's paper, and had communicated withliim on the matters contained in it, under a wifh to ferve him, if he could,have made any difcoveries ufeful to the public, told us, that he viewed the paper in the fame light that we did, and that he law no reafon to fuppofe Walker's ftatement - could be fupported. The fupply of Coals, under the agreement con tained in Mr. Daviton't letter of 13th April, 1795, ended on :4th June in the year aoz, from that time to June t 603 they were furnifhed by contraa at ftipu , lated pi ices by different perfons ; but Mr. Davifon MI tuff:jibed by far the greate(l part. Public no. tice was indeed given for tenders to be fent to the Barrack Office, and many were fent, but Mr. Davifon having had an opportunity of feting thole tenders, he was enabled to propofe lower terms of fupplying the coals than thole offered by others, and the loweft offers were in all cafes accepted. Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie, from whom we got this information, has no means of afcertaining whether this new mode of fupply was more advantageous than the former was, but he thinks it was more fatibfadory to the public, for he believes that fomething which had been oh. ferved of Mr. Davifon's having the fupply before, determined the late Barrack bkiter General to try the method of open contra& We have been very particular in our enquiries, whether under the direftion of the Barrack Office there were any peri , xlical or eftablilbed occafional examinations into the quality and quantity of articles t rare over. I