The Sun. — London, England, 1819-08-12 00:00:00

l'A 11 LI M - :•,NTA ITY l'A PE RS. Tile fallow ii iffipoo ant Report . from the Select Committee on'Figance bai been issued :- 71 . FTE1 REPORT ' ? 'l.ll.OM THE SELECT COMMITTEE "OF rINANCE, 1819 . . . _ The SBLid - i'CriI.474ITTEB appointed Minquire in to and state the INCOME and EXPENDITURE of ,* the United'Kingdom; for the year endrd the sth 3anuaty,T3ls ; an'd also to consider and state 'the prohlble 'lnrorne and: Expenditure, (so far as the same can now he estimated), for he year - ending nth January, 1320, and to report `the same, togethcr with their observations. thereupon, from time to titre, to the House; and also to cou-cider what further measures may "be adopted for the relief of the country from 'toy part of the said Expenditure, without de-' piment to the poidic interest : Deeming no object more conducive to a gene ral syAyttr- of economy, than efficient and speedy rx..;rnination of ail accounts rclating to the C3y peniiitore of pohlic money, judge it expedient to turn the attention of the, House, before the pre rent Session close, to the actual state of the de partment itr which this great business is trans acted, and to the progress made in the auditing of tht• accounts now under examintit The list of 'officers and departments whose ac- counts have been usually delivered to the Co mmissioners for atriiting the public, eceounts, will hie found in . the Finance Papers for the year end ing- sth January last,- in page 190 ; and by refer-' ring !o the Fifth Report of the Committee qn Public Expenditure (second part, printed in 1810), a statement of the manner in which all ,the other pryt.cipal public accounts are examined and pass- . ed, is contained, together with many important and judiciuus observations upon this whole mat ter; and your Committee cannot but regret that fa the l e ngth of time which was elapsed since the presenting of that Report, no sufficient measures have yet been taken to remedy the delays, both iu the passing of the publiC accounts through the Audit Office, and relieving the accounts from the tedious and unnecessary forms still observed, the -inefficacy and disadvantages of which were in that Report explicitly detailed. Yipir Committee are Of opinion, that the notice of the House cannot be too frequently-recalled to this important sub ject, until the object of a satisfactory and speedy Audit shall have been effected.. Your Committee find, however, that the Board of. Treasury haye never 'lost . sight of the neces: city of effecting some material change in the mx iiting system. A Treasury Minute, dated Ist riie bruary, 1811, hai been- laid before them, by which it appears that steps were then taken to put this matter into a train of investigation, and reference was made to different public offices connected with the examination of accounts. The first 'measure which appears to have beeri odopted in consequence, was by a bill brought into Parliament in 1813, which reeeivell the royal assent "in the same Session (23 Ge0.,111. c. 150,) enahliteg the Crown to nominAe one of the-Com- Pjissiooers for auditing the Public AcOounts to be Auditor•Gener 4 l of Accounts of -'the Public Ex peodit ate in Spain and Portugal ; and two par ticular caio t es of Belay and ineouveuience in mak ing no and passing of Public Accounts were tab hy anthors:ng the Commissioners of Public Accounts to allowarticles of discharge with- Out wilt ten vouchers; under certain regulatioes, and to disPense with receipts on stamps in certain cases ; and the Treasury Were also empowered to make new arrangements for the cond ict and dis nibution of tire business of the Audit Office. In ,cOnseqaence of this Act, a Treasury WarraPt . was issued in August 1813, by which certain new re s gadatiims acid arrangements were made tor the c,Onduet of business iu that office. These new re gulations have unfortunately - by no means had complete effect,, as the labours of the Auditors, so far to out gainioggroutid . tipon the accounts, and gradually subduing the arrear, are left every year further behind, without any reasonable pro spect of ever coming up to, or.keeping pace with the current Accounts. The transfer es one branch of (his Office from the Adelithi