The Sun. — London, England, 1806-03-28 00:00:00

SECOND EDITION. SUN-OFFICE, THREE O'CLOCK, W 3 stop the Press to state the arrival of the Mursburgh Mail due on Wednesday. An Article in the Hamburgh Ct.yespondenten of the 22d, dated Rome, Feb. 22,' says, that 40,000 French Troops are expe6ted immedi: , tely to pass through that City; • the Russians and EnglA who embarked at Naples having r landed in Calabria and joined the ITereditary Prince. 'Not less than 70,000 Calabrians have taken up arms and entrenched . themselves in narrow passes, and among the moun tains. MANtiSni, MARCH 14.--General VIEL, the French Minister at Berne, has set off hastily for 1), ri s. - The report of a great change in the Government of Switzerland still continues ; Shaffhausen and the Country on that side of the Rhine is, it is said, to be given to Wirtemburgh, &c. Count COLLEREIDO, the Minister at Vienna, died there of a fever on the toth of March. NAVAL N E WS. PLYMOUTH, MARCH 26.—Arrived ,the Danish Brig Graf Bernstorf, Capt. Kwurisorr, frOm Barce /ona, bound to Copenhagen, laderimith brandy and wine,detained by the Hero Privateer of thts Port ; and tfie Danish Brig Ensclin, Capt. Samtu, from Barcelona, bound to • Hamburgh, detained by the . Lion Privateer of this Port, laden with brandy and Wine. Sailed His Majesty's Sloop Humber with a Con voy, of COasters for the Eastward ; and His Majesty's Schooner Pickle, Viper Cutter, and Itfoucherim Brig on a Cruize to the Westward. • PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 537.—Sailed this day the Gun-brigs Cheer-Iy, Lieut, Alotv:Rznoß, for Ply- Month ; the .Defender, Lieut. Noss, for Guernsey ; and the Dapper, Lieut. --, on a Cruize. Two or three more of the outward-bound West Tudiainen are come up to the Ivrotherbank. DovER, Matti' IT.—Passed by the Schooner .inn Eliza, Capt. liztott OzNey, for Amsterdam, out 34 days from Pkatidence, Rhode Island. Arrived the Danish Ship ifrundahl, Captain I'ZrELs SHANNAWO, from Barcelona, with brandy, to Altona, with the loss of her foretopmast and bowsprit, having been run foul of by another Ship ; United States, Capt. Boaltawratz, from Rotterdam.; and the Swedish Graltiot Le Pk ystadt Xorden, Capt. RicilLgrr, fromlourdeaux to Emb den, with wine, sent in by the, Diligence Sloop of War ; Hoy Charlotta Nilizelmiiirt, Captain L. F. Scgmaz,. of Stettin, from Liverpool to Ham. , birgh, with flour, coffee, tobacco, &c. put in by contrary, winds; the Brig Fortuna, Captain SIMON JAM, from Rotterdam, 'with Coals, -cheese, and white lead, from Bourdeaux, detained 'by the Blazer Gun-brig, Lieut. HINTON. , DEAL, MARCH 27.—Arrived the . Vestal and Firm from the Nore ; and &a-Gull from the back of the/ Goodwin Sands. KINGSTON ASSIZES. YESTERDAY the Witnesses on the part of the Prosecution against Mr. Pfitch appeared before the , Grand Jury, at the Castle. Inn. Sir JonN rREDE RICK, one of the Members for Surrey, presided in the Chair, and the Jury consisted chiefly of Surrey Magistrates. • The widow of the unfortunate Mr. Blight was exami=d first, for about an hour and. an half; after which - Kitchener, the servant maid, was called in. There was considerable difficulty in finding the servant girl, for she had been liberated on her own recognizance, and .had given an address where she. could not be found, and it was by mere accident that the trial was not put off until the next Assizes. irler examination was minute and long, and besides her and Mrs. Blight, 26 other witnesses; were called in. After having spent from twelve o'clock until seven in the evening, the Jury thought the evidence before them sufficient to find a Bill; without' the testimony of several other witnesses who were Wait ing to give their depositions, and a-true Bill was ac cordingly found. ' • The court adjourned for want of business at three o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Hummatzt, the So licitor, we understand, has been fixed on by Govern ment for the Prosecution ; he has' been indefatigable in his'exertions to procure such witnesses RS could throw a light on the subjea, and he elucidated their statements before the Jury. . • The'Witnesses were ordered. to attend at King ston to give evidence on the trial at eight o'clock on 'Monday morning. Messrs. GARROW and CONST are the. Counsel for the Crown-, and Serjeant BEST and Mr. GURNEY for.the Prisoner. Mr. Patch has not .yet been •removed from the Borough; he,appears quite composed, and takes his ule &c. as usual. \`~~'' ~ _Pißsr REPORT - 'OP VIE CO`474ISSIONERS Pon. REVISING.A lIIGEST: /NG THE CIVIL AFFAIRS Or HIS MAJESTY'S NAVY. TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT m'AJEITT.. , • The Itirst Report of the CommiSsioners Opointed to revise the System and Mode of accounting for the Receipt and Ex . peudtture of .Money and Stores; and likewise the I nstruc tions and Standing Order's. for the government of the Civil Dcpartinents of His Majesty's Naval Service; and 'to ar- T..mge and frame a ,regular Digeit of the same, having it carefully in view _ to adapt the mode of accounting for Monies and Stores, andlikewise the whole body of such ()Mos and Instructions, to the present extensive scale of the Naval Ser vice ; and to take meat.