Star. — London, England, 1812-02-13 00:00:00

It. ITS :SP pp-r- - a dvantage would be obtained,. in this and in sof other respects, by separating- the accounts into pans, Is la instance, by making up and delivering in the wits byfor the horse b • battalions, or brigade and acc° v alid battalion. distinct from the accounts of the ear thing battnlions, or the accounts for recruiting se -wately, or the accounts for the whole of the Artil n serving at home and in the Mediterranean, &c. • f e whose service issues are made tinder the distribu tion b e f o re spoken of, distinct from the account of the Art illery serving in other parts abroad. It was admitted by Mr. Drewry, that in every one i t hese cases, except in the first, such a separation i e the accounts would uchfacilitate the making of dt IT in the Agent ' s O ffi ce, and that the same te l l e nt would follow in the first also, if the compa las of each battalion were kept nearer together—but l e doubted whether the subsequent examination of t he accounts in the Surveyor General's Office, would be facilitated by the, measure ; because as the men we frequently transkrred from one battalion to ano ther, and from the marching battalions to the horse b r igade and invalid battalion, &c. it would be accessary to have the accounts with the Muster Rolls f or t he whole regiment, for the purpose of checking t h e pay of the men so transferred—and Mr. Drewry is confirmed in this idea of the subject by the opinion O f Mr. Bartley, of the Surveyor General's Office ; bat it is the opinion also of Mr. Bartley, that if the a ccounts for the home service of the Artillery were trade up by the Agents distinctly, they might be de livered into the Surveycr General's Office within six sl eight months after the period of ,iach account ; r ed Mr. Drewry agrees that in sada a case they could be given in, in a much shorter time propor-1 tionably than at present.; we therefore recommend this alteration in . the making up of the Artillery ac count!, for it would be highly convenient to bring under examination the very varied and intricate ex renditure of regiments on home service recently after ithas been incurred, and if a preceding suggestion of ours were adopted, by which the issues for the ser. vice of the Artillery serving out of Great Britain, were to be made not on distributions, but on Bills of Exchange approved by the Board, a further conve eicuce would be obtained by the measure ; for the Board would then be enabled to ascertain at short in tervals the actual state of the balance in the Agent's hands, as it appears that these balances arise almost exclusively front the monies issued under the distri butions. It must be maned, that the accounts of the Peasicts paid to invalids of the Artillery, and of the allowances to half-pay nod retired Officers of that corps, have not been delivered in by the Agents ear lier than the other accounts of the corps, although it is admitted that they have no connection with each other. The reason alledged for this omission is, that 0 it bad not been the custom to deliver them in other wise, and no instance was receliterted when the . Agents bad been required to deliver them in sooner." The accounts of the German Artillery were in the same state of arrcar, 44 owing," as it was said, 44 to " the accounts of that' part of it which was upon ser a vice in Portugal, not having been received s'nce " they had been in that country,"—then nearly two years. These several accounts, and almost all the other accounts of the military corps in the pay of the Ord nance, are examined in a separate branch of the Sur veyor General's Office, wider the immediate superin tendence of Mr. Bartley. From him we learn, that I previously to the appointment of the late Surveyor General, Colonel Hadden, there were only twoclerks exclusively employed on this service, but that nine including himself, had been mlssequently so employ ed, by which means the department had been enabled to get through more than a year's accounts in each year, and thereby considerably to reduce the arrear which existed at the time of that appointment. We have given a paper in the Appendix which strongly confirms this statement. *We refer to the Exami nation of Mr. Bartley