The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-05-22 00:00:00

... [ ' ship :hen went into a minute account of the hietore of the ()light of the au lions .t oablic accounts, and the ends and purposes they were intended to aoswet i that those!rillices were some years ago betel by two very respectable Noblemen, the Earl of Bute and Lord Sondes, who, thongh they never forgot they had • considerable salaries to receive, did not remember they had any duties to Perform. and the public ac counts had therefore been long riot totally negleEled to be examiaed into. In the reign of Queen Ann.. d Godolphin had recommended, and procured to be appointed, Comptrollers of Army Accounts, to whom were to he submtited all accounts relating to • the army. particularly for hospital stores and ;eld works ; bur it appear ed that of late years large sums had been issued without submitting them to the Comptrollers of Army Accounts ; that no less a sum than seven hundred thousand pounds sterling had been issued to one ind;videtal. Mr. Trotter, who held the different offices of manufafturer of public stores, Purveyor. Comptroller. and, finally, Auditor of his own Accounts, and perhaps it would appear rather surprising to the House, that for standing in all these relation., he only made a charge of 10 per cent. over and above all profits at tached to the several departments he was em p loyed in. These accounts were never submitted to the Comptrollers of At my Accounts. immense as they were. The Barrack accounts contoined also a vast • field fur peculation and abuse. Mr. Pitt saw it was necessary to change tlie room and a Bill was brought in, by which other Commheioners were appointed for the auditing of public accounts ; and by the commission issued last tear, it was de termines!, that those various accounts should be 1 submitr-d to the Comptrollers of Arrive Accounts. That commission was. however, Jae:live, because the Corumissionere had separate dirties to perform. Another defea was, that ,a I!.it should have been ! eriniisted to the Board only, was committed to interior offizors to port - ions ; and the effed and consequence of that nos such as to render the operation of the Board itself perfenly nuote tcry. Several attempts had been made to in crease the power of the Board; and for that purpose thirty-five clerks had b ern aided, but no effeilual remedy had therchy been obtained. 1 A Conaniesion had also ha co ;.ppninted for in quiring into abuses in the West Indies ; but from want of the power of bringii g up the accounts, and examining into them, netthio n o effedual could be done. In the coarse of the lest year, au attempt I was made to remedy this, t.y a new Commission; And the oonit of their inon.ry was, what he felt it his duty to call the partiruirr attention of the House I to. The last account made up in the Pay-office was in the year 17132. The store accounts had not I been examioed into once before the commence ment of the American war. The barrack accounts annexed to the expeditions to the Heisler, and to Egypt, had never been looked into at all. In short , 1 the state of arrears stood nearly as followe :—Oise krodred eel oisto-seers adilrees pnexamined—ac connts no way proceeded in, Aft3l.eigirt wiliow—ic i counts not delivered in for examination,offieeeiehe sorkiess—and various others, forming a total of, owe ibooth-fel one ISOy warioo3 unaccounted for. In I nob, 1 accounts were delivered in for examination, exceed ing that amount. This matter ce-taioly called for the investigation of the House ; and he was sure he need Trot remind them how very important it was to have an accurate inquiry into the aeptication of • the public revenue. It was not only important to the House, but to the accountant also; for the honest accountant was prevented from bring , ing ferwatd his accounts, and getting them passed by the Auditors and Commissioners. from • the multiplicity of fraudulent accounts which took up their time, and prevented them from the power of examining into those of the honest accountants. There was one instance of this kind, which he could not forbear mentioning to the House, and that was the late Earl Micartwy, who had formerly, that is in 177% been Governor of Grenada, and who was known to be a person of a high sense of ho nour, and who possessed as great a regard for the principles of honesty and justice as any matt that ever breathed ; and yet that very distinguished cha racter, who died only a very few months ago, stood charged with an account against him of 70,0001. sterling ; and notwithstanding all his efforts, he could never get a settlement of that account, but ac tually departed this life at a very advanced age, with out having it settled, and without knowing how far his family may hereafter be injured by so scan dalous a delay. lie then stated the means by which he thought an effectual remedy might be applied. He proposed to repeal both the Acts which had been passed on this head, and to pass an Ace to appoint ten Commissioners, who should act separate, and independently of the Comptrollers of Army Accounts, to whom it was intended to confide, add render effectual, all the powers vested in them by Lord Godolphin ; and that they should also have the investigation of the barracks and army stores—that they should be the confi.lentill advisers