to Whitehall-place has set the two *Janis of Cen»missioners at a distance from each other, somewhat More inconvenient than before. ltoom might have been found within Somerset House for its reception, end your Committee re commend that some of the private official houses, ;,:s they may become vacant, should be allotted to thii purpose, as no adequate public benefit can niise from the residence of Commissioners .. Of the Navy,, or other officers of that description, in houses provided at the . publia expeoce iris a bad way of paying a part of their salary, seldom, eligible., to the officers receiving it, and always more expensive to ,the public than an equivalent for the annual rent. Another mode which suggests itself to your otamittee, might be by dip removal of some one office not'necessit HT/connected with others, from Somerset . [louse to th6:.situation at present oc cupied by the two Commissioners at Whitehall place. A•difference of opinion as to the mode of con ductiug bositiess and 'holding Boards, has taken place.,between the 'Chairman of the Commis sioners, and the two Cotnipissiooers at IVhitehall place ; and the whole'of the information your Committees hove' rt eek'ed respecting the Conduct_ of the, business of this Office, demonstrates in s their opinion the necessity of -a most exact and comprehensive' reVisiOn and reform "of the, whole system. - _ . An account relating to' the disbursement of puni;e woney differs in no other respects, than occasionally in its magnitude, trout an account between individuals; the mote of keeping it ought to be the same ; the same sort of vouchers are required for the sums expended ; similar modes of investigating the truth must be rcsorte( to, wherever diffrrcnces or difEultiex occur ; no; it reasonably be imagined, that in the multi plied and complicated transactions between the mercantile and commercial men in this country, coy mode of examining and passing accounts, Which is bettet or more secti - g . e than that which is esrabtished by universal usage, can have escaped their indus'ry and aente.•ess. When an account is brought to a termination sati4tactury to both parties, the accountant ought not to be kept tvlillog for los tittal discharge Or quietus. It.this practice be retained for'the.4mr tiose of any fees or emoluments, it is an abuse re quiring a remedy. Nor can your Committee ap prove of the Practice of translating accounts into a barbarous jargon v and substituting for the re ceived Arabic figures an antiquated method of.no tation in - comprehensible to all others, and not always intelligible even to the officers of the de partmenti within which this official language is exclusively manueactured. It is proper to remark, that by an Act of 54 Geo. 111. c. 93,. the Auditor General of . the ac counts in Spain was empowered to ereatuinc ac counts of public expenditure in France, and that by another Act in the same Session, 54 Geo. 111. c. 134, three other Commissioners were appointed for five years, and empowered to examine all ac counts of the receipt and expenditure of the colo nial revennes in the Islands of Ceylon, Mauritius, Malta, Trinidad, and the Cape (?I . Good Hope. It is further to he observed, as a mark of due attentiou to theimmedia l te Audit of Aeconots, that Upon the inst renewal of the French tear, a jedi- Mous and economical check was imposed upon the Military Expenditure in the campaign which so gloriously terminated that great contest ; for it appears, that in the spring of 1815 it was deemed proper to appoint an officer of the rank of a Comptroller of Army Accounts to superintend and controld the Expenditure of the army tinder the command of his Grace the °Duke of AVelling ton, then in the Netherlands ; the copy of the Patent and of the lostroctions, hetewitir sent, fully show the object and intention of that ap 001nm-tent ; and the most itliportant breefit's were derived - lo the: Public trout the constant ,ontroal exercised by ghat officer over the Expenditure The'accoouts of the period from the 25th May, 1815, to the 2441 a June, 1316, have been__ almost completely examined by this officer ; they are, it is true, not yet in a stag lobe brought to decla ration, as many queries onon detached points ale yet unanswered, from the absence of officers at distant stations, but they are in such a state that the Public are not likely to experience any loss from the further delay, nor are individuals likely to sustain aoY inconvenience.