and of Mr. Angell, of :he 14th December 1809, fer a description of the very satis factory mode in which this business is conducted, as well in respect of the arrangement of it amongst the Clerks, as of the vouchers required in suppcnt of the . charges in the accounts. - From their information it appears also, that the Agents or Paymastets of thin teveral corps, are considered as responsible for the accounts of all persons who have obtained money through them, and that the objections and queries which arise on the accounts, are all transmitted to them fur explanation, with a desire generally that .they may be answered without delay, but that there is no time limited, within which it is reqeired that theexplanation should be returned to the Surveyor General's Office. If those objections to the accounts be not satisfactorily explained, the same' are ulti mately charged against the agents, but, " cases have " occurred,' it is stated, is in which the Board have " comidered them as itaitled to relief, on proof of " the payment of the money charged as disbursed, " and on its being satisfactorily :Ileum that the " Agents hrtd taken every step in their power to pro - N care a settlement with the subordinate Paymaster." The Agents, however, can only have recourse to the Board in the event of their not being able to recover the sum disallowed from the subordinate accountants, fur those officers are not appointed with the concur rence of the Agents, neither do they give any secu my to the Agents for the due accounting for the mo te)* issued to them. - The accounts thus examined in the military branchl el f the Surveyor General's Office, undergo no further examination, end they are passed by the Surveyor General putting -his signature of approved" to therm They are then transmitted to the OffiCe of the e Clerk of the Ordnance, where being put into de titre, the Imprests,to the Agents are vacated to at amount f them. Our informatiea respecting the other Ordnance military accounts in Messrs. Greene ooti and Cox's a g e ncy, Was obtained from Mr. Falconer of their s irtce. The only particulars deserving of attenti n' n, v►hich, as appears from his examination, distinguish this branch of agency from that already noticed, are, tkat the p a y of the Royal Military Artificers serving at home and in certain fixed stations abroad, as well' Is the pay of the Royal Military Surveyors and utaftsrnen, is issued monthly to the Agent, according ' we t7ke this opportunity of inserting in the Appendix, titetnems . communicated to us front the Survey or General's "6, which are connecte d with an o bs ervation made in the e2d t P . , ut ou r Thi rteenth Report, a re a which were there omitted to ez_,l; I r d Iptetiug the great iacrea4e in the quantity of buiiness the Surveydr General's (Bice duriog the Liam that riaCto held that sttuati,a. Ire ire al: ►c ex• )sza of l Asa nu Cu• the or/ gar Lilts tedp TLE EVENING STAR. ay 'el lit f it, tit- OP tc 7 4, - rent It it I be into PIP and and ;tht this LONDON. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE fiel.ooK 3 per Ct. Cons. for money 621i—Do. for acc. 621 S per Ct. Reduced 62i 63-4 per Cent. 781 i S per Ct. 93i i—Bonds t Os. 17s. pr.—Ontniunt Exch. Bills 16s. 17s. pre.—Long Arms. 16 3-16ths Swtt I's is the only Office that sold a Prize of £20,000 in ikarts, in the last Lowry. The complexion of the latest intelligence from the North of Europe has certainly been of an hostile de scription, so far as France is concerned. A coalition between Russia, Denmark and Sweden has been :me than once hinted at in the communications lately re- to monthly returns of the effectives of these corps, Commerce and Manufactares, complaining, on the 'And that they give in regular half-yearly statements Peat of the Indians, of the want of commercial inter. of the money received and disbursed on account of course, is viewed as a broad hint from the Executive these and of the corps of engineers ; and that on the itself, as to the wishes of the Government. That a statement ending the 30th of June 1809, amounting to £50,460: Ss. hid. there was a balance of about partial trade with America is already opcnei, cannot I 4'1500 due to the Agents, and on that of the 31st of be doubted; and it is