of the Treasure, and 'heir Of be a sort of military record, with regard to all military ac counts ; and that they should have the power of calling persons before them. of administering oaths, and compelling all fair and reasonable answers and disclosures :—That the Conant:stoners of Audit should consist of ten persons, not Members or Par liament, who shonld he divided into three Boards— one to consist of four Commis-roam, and the ether two of three each ; the first hoard to examine Iran all accounts up to the list of December law ; the second Board to bring up the accounts of the ex heeded aid sixty nulleara, and the third Board to bring up the arrears which h;d never been looked ion . ) at all. thus he hoped, that by keeping this toonatrcus and immense mass of accounts distinct, it nisoht he dissolved ; and, in time, by careful and etntinned investigation, so well understood, that the present impediments to a just and fair settlement, met be removed, and proper and effectual steps uteri •o orevent such a dreadful accumulation of debts and difficulties in future. This Commis won was not intended to be permanent, but to be dissolved by degrees. so that two should irt time be ni ched into nor, and reduced to six, as scion as the exigencies of the public accounts became so tar - - such reduction. Hu Lord the West ladies ;tent—that every forgery of cer kc.—That use Ci'!le, tor had receised SO,OOOl. an 3 ar.ol , ,:er 31.0:)0i. for giving these folic instruments. It was, tbezefore, necessary, those innumerable frauds and mischiefs should be Out an end to. If the remedy now pro;icised should be ineffntual, it would he the duty of Government to come again to Palli anent to make mere particuLn provision for cons: every public accountant to bring in his occotrii, if not able to bring in the whole, to bring in such parts as he could t and to compel also the Auditors of Public Accounts to come to an ac count within twelve months. The Noble Lord concluded w;th moving—" That leave he given to bring in a Bill for the more effectual ex:mina:ion into tlse expenditure of the public money in tlie West Indies, and for the discovery of frauds and abuses committed therein." Mr. ROSE claimed for the late Chaneeihr of the Exchequer all the credit due to the int- 4,l:rek taken for more properly auditing the publ:e an counts, which had been neglefted during the Ame rican war, and which the Right Honourable Gen tleman opposite him (Mr. Fax) once declared, it was not the intention of the short administration to which he belonged, to remedy. There %vas a great abuse still prevailing in the military expenditure, which was, that there were no less than ten millions annually expended upon the sole authority of the Secretary at War, and for which there was no other auditor but himself. He did not mention this in disparagement of any of the Noble Lords who had held that office; but in looking into ;he papers in his office, the Noble Lord would find, that he (Mr. Rose) was the first who proposed an effeaual audit for those aCCOUIISS. These were now between two and three hundred millions of these accounts re maining unaudited. and they had made an augmen tation of 50 or 40 clerk in the Secretary at War's Office, to regaire the teginiental accounts ; he knew not in what manner they had been employed. He alao detecled vatious frauds in the West India departments, for which he was providing a remedy, which would be seen by the correspondence he has With the Commis , ::oners on the subject. All the alterations and amendments. however, which had hitherto been made, were at Cur suggestion of 11;s Bight Hon. Ft tend, now no more; and he wa, ready to maintain, that one half of the accounts yet un- I audited. were only kept back by •oe negiea of I the persons concerned in the WaT.Office. The Al. ditors had no other process by which they could call those accounts before there. but by a proceeding en the yea of the 1:i; g's amembrancer in the Court of Exchequer Mr. Secretary FOX said. that from the News paper reports and Parliamentary Registers of' the day, it would 1:e found, that the only part he took in the proceedings alluded to. s as to secure to Lords Bute and Sondes what legally belonged to them. Mr. YORKE conceived his Right Honourable Friend ('sir. Rose) to be mistaken, when he stated, that these accouats bring so long unaudited. was owing to the neglen of the War:Office. Things were much altered from what they were some years ago, a; the number of hands then employed, would not be at present. by any means, sufficient for the dispatch of politic business. Twelve clerics were found sufficient then, whereas silty now were an inadequate fastr.ber. In the manner they were now ordered to be b e regimental accounts re quired as .7 In examination as any other ; and, duri g the last peace, he found a great number of regimental accounts unexamined, for o roor reason than because the Clerks had not time t attend to them. He approved of the object the Noble Lord (H. Petty) had in view, but thought that his censors upon those who preceded him, was meant for no other purpose than ad el. tandunt. Mr. WIND' lAM also corroborated what had been said of the great inisease of business requiring a great augmentation of assistance, and acquitted the War-office from any blame in the accounts not having been