The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1778-07-29 00:00:00, page 1

STATE OF NE W-J ERS EY.
An A C T for collecting, adjufling and fettling the
publick Accounts.
fN order that the publick accounts may be fully
and speedily collected, adjusted and fettled ;
I. Be it Enacted by the Council and Gene
^ ral Afembly of this State, and it is hereby en
§ cTed by the authority of the fame, That the
^ honourable Silas Condiff, and William Churchill
Couflon, and fames Mott, jun. Esquires, be, and they
,creby arc appointed and constituted a Committee to
culled, adjust and fettle the publick accounts ofthe
lute, and to report the fame from time to time to the
legislature for their final approbation and allowance.
2. And be it enacted by the authority afore/aid.
That the said Committee be, and they hereby are di
rected and empowered to open an office for the pur
pose of receiving and regularly keeping the said ac
counts, in some central and convenient part of the
State, and to give publick notice thereof in the Ne<w
ferfey Gazette, or otherwise, requiring all persons
rr ho have been entrusted with publick monies, or who
uve demands upon the State, or arc otherwise in
terested in any publick accounts unsettled, to attend
at the said office for the purpose of adjusting and fet
tling the fame.
3. And BE IT ENACTED by the authority aforefaid,
That the said Committee, or any two of them, be,
and they hereby are authorized and directed to pur
chase and prepare suitable and fufficrent books, in
, which to enter all accounts which have been, are, or
may become due and payable to or from this State,
from the commencement of the present war ; therein
carefully diftinguiihing and separating such as are the
proper accounts of this State for supporting the go
vernment and administration thereof, and such as
are owing to or from the United States, or any or
either of the States by or to this State.
4. AND the better to enable the said Committee
to obtain a full and certain knowledge of all accounts
which are of a publick nature, from the different parts
of the State, and to make a just settlement thereof;
It is hereby further declared and enacted, That it shall
and may be lawful to and for the said Committee, or
any two of them, as often as occasion may require,
to call before them by fubpocna or otherwise, any
person or persons whom they may have reason to be
lieve capable o f giving evidence or information re
fpeding the said publick accounts, or any of them,
and such person or persons to examine on oath or af
firmation touching the fame, which oath or affirma
tion they, or any owe of them, are hereby empow
ered to administer for this effect: And all persons
fubpoinaed to afeertain or give information reced
ing such accounts, are hereby commanded to pay due
obedience thereto, and in every case of neglect or re
fufil shall be fubjed to the fame pains and penalties
as in other like cases are accustomed, and shall also
be entitled to the like rewards for their attendance.
5. And IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ENACTED, That
the said Committee shall, at each fitting of the legis
lature, make report thereto of the state of the pub
lick accounts, in order to receive their directions and
instructions respecting the fame.
6. AND further to enable the said Committee to
expedite the business of their appointment; he it
further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the
Did Committee, or any two of them, shall have full
power and authority from time to time, as circum
stances may require, to employ some fuiiablc per
son as a clerk or accountant, for the purpose of draw
ing out and Rating such accounts as may be by them
approved and passed, and to allow him such com
pensation for his service as shall by them be deemed
reasonable and just.
7. And be it further enacted, That any two
of the laid Committee shall at all times be a fufficient
quorum to proceed on any business appertaining to
their appointment, and that this be the lending
quorum.
8. And be it further enacted by the authority
ajorefaid, That each of the members of the said Com
mittee shall be entitled to receive Twenty Shillings by
the day, for the time they shall be respectively em
ployed in rhe difeharge of the duties hereby assigned
them ; and that all necessary expences of Stationary,
office-rent, charges of citing witnesses, and others
of the like nature, be also allowed them on producing
,eir accounts with proper vouchers; and that they
be empowered to draw on the treafaper for any sum
not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds for the
purposes aforelaid, and that their receipt shall be a
lufficient voucher to the treafurcr in fettling his ac
counts with this State.
Faffed at Princet on, June 22, 1778.