inferred, by those who are sup December in the same year, amounting to £58,042. posed to be in the confidence of the American poli 6s. ad. about £lOOO remaining in their hands ; that ticians in this country, that our Orders in Council the home s a nd in of the Guernsey and Jersey,alilitar Artifice is r issued to g servingthe at . will be either rescinded or greatly m o difi e d, itnmedi order of Officers of Engineers commanding the corn. ately on the PRINCE RECIANT'S being divested of the panics or detachments of this corps,aaccording to the Parliamentary restrictions. In this case, it is under muster rolls which they transmit monthly, and that sto o d that the British interests in America will in the Captaies of the several companies have an allow . . ance-from the public of £36. 10s. a n d o f two-pence stantly preponderate over those of France. in the pound on the expenditure, as a remuneration u The Jubilee, GIIENCD . Y, has arrived in the Clyde, for this service. That the Agents make up the ac- from Halifax, in 20 day's, but we have not heard Counts of each corps half-yearly, and that these ac- that she brings any news. • counts to December 1807 had been delivered into the , Surveyor General's O ffi ce in January 1810, leaving i As might naturally be expected, rumours of a to therefore an arrear of two years' accounts ; and that tal or at least partial change in Administration still the reason given for this arrear, was partly the same continues afloat in the political circles. The only dr. as was given for that of the artillery accounts, viz. The time which elapses subsequent to the period of cumstances which can be relied on with certainty on the accounts, before the accounts and vouchers relat- this subject are the resignations of Mr. YORKE, of his' ing to the engineers and artificers serving in Ceylon seat at the Admiralty Board, and of the Earl of are received. Aveeseonn, as Steward of the Household. 11l health It is of such material importance to so many per sonsis mentioned as the cause of Mr.Yortee's resignation, individually, as well as to th e p u bli c g e ne r ally, that the making up and the examining of all military i but we have not heard any reasons assigned for the accounts of expenditure should not be unnecessarily Noble Earl's relinquishing his office. Lord KEITII delayed, that it should be considered, we think, whe. I and Mr. WELLESLEY POLE have been mentioned as ther the issues for the service of all the ordnance mial Mr. YORKE'S successors at the Admiralty. While litary corps in Ceylon, and perhaps in Canada also,' upon this subject, we think it our duty to lay before might not be separately accounted for. It can very sel dom occur, we imagine,that there will be such transfers our Readers the following article from a Dublin PA between these and other Ordnance Stations, at home , per of Monday last, which arrived in town this and abroad, as should create a difficulty in adopting' morning: this suggestion. is We understand that Secretary HAY Iris received Mr. Ridge is the Agent or Paymaster to the Ord- Staff and Field Trains serving at home, and a letter from the Duke of BEDFORD, assuring him, he pays also the field duty pay to certain Engineer that on the removal of the restrictions an entire Officers serving at home, which we noticed in our change of Administration will take place." statements respecting that corps, and which is includ ed in Mr. Ridge's accounts under the head of inci dents. For these services he has 10s. a day pay, and 2d. in the pound on all sums passing through his hands. This last allowance seems to be general on the expenditure for the ordnance military corps, but it is only on that for the ordnance staff and field ' trains that we find the whole poundage charged to the public, for in the artillery and engineer services the officers above the rank of subalterns, pay their own poundage, as do the subalterns also on their ex tra pay. This charge may probably therefore have been inadvertently admitted in Mr. Ridge's accounts of disbursements. The issues are made to Me. Ridge monthly, upon an estimate computed on the effectives of the staff and field trains, and transmitted about the middle of each month. These cstimatds do not contain a