audited. As to the storekeeper's ac counts spoken of. he said. that the War-office had nothing to do with it. Mr. BATHURS I' said. that the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Rose) would not be at a loss to ac count for the employ menu of the additional clerks at the War-office. if he considered that such great delays arose from the pressure of public business, as rendered it impossible for the existing clerks to keep down the arrears. A second board of clerks was necessary to take up the business, when it was una voidably left by the others. It was a question with him, he said, whether a contront might not be pro per to be formed. of sufficient authority to check' the Secretary at War himself ? Mr. ROSE disclaimed any idea of casting any direct censure upon the Vs'ar-Office, though he knew that there was an arrear of twenty years I accounts kept open, because no opportunity bad hitherto been afforded of having them examined. Mr. W. DI NDAS disapproved of any censure being thrown on that deserving body of clerks, whose business, though they were straining every nerve. remained in arrear. because their numbers were not sufficient ; even their holm of overwork did hot prevent the business from gaining on them. The SECRETARY at WAR concurred in what had fallen from his predecessors in office, but thought that the existence of such a deficiency in the office, must require further regulations. Lord C ASTLERBAGH said. the complain: made by his Right Hen. Friend (Mr. Rose) of the business brag so arrested in these offices, as to be prevented from coming before the auditors, had not been dis prut.e by any thing that bad fallen from those who Wok a part in the debate. The extension of busi mess must certainly now require an augmentation of darks; but he thought that no blan:e could attach to former Ministers for not lacing forward in in creasing them. Lord HENRY PETTY reminded the Hoses that be had anric.p4ted the observations trade in respeft to the War-Lidice. and had therefore provided, that the previous examinations sbould be t;:s;:slierred from them to the Comptrollers of the Army Ac counts. Mr. HORHOUSE said. be had to express his ap probstirm and thanks to the ',able Lord for the rro.asures t,e WAS taking to cheek ao atrocious cot s-up:ion of twenty ye3rs standion, and hoped he would further move for the appointmeot of another Lommi.sion to report the Games of the offenders in tha caw. so as to pr evert the feature from ever happening egi'n—( A gen:ral ptal of lasigbt(r)—he meant, so as to prevent the Ike from ever happen ing again. It was the first instance v hid, ever oc curred of a Chancellor of the Exchequer arraigning the former Ministers of tWenty.years of coriuptior. ; and if no Member of greater ability should under take it, lie would himself more a C , -nimittee for the purpose he had already stated. of reporting the names of the Ministers who had sanaioned such measures. Leave was then given to hilng in the Bill. ARMY F_STIMATI.S. The House having rz,nlved itself into a Corn miztee of Supply, to ehich the different Army Es mates were referred, The SECRETARY at WAR observed, that the ! estimates he lied row to propose, would contain ao diminution of es pence from those of the last year. He paid the highest compliments to His Royal 1 lighress the present Commander in Chief, to whom tht, was so much indebted for its high state of military disciplinc; and snid, that the main o'l je a he bad at this time in vow, was to propose such measures as were thought mast likely to add to ire military strength. Essential, however, as this must be allowed to be, it was no less desirable that it should be provided for upon principles of public economy. It was hardly necessary to state to those in any degree conversant with military economy, how indispensib:e it must be to make the dis proportion as small as possible between the regular military establishment of the year, and the total number of effeftive men. By a compa risen of the estimates of the present year, with the last, there would be po apparent diminution of es. pence, but the comparison would not be thought altogether fair, when it was considered, that in the year 1305, there was a considerable augmentation in the cavalry, royal waggons, and foot guards. In the establishmen, of last year, the following alter ation would be made in the present. In the guards, garrisons, and plantations, there would be a saving horn the expense of last year. The cavalry would be seduced in each regiment from 1000 to 1300 rank and, file, making a deduction of '255,0001. In the foot guards the reduftion would be from 140 to 120, or 10 men in each battalion, leayisg a baying of 12,0001. ; and. in the Royal Waggons, the saving woul 1 amount to 90,0001. making a total dednition in thee:pence of 362,0001. After including with this, the reduftions to be made in the expellees of the Volunteers, and adding some occasional deduc tions, he stated the clear diminution of expense at 46.1,0001. or very near half a minion. General TABLE lON here interrupted him, wishing, he said, for the items of the accounts, instead of taking them at round numbers. The SECRETARY at WAR replied, that what he had hitherto stated, related only to two items out of twelve. General TARLETON then wished to know how he meant to make out