-ires for keeping up the said syst:in 'and digest in all times to come : And who were further re - quired to take into their particular consideration, all such suggestions :IS have been made by the .different Boards of Inquiry and Seled Committee on Finance, and have not yet been adopted ; and to ':examine which of the same ap-' • • pe4r to be praEticable and consistent with the good of the Service; and to consider and devise the best means of carry ing the same into ekeeutiott, in the most convenient and ex peditious manner, and to report on all the matter aforesaid, from time to time, as they shall see occasion. We have proceeded to the execution of the trust which your Majesty has been pleased to repose in us, in the order which seemed the most likely to enable us to accomplish the objeas for which we were appointed. With thiS view we have not only considered, with great attention, the many useful suggestions in the very able Reports of the different Boards of Inquiry, and Bele& Committee on Finance, but have deemed 'it necessary also, carefully to peruse all such official or other authentic docuMents as could give us in formation concerning the administration of the Civil Affairs of the Navy, from the earliest times. By observing what changes have at different times taken place in the system of. management ; what abuses Imre prevailed ; what means have been tried to prevent their continuance; and what success has attended the measures which .on former occasions have been adopted ; we thought it probable. that we , might receive information that would assist us in judging of the alterations which, might now be ne cessary, to adapt the.wholejo the present very ex tensive scale of .the Naval Service.; /and that by comparing what was aceomplished in. times of the greatest exertion, by the number of artificers and labourers then employed, with what is now done in the Royal Dock Yards, as well as,, by obtaining in.- formation from merchant builders of the work per 7 formed. by the numben,employed in private yards; additional means might be acquired of judging of the industry of those at present in Your , Maje,qy's service. From the whole, we ,hoped to be able to . form some estimate of 'what may, in future, be eX pefted, and of the establishment which- nay, under . proper regulations,_ be adequate to the mangement and_ support of , the Naval Force .which may be deemed necessary for the security Of this Country. . To the wimerous official documents,. and written or 'printed authorities, which we . have perused, we shall refer as the occasion may require,' and shall, therefore, now, only give, as briefly as we can,. such a general view.of the means, which, during different periods, have been taken for providing a nayal,force tbr the defence of this Country, and for the civil government of the Navy, as may render it unneces'- sary to be so full in those references, or in our Ob• servations upon them, as for the sake of clearness might otherwise be requisite. . The whole of our Naval History may be divided into three periods i the first, comprehending all that preceded thereign of Henry. the Eighth; the second, ending with the Restoration of Charles the Second; and, the last, coming down from the Restoration to the present day. .• During the first period, it appears, that our Kings had neither Arsenals nor Deck-yards ; their only. permanent Naval Force consisted of fifty-seven Ves7 sels, each carrying twenty-one mph' and a boy, well armed and fitted for war, which the Cinque Ports' were bound, by their Charters, to fUrnish on - tb - ty day's nonce from the Crown. When, in case of war, a greater force was required,_ Ships were hired' from Merchants at home, or from those in Dantzic, Hamburgh, Lubec, Genoa, and . other ports, or were fitted Out from vaiious motives by private ad venturers, who shared in the advantages acquired': trading vessels having, in those times, no, protec tion from Ships of War belonging to their respe&ive Governments, were necessarily armed for their own defenCe.._ The foundation of the, Navy of England was laid by Henry the Eighth. He constituted an Admiralty and a Navy Board, and during his. reign the Tri nity-house, and the Dock-yards at Deptford, Wool wich, and Portsmouth, were formed : the -regula tions which he made for the Civil Governinent of Naval Affairs were, in the reign of Edward the Sixth, revised, arranged, and turned into ordinances, which form,the -.basis