statement of balances in hand, because the computations are made, it is said, for the exact num ber of effectives, and frequently fall short through the alterations which take place towards the latter end of the month. And on none of the other statements,, as for the allowances to the Ordnance Staff, &c. is the balance in hand noticed, it being deemed unne-1 cessary, because the accounts are rendered hal f•yearly. We learned, however, in June 1810, from Mr. Este, who has the management of the Ordnance business in Mr. Ridge's Offices, that these accounts had not been delivered in later than for the year 1806, but it was at the same time added that those for 1807 and ' lBOB were nearly ready. This delay was imputed to the want oEreceipts for pay and contingent disbursements from officers and individuals then on foreign service, and to a difficulty about some small travelling charges of persons in the field trains. So far as concerns tne consideration of balances in this agent's hands, it is certainly not of much moment that thew accounts had not been more speedily transmitted, for the balances in the three years named were calculated not much to exceed nine hundred pounds ; but admitting the general principle of the expediency of all public accounts being sent in for examination shortly after the periods to which they relate, the causes alledged' for the delay in this instance cannot be approved ; for the expenditure un der Mr. Ridge's management, is confined to the home service only, and his attention should at all times be directed to procure the requisite vouchers previously to the embsulation of the officers and other persons in the Ordnance Service to whom he has made pay ments. At all events, the accounts ought to be re gularly delivered in, and if vouchers are not produ ced for any disbursement in them, the charges should be disallowed. Yesterday the LORD CHANCELLOR, Mr. PERCEVAL, and the Marquis WELLESLEY had audiences of the PRINCE REGENT, at Carlton House. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE visited the PRINCE RE. GENT yesterday. Yesterday morning the Duke of YORK left town for Windsor, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel BROWN, one of his secretaries. Her Grace the Duchess of GORDON has, for seve ral days, been dangerously indisposed, at the Pulteney Hotel, Piccadilly. Colonel BLOOMFIELD, J. C. LANOMEAD, Esq. Sir C. M. POLE, and Lord Astmaus BEAUCLERK, are rival candidates, in the event of a dissolution of Par. l liameat, for the Borough of Plymouth. The Bill for amending the Debtors' Bill, of the 39th of his present MAJESTY, has been printed, as amended in the Committee of the House of Com.l mons. It enacts, that the Courts from which 'the' process has issued, may order Debtors, confined with in 20 miles of the place of the General Sessions of the Peace, to be brought before said Justices, instead of the Judges of Assize. This regulation has been deemed necessary, in consequence of the great distance be tween the Assize towns, and many gaols in which Debtors are confined. According to an Account laid before the House of Commons, the duties on Sugar, in Great Britain, amounted, in the year 1809, to 5e4.,78a,170 18s. 3d. In 1810, to £4,844,673 55.; and 1811, to JE 1i,586 2 018 15s. sd. It is reported, that the eldest son of an English Earl has been drawn in, by some most artful influence, to read in a Popish Church at Palermo, his recant*. tien from the errors of the Church of England Anxious as we are to see the principle of religious freedom universally recognized, we cannot suppress our astonishment that any well educated youth should be brought, by any influence, to embrace the tenets of the Roman Catholic sect—that of a Print must have been ineffectual—perhaps he called in to his aid that of a Woman ! DuEt..—A meeting took place at Wimbledon Com mon, on Saturday last, between Mr. B.;---11, (an Irish Gentleman, settled in America), and Major in consequence of the latter Gentleman having, in the course of conversation, the evening be fore, animadverted in very strong terms on the mea sures lately adopted by the American Government against England, as also on the character of the Ame rican nation in general. After the first fire (which wounded Major D— in the right arm), Mr. B—'s friend ( Mr. P—) proposed to Major D—'s se cond, that the Major should apologise, which being refused, another shot was called for, which took effect in Major arm, below the elbow, and effec tually pot a stop to any further proceeding. We un derstand the business has since been accommodated by the seconds. CORONER'S Istoutst.