- From the 24th June 1816, the Expenditure of the Army in France was very much reduced, in consequence of the seppiies for the Army being almost, entirely :supplied by the French Govern ment, and the Expenditure, was reduced to little . more than the - regular pay and contingencies of the service ; the accounts front this period to the 24th June 1817 were minutely inspected by the Comptroller of Army Accounts, and were brought to England ac that period, and delivered into the Office of the Commissioners of Audit, and from this time it was not thought necessary to have an officer of the rank of Comptroller with the Army. No other general instructions were given to the COmptroller titan thOse now laid before the Com mittee ; but ha was' in constant correspondence with the Treasury, and submitted to them all eases of, doubt or difficulty ; upon which he me cei‘cd special instructions. The failure of the several attempts of the Le gislature, and of the late regulation made by the Commissioners of . his Mijesty's Treasury, to rec tify all these inconveniences and deficier.eies, mike your CoMmittee hesitate (especially at this late period of the Session, which precludes so extensive an investigation as this difficult and complicated subject would require) as to recom mending any specific mode of remedy, wiCtell they Can venture to rely upon, as being applicable to every part of thisextensive subject. The Commissioners at Whitehall-place Com plain that the number of clerks under `their spectors are inadequate to the duty, stating tbat an inspector can constantly ,keep employed under his own eye five or six clerks, but not more : the Conituissionirs at Somerset House, however, do out consider that fixed number to be necessary, inn do they conform to it, liaing placed a greater ;proportion of cletki under some of their in spectors. It is further alleged brthe Commissioners in Whitehall-place, that for the purpose of forming what is called a Foreign Department, sonic of their most able and' efficient officers were witbdiewu from them and transferred to Somerset-place, notwithstanding whieb„,,Foreign Sc . upts and those of a very intricate kind continue t'o be al lotted to them us before. - It has been usual for the Lords of the Treasury to appoint young persons as clerks in the Audit tlhose education has not always furnished them with some of those quaLiAcations which are peculiarly requisite for the discharge of those dynes into' which they are to be . initiated ; but ;they are subjected to a previous state of prohat and there are not waiving in.tances where Some who have been found incompetent have been . dis missed. - Should any. increae of the establishment be come expedient, your Committee suggest - that it would be proper to employ some of those persons whose services were discontinued in other depart ments upon the conclusion of the war, and who may he judged competent to the bk-rsiness, especi ally such of them as now receive retired pensions or ctbmpensations.: the Public has undoubtedly right to cail for the services of all soch persons in ao y situations of w hich they may' he capable, or to withdraw their allowances it theyito not choose to re-enter into the public service. • Your Committee understand front the,evidenee of Mr. Harrison, and also from one of their own ntembers, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,, that this subject bas.been for sonic time under the consideration of his NiaFsty's Government, and that greater progress %vonld: have already;_been made in it, if some unforeseen circumstances h a d not intervened ; it therefore only becomes neces sary at this period of the Session to•recolornenti, is t-be first place, that no further time may be lost by the Executive Government in, pursuing this in quiry, and investigating the defects radically anti thinoughly, so as to effect by regulation what eer may be done by regulation; and to be pre pat ed at the opening of the next Session to sub-• wit to the consideration o f Parliament such