the whole ?, The SECRETARY at WAR answered, that he meant to go through them regularly. lie then sta:ed, that the total of the effeitive army of Great Britain at home and abroad, including those going to the East ladies, was, on the Ist of January 1800, 249,951; on. the Ist of May, 1806, they were 250,901.; making an increase rat 10.040 nat the same time, that there was a decrease of nearly 010,0001. of cepeuce. As to the regiments in In dia, it would, be said, be unnecessary ranhias to say any thing about them in these estimates, ;hey being paid by the East India Company. He then stated the existence of recruiting at .50,0001. Contingencies, 50,0001. Recruiting in Ireland, 2.5,000 L Total on these heads, 1:15,0001. The expenee of the General Staff last year was 54,7531. to which being added an addition not included in it last year, of 56,0001. would make the total Staff 90,0001. The other deductions he said would arise from the discontinuance of B:igadier-Generalss who would be replaced by other Officers in the different districts, &c. He hoped this day would put an end to all the ill.founded alarms relating to the effect which the measures of His Majesty's present Minis ters would, according to rumour, have open the Vo lunteer system. it would now be seen. that instead of disarming or giving them offence, the only effea the new measures would have open them would he, that their otficers should no longer command field officers of the line. the impropriety of which must, no doubt, be manifest to those public.spirited gen tlemen themselves, who had so gallantly stepped for ward at the moment of imminent datiger. He then adverted to the various alterations in that establish. ment, in point of allowances. cloatf.ing,,kc. Scc. and calculated that the total saving to Government, on that head, would be 432,0001. After comparing the eapecces of the different articles of charge for volunteers, upon a compartion between the last and the present year, he concluded that the total saving to the country would be 660,0001. The Right Hun. Gentleman, after referring from time to time, to a great variety .f figure., which neither his mancer nor tone of voice contributed to render distinct or even audible in the gallery, concluded by moving, " t h at 150.539 effective troops be voted torthe Kt... - ice of the present !sear, including commissioned and nor..con.rr 'swooned officers, from the 25th of June, ISOC, to the loth ditto, of December, both inclusive." General TARLETON commenced by stating his intention of Making a few observations on the dif ferent reduftions which dm Right Hou. Gentleman in his speech had proposed to the committee. And first, with respect to the cavalry, to which an aug mentation had been made by the former Govern ment. 1-k thought a reduction in that particular I ~-ce would be improper, as British Cavalry must always be an acquisition to any Continental Power with whom we were in league; bet on this subject. he thought he might, with more propriety, take up the time of the House at a future petiod. The reduction in the Guaris was the n.-st in order, which the Right Hon. Gentleman had mentioned , and these he thought a ii.ost ;mood body of men ; but he would also defer the catssideration of this pointio some more convenient tame. At present he did not think any diminution that could be made in the waggon train, would be of service to the country, nor did he think it would be in the slightest degree economical. until a conaiderable.ispot was estabiishad is the centre of the kings:ant ; but to the lan reduction of expence mentioned by the Right Hon. Gentians" namely, with re c .:iv d to the Volunteers. he world slxielyccinfine marks this night. lie. however. en euntentplarag the whole of the proceeding of the present Ads's,. nisteition, could not hut say, that they had Lees:. like drones, on the collefted stores .of their peck. cessors, without even being thankful for the benefit, they had received. He would ask, was not the vie. tory at St. Domingo the fife& of the late admiait. t retina ? and- that at the Cape of Good Hope also? but for the lattet he did not think they were eyes thankful, as not the smallest COMF:lat.”l/ WA% paid, though the danger andgillanoy of leek army and navy were considerable ; aad indeed from this•circumstance it appeared, as if the Admireity were determined never to thank Sir Horne Popham, he being disagreeable to certain gentlemen. is. what state was the House left ? four months had elapsed witheut any measure be'ng proposed. arid • , then a slim of money was voted for the service of the army, contrary to the opinion of many, tet,e did not enesider it cenatitutiooal, until the eetineme Were made. At my F.stimeies arid Ahttinv I ilk, for limited periods, were then proposed. an.l ilia the Additional Force Bill-had been Nice veer. . these estimates were brought forward., Is about i t ,y. ing the House any information as to rhe geitir4 plan. The Right Han. Gentlfman had stated. tees great misrepresentationshad been made front the. s r . position side of the House, with resped tattle slime of the Right Hon. Secretary of State; but he would • leave it to the candour of the House to judge whet • then that was likely to be the case or nut deed he did not see how they could he *loth, of the misrepresentations. The Right lionoureblir