—Yesterday afternoon an in. tair!st was held at the Three Tuns Public House, Cross-street, Hatton-garden, on the body of Mr. ARCIIER, watch maker, in Kirby -street, Hatton-gar den, who was burned elmost to a cinder, by the pre mises taking fire on Monday afternoon last. He was very far advanced in years, and sick in bed at the time of the accident. Verdict, Accidental Death. The Grand Jury threw out five Bills of Indictment brought by the Society for the Suppression of Vice, ' ag iinst butchers for selling meat to the labouring ceived from the Baltic ; and by an article in clue poor on the Sunday morning. By the evidence it ap peared, that the poor people who were thus provided Idol:Ian Mercury of Monday last,an Edinburgh paper with a Sunday dinner, worked till near midnight on of most respectable authority, we learn, that the King the Saturday, and that they were served before ten of DENMARK has prohibited Freach privateers from o',l ick in the forenoon. It was also clear that the meat left unsold car t the Saturday, would not in many bringing their prizes into his ports. A Fr. nch c ises keep sweet till Monday, and that the poor are vateer which attempted to bring in an American, her able to get a j lint at a cheaper rate: prize, was filed upon by a ft.rt in Jutland. The ASSERTION. —• ARIIHMETIC RULES sufficient to above intelligence lias been communicated to a Da- teach Subs ractien, Mul iplicatior t and Division, are nish Merchant residing in Leith. )t to he found .in any English Treatise on that ' Science. Instructions to supply th's deficiency vtill appear in a Work to be published in a few days, by In addition to the intelligence from America which E. BUDD, No. 100, Pall-Mall—London, Feb. 1812. we gave yesterday, we have been favoured with the . The Hest: armed ship arrived in Leith Roads, on perusal of several private letters, ail of which breathe Saturday, from Longhope ; and the LIVELY, frem a similar spirit of pacification. ale letter of the Sc. Malta. Sailed from the Roach the CkIAItLLS tender, cretary at War to the Chairman of the Committee of to the Northward. • . THE AMY.' - The Stirlingshire Militia is ordered from Deal to the Eastern District. Monday ue first division reached Canterbury on its route. The 67th Regiment, commanded by Cnlnnel Pnr.- vorr, are going on from Cadiz to Carthagena, to I place that city in a state of defence, withil)a Wars e mut% Regiment, and a company of Artillery. We regret to learn, that the latest arrivals from the Mediterranean, confirm the account Of the death of General Vary. He died at Messina on the 2J of December, of a malignant fever. in the 40th year of his age. He was a man, in when was united every amiable quality to very excellence that could adorn human nature. To the numerous friends to whom this paragraph will cause grief and AIR ctinn, little consolation can be offered, but a reliance on the DIVINIC Witt.. Superior as he was to all the frailties of humanity, his loss is indeed bitterly to be deplored. He has left a wife and seven children, the youngest yet unable to speak. GF.NFRAL ORDERS. Adjutant-General's Once, Dubin, lasso, U. General the Earl of Harrington, on resigning the oanurusd at the fumes in this country, Is happy to find that his Royal MOP ness the Prince Regent has been plowed to appoint an OMlow Is au,:ceed him, who ' s high reputation 6so well knows and apps. ciated as that nt lieutenant-General Sir J. Hope. lie tak;.l the present opportunity to carets to the Oemerat Officers, as well as to the rest of the Staff, his gratehd assn et the cbecrlbiness and constant assistance he has received tram them, and to thank the army at large, for their general good cos. duct and discipline, during the long period he has been at their IH•ad, ',swing them, that it will ever be remembered b 7 bta>e with sincere and heartfelt satisfaction. The army will (in the absence of the Commander of the Force...) report for the present, to the senior General Mer e Lieutenant-General Mackenzie. (S.Ened) D. COLQUHOUN. Lieatenant•Colonel and A.diuttna4eneraL NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. EAST-INDIA SHIPPING. The COUNTIMS OF HA RCOURTp (Country ship) from Batavia, arrived at Portsmouth the 12:h instant.