parts of any new system as may require the.assistance of the Legislature tow a rds the better conducting of this must important work. LAW INTnLLIGENCE. VOURT OF CHANCERY, Luc. 11. THE QUEENSBERRY CASE. \‘'VerntitHt.t. stated, this was a Petition pre sented by two of the late Duke of Queensberry's lessees in behalf of themselves and others. They felt it their indispensible duty to apply to the Court on account of the decision which the House of Lords had recently come to in the Queensberry case, by which certain leases were declared to he not valid. There were funds, in Court to indent nify the lessees tor 'any damage which they might sustain. He had, therefore, to request that a Commission might he appointed to ascertain what compensation was due to them, which would be Better than for the C'ourt of Session. Scotland to he Called on, to decide in each individual case. Mr. HART declared ht; was at a losS to answer the petition, as he could not understand what it aimed at. If it urayed_that one person might sue for the yeliole, then no'application to the Court tvas necessary, as that could be done without its interference. He did not imagine, howeVer, that there was any jurisdiction in the Court to war rant its i,suiug the curnmis;ion ; hitt even soppos -4.; it bad, then by granting this repot tire Court was doing more than the petition kSked tor. The ot-,jeet of the prayer seemed to be, rhlt the parties 'night be liberty to insti;ote actions, or 'file_ hills for the recovery of such damages as miry occur. Ile could view the whole in •110 - other light than an attempt to obt,sht,the authority of the Conti to It prOCerdittg, rdlidl. to say the least of it, was in itself one of thegreatest novelties he had ever heard. of. TitowEß, for the executors, stated, that his clients had not anrinicteit in the question, nide..., it was the 'protection of the properiy tioirt endless liriewion, which must be the. cost were this Cuirni:s.ion to'he isstted by his Lordship. It had bet ti tO the Court 'below . , to examine the nature of the leases, and surely till th , y v. ore afiCCI the atnottut of the claiins con;rl not,•be Ni. A wr4UR PIGOoTT, on ,behalf of the legs. tees; said, the petition before the Court was one 'of a most extraordinary nature, and one to %dile') it •wai impossible to look without feelings of the greatest indignation. Its prayer si as quite finite, and it was unnecessarily. lone, matter of the most distant relation to it being introd,ced into it to make it of greater length. The petitioners'were two- persons of the name of Balser and Anderson, and they described themselves as applying in be half of all the lessves. Ott what principle they did so, he was at a loss to know, or ott what au thority they could say they were acting for the others,, Surely nothing but a Power of Attorney could enable them to do so. There was no cre ditor here who could act for the rest, for till the dedsiOn'of the Scot t iSO Colin spa known respect ing the leases, there court not be pos'sibly any' damages due. lint the prayer went further, anti asked for leave to institute an action, or file a hill for damages which may becOme due. Surely thii .was calling on the Conk to 'do what it never did, and he was cot:fident never would (loin such eases. Mr, WeruiteLt.: rvplied. • ''Tie [Ann C.HANeRLLO'R observed, that as.the thinse of Lords had referred back this case to the Court - of Session, and as it was probable that that Court would at its first sittings in November next, take into considera; iou the rt:fe - rente at the House 'ot Lords, respectitiglhe leases, the better sssy stfotikt tie in the areantithe to Order this petition to stand Over .to the last day of Michaelmas Tenn, without prejudice either as to . its merits, or the general cpiestion of costs. THE EARL OF YARMOUTH AND TWO OTHLTRS IN TH'S SAME CASH. Messrs. Wirieriela and Taassr,ove appeared , for the piamints, and ,moved that the sum Of :165,5 731 . s s . Gil in the 3 perJ2enr., ConsOlS, he laid out in the purchase' of ENcln:tpier, hike for the benefit of .the.claintants. The petition presented to the Court •sl'ated till the prbt'eedings Whicli had already tatteir pla - ce under the irrelvr of the Court ;. that there-was the sum of 1;220,.1 91. in c o ,, r t, whieh h'e ►ahove sum of :i6,5,573/.