of all the subsequent instruc . - tionsgiven . to the Officers to whoth the 'manage ment of the Civil Affairs of the Navy has been com tnitted. The Officers then appointed were, the Vice-Admi ral of England ; ,the Master of the Ordnance ; the Surveyor of this Marine Causes; the Treasurer, Comptroller, General Surveyor of the Vitaualling, Clerk cif the Ships, and Clerk of the Stores. Particular duties were allotted to each Member ; and they were ()tared to meet once a week t the Office on Tower Hill, to consult together for the good order of the Navy, and to report 'their proceed ings once a month to the Lord High Admiral. But the ships belonging to the CrOwn . , or provided by the'Civil Department of the Navy, still formed only a part of the Naval Force en - TIC:Ted in the time of War. In the * Fleet by which. the Spanish Armada was-defeated, there were 176 ships, with 14,992 men, of which only 34 ships, with 6,225 men, be longed to the Crown ; and. this mode of adding to the Naval Force, by hired ships, appearS to have been continued down to the end of the 17th century. No . considerable alteration in the , civil govern ment of the Navy took place from the reign. of Edward the Sixth, till the year 160 g ; when, in consequence of many abuses whiCh were com plained of, the principal Officers were suspended '; and Commissioners were appointed, with powers to manage, settle, and put the affairs of the Navy into a right course ; and to take such measures as they might deem necessary, to prevent the continuance of the many great frauds and abuses which-pre vailed. A similar Commission was issued in lo and a very full, able, and minute report, was made by the Commissioners then named, in which those frauds and • abuses are detailed and explained ; a very diStinet - account of the state of the Navy, at the time, is given, as well . as of its state during the four ~~- preceiltig reigns; MO triat:y icry wise rfigi}ettidn: are suggested: That •Cominiss]en was pcin the death of !aim:, the First, Init vt-is retiewitd by El's suecessjr,,and remained in force till t 698, when it was disolved, and the Atrairs of the Navy were re stored to the management of the Board of Princi pal fnicei's, which bad been established by Edward 'the Sixth. - During the disturbances in the Reign of. Charles the First; the managing Officers were direeted by the King to refuge obedience to the orders of Pailia ment ; and a number of .Ships having been carried away, by. Prince Rupert, the Naval Force was, by these means, reduced to so low a state, that at the beginning of Cromwell's usurped Government he • had only 14 Ships of War of two decks, and some of these carried only forty guns ; but under the careful management of very able men, in different CoMmissions which he appointed, such 'vigorous measures were pursued, . that in five years, though engaged within that time in Wad' With the greatest Naval Power in Europe, the Fleet sVhs increased to 150 Sail, of which more than a third part had two decks. The Navy was indeed raisedby him to a. height which it had never before reached; from. which,hoss ever, it again declined, during the short and feeble Administration of his son, at the latter part of the second period. On the Restoration of Charles the Second, the Duke of York was immediately appointed - Lord High Admiral; and, by his advice, a Committee was named to consider a Plan, proposed by himself, for the future reguletion of the Affairs attic Navy, at which the Duke himself presided. heall Naval Affairs he appears to have aced with the advice and assistance of Mt. Samuel Pepys, who first held the office of Cletk of A&s, : and was afterwards . Secretary of the Admiralty ; a man of extraordinary knowledge in all that related : to the business:of that Department, of great talents, and of the most . indefatigable industry. All the proceedings -of the Duke of York, in the manaee ment of the Navy, either when he was. Lord High Admiral, or after he came to the Throne, are mi nutely detailed, in a. great number' of manuscript voluMes, in the Pepyslan Library, at Cambridge, of which 18 volumes have, at our desire, been sent for our perusal: • The powers Which had been before granted to the CommiskiOners of the Admiralty and the Navy Board were recalled,' and the entire management, was put into the hands .of the Duke, as Lord High Admiral ; by whom three new Commissioners were appointed ..to act- with the Treasurer of the. Navy; the Comptroller,. the Surveyor,, and the. Clerk of the, Aas, as principal 'Officers qud Commissioners of 'the Navy. . In 1661, those instru&ions and standing orders for the gnidance of the principal Officers and Com missioners of the Navy, and the superior Officers in the Dock-yards, which are still foice, were 'sent to the Navy ; Beard by the Duke of York. These had. been