JOHN HART, Sfa taker of the General Assembly,
KEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
fVo:, !.]
WEDNESDAY, July 29, 1778.
L O N D O„N, April ix.
An authentic account of the Duke of Richmond's series
of motions in the House of Lords, on luefday the Bth inst.
HOUSE of LORDS, April Bth, 1778.
MOVED, That an humble address be presented
to his Majesty, to inform his Majesty, that in
the serious situation in.which we found public affairs
at the opering of this session of Parliament, this House
thought it an indispensable duty to take into conside
ration the state of the nation.
That we have examined in a committee of the
whole House, a great number of leturns, accounts and
papers, refpedting the forces both by land and sea,
which have been employed in North-America during
the three y< ars respectively, that the present civil war
has continued.
That we have also enquired into the number of lives
which have been loft in this unhappy contest.
That we have considered the advantages which have
been gained, and the disadvantages which have been
fuffered by his Majesty's armies, and thofc of his al
lies ; the progress which has been made, and what yet
remains to be done, towards reducing by force of
arms the thirteen revolted provinces in North-
America.
That we have further considered the present Rate
of his Majesty's force. ,in that part of the world ; how
far they are deficient from what they were in the
course of the lad campaign ; and how it may be pos
sible to render them adequate to the reduction ot the
Colonies by force of arms.
That we have informed ourselves of the number of
old corps, and of their Strength, which are left 111
Great-Britain, Ireland, Gibraltar, Minorca, and the
Weft-Indies, for the security ot these several parts of
the empire.
That we have also weighed the resources which may
be expected from the new levies his Majesty has
thought proper to direCt ; how far it may be fate to
spare any more of the old corps, or how tar the new
levies, as yet only railing, can be a recruit for the
army in North-America.
That we have given much attention to the state of
the navy, at all times the great bulwark of defence for
these kingdoms, but particulary so while so great a
part of our land forces, and those of our allies, are
on the other fide of the Atlantic.
That we have examined refpcC+able merchants up
on oath, as to the lolles fuftainea by the people of
Great-Britain from captures made by the Americans,
and touching the effeCt which the present war has up
on the commerce of this kingdom.
That we have considered the expences already in
curred, and those which ncceffarily muR attena the
further prosecution of this war.
To assure his Majesty, that in the investigation of
these various, great, a. d extensive objects, we have
spared no pains to obtain just and true information ;
that our enquiries haye been conducted with that
temper and fairnefs, uhich is molt likely to obtain
truth, to produce wife cuunfel, and to give weight
to our opinions.
That as it is our peculiar province to watch over the
conduct of his Ma efty's Ministers, and to lay before
his Majesty such salutary opinions as the exigency of
affairs may require, we are neceffiated to osier his
Majesty the following dutiful representation resulting
from fads, as they have appeared to us in this great
enquiry.
That according to the returnslaid before this House,
the effective numbers of his Majesty's land forces in
North-America, in £774, consisted of 6,884 men ; in
1775, of 11,219 men; in 1776, of 43,865 men; in
1777, of 48,616 men.
That these forces had the assistance of a very great
and well appointed train of artillery.
That in the course of the said years, there were
employed no less than eighty-three men of war and
armed vehels, whose complement or men amounted
to 22,337.
That 10 grants were spared by Parliament to en
able his Majesty's Ministers to render these arma
ments as coinpleat and effectual as poflible ; and cer
tainly this country never sent out a greater or more
respectable force.
But great and refpeCtable as it was, yet after three
years trial and various successes, (among which have
been victories obtained by his Majesty's troops over
the chief American army) the acquisition we have
made consist only in two open towns, difficult to be
maintained, and a few islands on the coast, while all
the continental parts of Rhode-Ifland, New-York,
Pennsylvania, and the whole provinces of New-Hamp
shire, Massachusetts - Bay, Connecticut, the three
Counties on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-
THE
Carolina, South-Carolina and Georgia Rill remain to
be subdued.
That there have been sent from Great-Britain up
wards of sixty thousand land forces, and twenty-two
thousand seamen.