• was allisiv - ed by the'MAter - in his Repc.rt . tci be due' as.claims. These (taints were all made out, and the• Learned Counsel could not see any rule otthe Court prevent the 'su ,froni hAig soolrt nr out and! vested coul m l in the purchase 4:Exclicque,r Bills. The great advantage .reultitQ-rernit•this . would be, that the principal Woillif at he i exempted from the fluctuation : which,occasionally took place in the fu n ds. The applicati'ori ‘vasin ,deed one of a novel kind, but still; Would he munch more .advantageous to the applicants than the pre sent mode. The Loun , CHANCEL LOR wished to know if the : parties could assure hint 'that Mr. Vansittart allow-two-pence halt-penny on the hills ? He was rather afraid that this would not he the case, con': sidering sometimes the' interesti:,W •s two pence. and sometimes only three 7 tarthin,-,, , 5. - did not think the Chancellor of the Exctrequer would give him the asisurauee °lmo-Pence half penny. Mr. WINGFIPLD, said, the great advantage here would be, that any .fluct uation which might take place would only be so far as the interest of the money. was colon rued, while the principal itself would he. safe. This was not, the case in the funds, as there the capital was affected. The fluctua tion on tlie interest too could only ptejudice the 'applicants, and therefore the present was Surely a most dj=interested application. Tilt! LORD CnANCELLOK said, t hat he supposed it was intendtd to convince him that in all cases .where the Master made a specific report of any sums doe, thath he ought to allow suc SU t MS to •be vested in the purchase 'of Exchequer it the parties wished. Indeed if the present motion .was granted, he did not see how he couel pos sibly refuse it in any other case. It was iii calling on him at once to alter the %. , ,;11.,1c esta 7 )lisited practice Of the Court, which be did not ihiolt himself warranted in doing. _ Si,r ARTHUR l'iuGorr was -abotH,to procevil 0;1 the tither siffg, when the Lord Chancellor told hint It yt'As ooliccesz..diy, auti orrivrefttlii,s . 690 to s over jut he ,itne way a •Otilet3. INSOLVENT DElrrottS' C cr:RT. Yesterday ;Ali. 1.61YN.1_M , , lbL Ilf; C6111!3.11!- neat Amet disp.)scd of sercrd oppdsed which possessed mote titan ordinary interest.' ILchard Swayne was opposed or! the g r rS that he had made ' a fraudulent conveY olce farm he bad at Chertsey to a relation ; b' it ;r° pearing.that th e deed wa s ma d e three'or tour yea p ,before he. went to prison, be was discharged' $ Samuel Jacobs was opposed for obt aining large quantity of corn on credit, at a tittl e I, l b is his affairs were embarrassed. He P ant tin" e • losses were occasioned by the constant fall at C.b market last year, and was discharged. s on Mr. ReYNot..l)s, the CorrliniSSiontr, -°ll' of this occasion, that lie should not alter any "" fu Court established by his predec e ssor, without ~.„; hire consideration, and a l u ll se n s e of Lhe abi lute necessity of the alteration. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. SUSSEX ASSIZES, LEWES, Ave. 10. FORGERY. ir e hard Ray nod John Ray, lirothers, ' o e (liven for 'tittering a torged of Eagi:in d for the payment of 11. knowing it to ht wag another indictifient against • e it charging theni with Navin, forged notes possession. The prisoners hAving Pkatiezt b• to the !nue: intlictment,- the .134nk of E0g 1 ", 6 e stained • from giving evidence in stippoit 01 e capital eloirge. Thvy were sentenced to fo ur. `" tians:pnrtation. _ SHEFILSTRALING. ' ed' John 154tharrei and J anes • Lutlz-Zirrt were in& e * , for tt.l,m - iotssly stestiing, at .14%11111er, in this COIIII ty, on the 24th of April la"st, 24 sheepvib e 'P' periy Lott; coirditeicti the protecntior. nin :i It :immured in. eN.iiieuce, :h a t nit the Ivor cif the n 4 . ), meotioned in the 'indictment, the P I : 1 : secolor, a rt.pt,Cl4l)l„ . fainter, missed the sheeP lid ! question - trinn k consisting of 12 0 : next t!tiy thf. piisori . ets ►tern found pinitdett!ota biochera few titilesdistant, one P log himself a 5 a farmer, and the other oi drover. • r• The evidence of the prisoners' guilt being cl, ly made out, they were found Guilty, mid rece;%-, sentence