— Sailed from Batavia 20th October last, with General JANSEN and his suite ; arrived at St. Helena the 9th December, and sailed from thence the 15th of that month. 'The EITMMATTS and MONARCH had not arrived at- St. Helena. The MEDUSA frigate, with Lord Mtwro, sailed from Batavia, for Bengal, the 20th October. The ACBAR frigate, with Sir. SAMUEL. Amami-m e sailed for Madras the 13th October. Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East-India House, when the undermentioned Com manders toook leave of the Court, previous to depart• ing for their respective destinations, viz. Capt. G. Nicnot.t.s, Bella Capt. W. LT SCR ' HATICEI Capt: A. Cast , Sovereign—Madras and Bengal. Capt. D. MACLEOD, Marquis of Huntley; Capt. HALLIIVII. TON, GLitton ;_Capt. M. CRAW, Elphinstone; Capt. C. BAIL. DARD, Wexford—China direct. Capt. J. FREEMAN, Lord Keith; Capt. G. WitiTDCW, Win —Madeira, Madras, and BeugaL The under-mentioned Captains were sworn into the command of their respective ships, viz. Capt. PEARSON. Sir Godfrey Webster; Capt. B. 'KAT, N. S. building in the room of the Lady Jane Dundas--Bengal direct. Capt. D. BOWMAN, Diana; Capt. R.. R.AWILS, luiiaoa. The following ships were thus maimed, viz. Earl Howe—Bengal direct. Diana and Juliana—Batavia. Carmart hen—Madeint and Bengal. Alexander—Madeira, Bengal, and Bencoolen. The Lord Duncan, from Bombay, to Madeira and Bombay. 11w Princess Charlotte of Wales and 'Chem., Grenville, from Ceylon and Bengal, to Madeira, Ceylon, and Bengal. PLYMOUTH, FEBRUARY It. Sailed the Earl Spencer cutter for Cork. Came up harbour the MINICRVA, 38 guns, to refit. Arrived the Grace and Collingwood cartels from. Morlaix ; in the latter came passengers one widow Lady, (named Pince) and four lads lately belohing to the British ship Wellington, of and for London, Capt. THOMAS HURT, from Nevis, master, taken three weeks ago in the chops of the channel, by the French schooner pri vateer la Leonore, of 14 guns and 90 men, who ran stem on the quarter of the Wellington, and effected a boarding, when a sharp conflict ensued, in which one of the men belonging to the latter was killed, and another severely, wounded; but at length, by supe riority riority of numbers, they were compelled to submit. 1 and the Wellington was carried into Roscoff, wisence the aforementioned lady and lads were marched to I Mot laix. The Wellington sailed from Nevis the 9th I December, and experienced continual gales and heavy seas. This Lady, as well as all the crew of the Wel. lington, 18 in number, experienced the usual libers. lity of French privateersmen, having b e en robbed oft every valuable they possessed. PORTSMOUTH, FEBRUARY tit. Areved this day his Majesty's ships ROYAL OAIE, POICTIENS, and VotosABLE, from off Cherbourg; the BEAGLE and RAPID, Iron, the Downs.—Sailed the TILE.—The JASON frigate takes convoy to the West Indies.—Wind Westerly_ DEAL, FEBRUARY 1!. • Arrived the Cvctte•r sloop of war from a cruize off Flushing ; and the CHRICRFUL cutter, after seeing the convoy that sailed on Monday sale to Portsmcuth.— Wind S.W. and strong, YARMOUTH, FEBRUARY Is. Arrived the PRINCESS OF WALES cotter from cruize.— Sailed the HEARTY gun-brig, for off the Ttzel.—Wind S.S.W. • NAVAL APPOINTMENTS. Captains—R. Lambert, to the Duncan ; M. H. D'Aron, to the Montague; B. Reynohla, to the S'r Francis Drake; J. W. D. Dundas, pre brow', to the Venerable; J. W. Spraog e r, to the Barham, a new 74; Scott, to the Asia; W. Billet, to the Savage; and W. Orrgory, to the Electra. Lieutenants—Havikshaw and Wood, to the Vigo; Leas, to the Chriniui VII.; Simkins, to the Melia.; Douglas, Gardner, and Stewart, to the Hannibal; EA Wright and Rokeby, to the Royal Oak. Masters—Mr. Dunn, to the Elizabeih ; Mr. Cerebral, to the fphigenia; and Mr. Head, to thejaspar. Chaplain—The RA , . Dr. Llurd, to Hasler Hospital, our tke Rev. Hall, who mkt; trout 11l health. /i.. _ • t".„: ,r