That the loss of men by death, desertion, or other
wise, in North-America, according to the last re
turns laid before this House, had in the land forces
amounted to 19,381, besides 5,336 prisoners, and
that there were at that time 4,639 sick.
That the loss in the navy appeared to have been
4,314 men ; so that there had been already loft to this
country, at the time when those returns were sent to
England, no lets than 29,031 men, exclusive ofthe sick.
That it appeared that the remains of the army di
vided in Philadelphia, New-Yerk, Rhcde-Ifland, and
Canada, consisted altogether of no mere than 36,731
men, fit for duty, officers included.
That to recruit this army to what it was last year,
will require a reinforcement of at least 11,885 regu
lar old troops.
That the numbers in old corps in Great-R itdn,
Ireland, Gibraltar and Minorca, together with the
new levies which are raising. appear to us, or a rull
examinat.on of all the various Services, to be fu<h as
not to render it in any degree prudent or lafr to re
move any part of the said troops +0 America, at a
time when so great a part of our land ana sea force
is already in tl at remote part of the world, 4 too
great a distance to assist this country in case of a
futiden emergency.
That it appeared that the navy in North-America
would also want a very great reinforcement cf Ships
and men.
That from this view of things we are led to con
clude, that if the whole force in North-America
(which for these last two y<ars has been ft greatly
superior to what there seems to be ary reflbilt, of
making it in the course of this year) Lai made fo'lit
tle impreflion towards the reduCtic n of the produces
by arms, at a time when they were very deficient in
military preparations of all ferts, had neither money,
ai 1115, iniiinuiii txotr, mcifc^unG £.,Clcathjiig 7 <';iciplii;e,
or govern merit; when the affiftar.ee they might re
ceive from foreign nations was far It fs than it has been
since, and is likely to be in future by the avowed part
which France has taken, it is not reasonable to fi;p
pofe that they may now be reduced bj a ft rce, which
we cannot make even equal to that which has failed
under circumstances in ever) refpc& more favourable.
That with regard to our naval Rrcngtb in Europe,
it apt ears, that far from being in that Iclpt stable con
dition, which it has often been (Really represented
by tle firft Lord of the Admiralty in the course of
this session, that essential part of our Strength is no
ways answerable to the vast sums expended on it, or
to the various and extensive services Which it may be
called very shortly to fulfil.
That the value of the captures made by the Ame
ricans on the merchants of Great-Britain, amount
to upwards of 2,60c,cc0 pounds.
That the African trade is almost annihilated, hav
ing fuffered a diminution of 110 less than i,4c0,0c0
pounds per annum.
That the Weft-India islands are much dif.reffed,
and that the great increased price of many cftntial
articles of trade, and particularly of naval fores ar d
insurance, arc such a burthen to the cor, merce of this
kingdom as must greatly afed its prosperity.
That the expences on account of this war, over
and above the ordinary high ex; ence of the peace c
ftablifhment, as it has been vi ted of late years, wm/d
with the extraordinary charges not yet province 'cr,
amount to near twenty-four millions it peace was in
stantly concluded; but if the American war i i con
tinued only for one campaign more, tie addithmal
expence will probably amount to tin* millions, m: king
in all thirty-three millions expended in + hi conte R.
Such an increase of debt, the iirt ereft of which is < oual
to the nett produce of the land-tax, at three Shillings
in the pound, added to our former burthen:, will,
we fear, with our diminished trade, be difficult for
this country to support with national faith.
. That we have made some enquiry into the manner
in which certain parts of tuis expenditure have been
conducted ; and^we are sorry to find, that the mode
of contrasting and engaging for the transports and
supplies of the army has been unusual and prodigal,
and such as affords ground for suspicion of corrupt
management.
That the state of public credit is truly alarming.
The small decrease of the national debt, amounting
scarcely to ten millions in the course of fifteen years
peace, bears no proportion to the vast increase in
times of war. It requires no calculation to prove,
that a debt continually augmenting, must end in a
[Numb. 34.]