of Death, and they *ere. taught t ° pectito uthey. A wealthy, tanner, named Eg g les, hav ,re iog *tuned to N contend with a javelin . man, w hu the doors of the Court, by ende a v o u r ing' Ir ot i lib way to a t ! eat, the latter eame fottv.r" complained nt the offecd.er, representing d' at , o ; bad pushed by his javelin., and attempted (0 , his way into Court. The or - tender 'being . call e d upo n t o ri nsw--,, ( 1" coritidaint, modestly arid respectf airy said, lie 0 % , always understood that the door's of a Court otJ a t s e , lice were open to every hOdy. He was a ware (II" is ( Cwolrt of .Instiee r;nglit not -to be'inconveni ellt crowded, but seciug that there w:ls room.. li e 1 :09 endeavoured to •gain admitt ance i n Ore ordir" o way, and was not aware Of havini.,-given any off en to'the th 6, Mr. Ju•stice FAIIK Sir, commit von 10 qt- OONTI'MPT OF CoT:JRT. tail of this county. It is fit that all persons s o f know that the order A nd. de6ortrn of a, Cli' lri ; e f Justice inusr be preserved. 'Use erowded ll ' rw il t the Court rendered it necessary that sl' a i lk il 6 direct the officers to admit no more Frsons; i 4 officer was doing no more Oran his duty• I true that a Court of Jiostice is open to every . and I do not wieli td abrid e the right of 0(111I t :o, sion, as Itai.e tin s - ectets' to 'lc.cp ; but the 'b' lidminist Tarim . ) of' Justice is not tO he'itoorar ti the gratification of tnere idle cn ii - 6 9 iiir.. - 4 co''' al you to the j 4,11 of this county:" The offender was iffu;etliattlf taker' cis cost tdy,' and placed in* tlie'Dock with th e s6herS for' teliti; -1n - a feiY'inintites attersA r ' l :ti: jailor •Ntlitt Eggies was wi!fing t nititsr If CO the Court . rend 'ti - pol'ogize. • ob i Jitstice l'Attx-=-'6l- cannot take .1— 5 4 ,0' mission in that way. Let him,put cv!: f “ to *s'a , Y:ti,on paper, in the form nra petit:l"n' t iot A petition teas afterwot (IA rites'et)red . by io .f Geot;ernin, and lie disci, f u g ed, ;,tierti admonished for his citletice:' 1115 ' leAi'd'a'ys ago a p . oni inan,'in Leeds, sm , ft srinl a 'fflierlioy hetiveen seven d eight Years age; to 'tiC!!.:tiney-snreeper, fr"Jr a guinea ! rt t Dlb-TRESSING hoy, about thirteen - years of ai4e; who was a tew 'since publiely svhippcil thiough Acto fOr 1 ; ) , 00. bing the gardens in 'that neiLhbourilooll;t 4 q l6 %, a t, Fri s thiy Vist discovered in a ld - l'orriliarn Green, in a state of the ut;i:Oit tlia hanstion. fle't'relS 'convcyol t" workhouse, when he surviceettlltt a few fitil u - r •- e 5 ~1 ills death asctili'd the';thiieasolAble '! 1 •1 preearions his led for . °Wing to the Unfeeling bebaviour . of a cruel st e r mother. r • 0 1 . (In "SkindAy• last, as Mr, antl . Mrs. Moore) ; To&kestkury, re Procce,tio t z , their s()" .11 Go _Mg. rr Abbey t age,' whO hart hcen for some time an : ( 4 of health, the horse (stung, it i, 'fitppose . "; o , Bic::) ran 'Oft With Mite ti and pre ij n i ia tert with such tiOlence as' to - oce:“ - bin Alt% death, tilider r h most eircoms"',, c n: ton Alon6y. Mou're hart kr leg br °°- and is biberwi ' se much •et;tiEirierit '1 , of her recovery ate, ho‘vever' etitertaine( l .• add, if possib!e, to this depT.Jra'hke catastr°Ptio, the accident happen:Nl within' a mile of Mr. h[ruse. • COAL MARKET, AtrGusT 11. 'Lips at 'Marko - . Snips str!th Price. n d,i'• 5. 15i ..... 0;1. to 6 j, . 6,1. to 41" • • , , Aix n f t+ l On roe kt instant, at -irt-Chapelle, after a 1 9 ' 0 0 Wiless, which he supported with the. gr,atest /of-Ovid ° r ie t" , ) , t pions ,Tamrs Foi p s q., o f illbsW 3 • , ,trcet; F. k S., in the 71(t year of his n rbt. tilitrlfly last, 111 r. Wallier, of 11,ster fi eld, in f — t e t beW shirr, at the adranred age of i(l7, uf the late I* ' l3-- Wii;lier,l:2 . sq., of New ~,,toite, • , LONDON: Printed I.y.l.l;.cAitsTr,kills , or 2'. (;.: 11 " sv, o t Queen,quare; an:l ptiliiishei . SCRIPPS, tof No.,' 7, Slmth Nl.ll- 4 , t ,_qt ree t, . ' , 11 ; t ,; ( 0 40 ' sr.. I I , Strand ; where Adveitisenient 3 i 1.4•1 , "."3„ (post-paid) must be zleressect. ~"!„ ~~ ti I',J f r i~~ ~~;~ ?.4 4 . 1 . : \~~ th e c t s u i t i ; 44 t h ', LNttrlel F t( k ;ti Jt P • t"'ck► ( ti fit ' Pi 4 e,: „ • t u i Pt: 11 4 , t,,, 1: h t . 11, ~~~ , .~ ~° ~: 4 ~