formed under his direction by Mr. Pepys, • and had been found, ever since, of great use and value in the management of the Naval De partments. • , It appears, that after the Duke's appointment, great progress was very speedily made in the re paration and increase of the Fleet -,- but ion his return from his Command at the end of the Ditch War, which commenced in f 664, he found that, thodgh he tad authoriied the Navy Board to.make all the addition to their Establishiriene which the exigencies of the War might require, yet the same careful. Ma nagement had not - been continued during his ab sence. The example of zeal arid industry get by Mr. PepyS, in his office of Clerk of the Ads, 'had not 'been sufficient, without the presence and authority 'of the Duke, to prevent neglea in ,the .other De partments, and. the Fleet and Dock-yards bad suf fered greatly in consequence of it. After a minute inquiry into the circumstances, a state of the case was, by order of the Duke, drawn up by Mr. Pepys,, and sent to the Navy 'Board, in *hid' the duties of the Board, and these of each MeMber of it, taken from the "instruaions before mentioned, are stated in different heads, and . under each head the errors and miscondua that he disco .vered in the execution ; requiring-a written answer, in a short limited time, from each of them. The answers were given, and, io reply, a second paper was sent to each, pointing out . what part of the charge remained unaccounted for ; but finding, at the same, time, that part of- the blame, was justly to be imputed to the irregularity andeemissness of Go- • vernment, particularly in the supply .of money for Naval purposes, in consequence of the "'deplorable. condition of the King's treasure," he continued those Officers hi their .employments,.warning them, that on any new neglect they would 1:a removed. The Duke of York remained Lord High Admi ral till 1673, when, in consequence of the test re quired by Parliameot, tp which he would. not sub mit, he resigned ; and that Office was, in part, put in commission, and the rest retined by the King. Prince. Rupert was put at the head of the Commis sion, and Mr: Pepys was, at the same time, raised . to the Office of Secretary of the King in all Naval Affairs, and of the Admiralty,; by which means his influence was increased, the current business, by the: King's direCtion, cane to be left almost entirely to him, and, on extraordinary Occasions, when the Commissioners 'met, the Duke of York assisted the careful management which he had - established was, consequently, not departed from or relaxed, ill 1679 ; at which time there were in sea-pay, 'and in excellent condition, 76 sail of the line, all furnished with stores for six months, eight fire-ships, besides merchantmen, and a numerous train of ketches, smacks, yachts, &c. with more than 12,000 seamen; there were also 30 new ships building, and a good supply of Stores in the Dock-yards. • But a complete change then suddenly took place; the loose dissipation of the King having still 'added to his great pecuniary difficulties, he was induced to give up the plan which he had formerly purSued with so muckzeal, of supporting and increasing the Navy, on account of the expellee attending it.— The Duke was sent abroad,'and Pepys to the Tower. A new set of amen were made Commissioners of the Navy, who, though of fair moral character, were without the experience, ability,' or industry, which that important situation requires. . . All the wise regulations formed during the ad ministration of the Duke of York: were negleeted; and such supineness and waste appears to have pre vailed, that at the end - of not mufe tharr.five years, • • , when he' was :e e. to the office of Lord High , Admiral, only is. Shi, none larger than d feurtki,,, rate, with two Fire-shipS, ,were at sea ; tlif?se in; liarboUr were quite unlit for service; even the ;If.) new Ships whica be had left building had been feted to fall into . a state of great decay; arid bardit: 7 , any stores were found to remain in the Dock-yards,' • The Orst a& of the bake of Yon his return wti , the re-appointment of iVtr. Pepys as Secretary of to Admiralty; and his whole condUd on that oettsio•l In. the management of the affairs of the Navy t4/1,4 the most conspicuous marks of professional knOT ledge, ninderation, and economy, mixed with firm • ness and wisdoiu. He proceeded with great ea-- nestnes to the examination of the superintending. • ,Officers, but gave them a year of trial to corr.re the abuses which their former neglect had as lowed. At the end of that year, observing, txa reform made,- and them unequal to the task, the greateet pains were taken to find out the al,le*t.. and most intelligent men, to whose care the re establishment of the Navy, the remedy of abuses, and the restoration of order and clischplinz