Secretary's speech was reported in the public newspapers, and he believed every man must readily allow that the Gentlemen who nuke it their he m , ness to give these reports, he meant those concerned in newspapers, were always more attached to a neW administration than to a new opposition, so that it was most likely the Right Hon. Secretary's Speed; was repotted rather in his favour than otheraise Considering , then, that the Right Hon. &cleany had made a particular statement. with Teepee to the Volunteers, he could not devise any reaaou whit he had changed his opinion, except that having gone to a city feast, after he had made his speech, es 4,4 veri/es, he drank the toast of " the Volunteers cf England," Which had heen given by a worthy Aidtt men, and on that account, when he came hack io.the Huse. altered his tone. The Hon. Gentleman they adverted to the savieg which was to be tirade be the diminution of the field exezeke of the vole,* teers. 'this, he said, would destroy the drscipline of the different corps, and he thought be could but prove the assertion by an example. He was every year in the habit of assembling about ,50s00 volunteers in Bristol; when they first assembled, they were xi. • ways raw and unsoldier-like ; but at the end of the fourteen days they were so much improved, that he would ieel himself perfealy secure in going to meat the roomy with them. For this reason, hp thane* it would be the most imprudent measure that could he adapted, to reduce the number of days that the volunteers were obliged to be on petmenent dety, The House. he trusted, tvoted'keep in mind, that no plan lied as yet been proposed, and that the sole se. tk of feu; mouths was to abolish the Defence Act. He then coneheled by sayinp, that tneugat the idea of having 500.0e0u mew it. arms, migas captivate a man with sett euine expeSetions, yet he would advise. the Right Honourable Secretary, rather to follow the example of his pretlecessurs. Mr. WHI I DREAD thought it by no means collate in the Hon. General to call His Majesty's Ministers a set of denotes. He would ask, couid the Noble Lord (Lord H. Petty) who had the tight made such a truly eloquent speech, be called a drone ? or could the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox) at the end of the Bench ? or, in fad, could that epithet attach to any of them'? He also blanaed the Einia.Gentleman ((W i en irregular *Russo.. to newspaper roblications; and, with respeß to the jocular story of the die fear, he, a: all events, had a better opinion of his Right Hon. Friend, than to suppose that he should alter any plan he had consi. dered pf, on account of the most of a worthy Alder,. man. He then denied that there Wic any appearance of an alteration having been TA from the nrigirsd statement ; and, with respect to the mode to be adopted fur the purpose o( instrußing the volun teers, he thought it was infinitely preferable to the present, which was a kind of machinery he did rot admire, as he conceived it was of service to none but the machines themselves. The Flcu. Gentlentav concluded by saying that he, for one volunteer, was not offended at not being allowed to command a field officer, and he conceived that every man of sense in the volunteers was rejoiced at it. Lord CASTLEREAGH ileclar-.1, that the only' view he had in risiug, was. to obtein an explana•tro of some points, with respeft to which the House was entirely in the dark. These were the fourth army estimates which had been proposed to the House in the course of the present session, and the fourth Mutiny Bill; witheut any kind of plan heeig divulged. if they were ever to have any information. he sincerely wished they had eg now, as it Was of the utmo t contequeme the ccuntryom know whet they had to depend oa• The poly thi.sg which Lad as yet been dose, was te bring in a bill to repeal the Army of Defence Bale and that Bid was not, he conceived. a poll sample of u hat they had to ea eat. It contauted two clauses, test opt of them WAS so scandebieste absurd, that it would have been pinch better it had been ent;rely emitted. Whatever the plan was hoe the Right Hun. Gentleman tistentled to prodoi e, he tholight it would be apt to make a considerable it.m in a supplemtnial budget, which it was more than probable the Ncble Led, on the same bench with him, would have to bring forward dnr:rg the present Session ; and it was his fi m belief. tf the present m:ment, Gentlemen ware trembl of for the fate of the measure about to be meow! and were wishing that they had nor given their assert to is in another place ; but had been cement ed to follow the fo. uteps of thi se who preceasi them, and who, no doubt, we:e better iefornaed. Tie prodaSion of this plan ought not to be pro tracted, as many of the Members world now be ob liged to go out of town, and as His Ma ;cal/ Ministers bad taken faux months to convoy et it, and had suhmitted to the igemniny of oropo•- ing four estimates. for different peiiedas It w." natur.l to suppose that the dense wonld tikes time in considerine it. The Noble Lord thrr. adverted to the different reductions whielt wet! .t• 71 .1 M W I i 1 I I I I cleared AS to admit stf such realm s - ip dim described the abuses in to have aiisen to an enormous est " sort of sr-au,' 'listed acre. such as tisizs.es, false ills of Lomita', &c.