vver.2tq be committed. In the Manuscript Collections of 'Mt. Pepys, there is a Paper, prepared by the Duke's coin mand, containing a list of all the great Sin *- builders in England, with their chataaers t in respt of fitness for the objetts which he had, in view. Among these, Sir Anthony Dean is stated to be a man - of by far the greatest abilities; one, :10-- deed, without whose assistance the proposed Rea form could not be made : but on being to, he declined the - employment, his professional emoluments being greater than those otcered to 4itn. By the , advice of Mr. Pepys, a fall coin= - pensation was given to hint for the loss of those emoluments; and he was, with three others, joined with the former principal Officers in a ,n3 , ..\• Commission. • These new Commissioners were men, in the words , of Mr. .Pepys, possessing " a practised knewledge, in every part of the works and methods of the Navy, both at th Board and in the, Yards ; a general mas tery in the businesS of accounts, vigour of mind, and approved industry and integrity :" and:to each of them was committed a distind brine!' of the pro posed Reform, for Which his talents were the most suited. These old Commissioners, whose conduct had been most. complained of, were not permitted to, interfere in the measures of Reform, cvtiich the rest were instru6ted to pursue. They were not : how ever, displaced, no wilful transgression being: laid to their charge, but were direaecientirely to confine their attention,, to :he business of a Committee of Accounts. ' An estimate, formed by Mr. Pepys, for the com-' plete repair of the Fleet and Dock-yards, and the supply of Stores, was laid before the new Commis ! • sionerS, in which the whole Expense was limited to 400,0001. a-year, to be supplied in weekly payments for three - years, in ivhichrtime the whole was to be completed; and this was considerably less than what had annually been expended by the fortner Commissioners, during the few years of remissuesj and .waste. ' The Commissioners, after„ full consideration of the plan; undertook what was proposed to then ;; and it appears Soil the very full fl‘caunt cf the whole proceedings, .left by Mr. Pepys, that they performeh what they had under taken, in leas tizn than wit allowed for it, at less expence. In two years• and a half after the Commissi oners were appointed,. the King visited the Dock- Yards; and, finding every thing accomplished to his satisfaetion, and the whole business .arranged, he dissolved the Commission, with marks of higtrap.• probation, and then restored the Management to the regular Boards. The Commission was open 4 at Lady-day ; t es 6, and was - closed on the t,:th of oelober, itisg ; and, by a List left by Mr. Pepys, there were, on the 18 th . of December, 168 d Of Ships of the Line at sea, or going forth Ditto - repaired Under repair ' - To tv reiuired " iiewly come in from sea IQB with a considerable number of Vessels of snaaller size. Those measures which hal been so judiciously planned, and so ably and expeditiously executed, gave, as might be expeEted, the most general satis faEtion. (To be continued.) CORN-EXCHANGE, MARCH 28: —This day the fresh Wheat arrivals are but few, and the demand for fine samples keeps up their price, other qualities bave few buyers • Barley at little alteration; _Malt is very heavy of sat e; ' Beans are rather lower; there are further arrivals of Foreign Oats, not of the best quality, and they are cheaper; in Flour and other articles but little variation. SMITHFIELD MARKET, M4TRCU 28. This day's market was but thinly supplied with different kinds of Cattle ; Beef, Mutton, and Pork are something reduced in price since Monday's mar ket ; Veal sold at last price, and the trade was ra ther flat. ; The sales in the Hayniarket were some what dull ; Hay and Clover fetched better prices than our last report ; Straw continues the same as per last.—We subjoin au accurate statement of tha prices and numbers : To. sink the Offal per stone of 81b. Beef 4s : zod. to ss 6d.—Mutton ss. od. to ss. tod.—Veal 6s. 61. to Bs. od.—Pork Ss. 6d. to 6s. od. Beasts 4:3. —Sheep 274o.—Calves 1 t3.—Pigs 350. SINIITHVELD HAYMARKET. Hay 31. os. to 41. sss.—Clover 41. 4s. to 51. sos.—Straw, 11. s6s. to 31. 3s. • It has been a custom, certainly not the most ad vantageous to adventurers, to construe some'of our late Lottery Schemes with a 10,0001. Prize to the first drawn Number on the first day.—To divide this sum into ten Prizes, on the first and third, pt 1001. each to first drawn Tickets, by which a con siderable number of holders of Shores of Ticke may be benefited, is no less a novel than a most in teresting circumstance—so interesting, in fad, tha it alone carries such weight with it, as must render the present Scheme one of the most popular a n d attrattiye experienced for many years. •