The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-05-28 00:00:00

sestraa." He afterwards • said, n that he thottglit
be had been sir or seven months, or from May to
December, in completing a contradt, in which case
the certificate price sent to Mr. Davison, was the
price of December in that year, at which time the
price must have been much higher than in the pre.
ceding months; for, that the price is always higher
in the winter than in the summer months."
We learned further from Mr. Hargraves, that
when he was at Mr. Davison's house, in Harpur-
street, Which was in the first year of his dealing
with Mr. Davison. he was informed by Mr. Daniel
Wilkinson, Mr. Davison's Clerk, that the objedt
of requiring him to send Certificates of the prices
which the inhabitants were paying for their coals,
was •' to convince Government of the advantage
of Mr. Davison's doing their business, for that Mr.
Davison was allowed a per tentage only, (he
thought Mr. Wilkinson named two and one•half per
cent. for his trouble.)" Mr. Hargraves said, " that
it was not until the publication of our Third Report,
that he learnt Mr. Davison was paid the certified
prices of Coals, for that he thought Mr. Davison
charged the Government the prices he paid to him
(Mr. Hargraves.)" Mr. Hargraves' evidence, in
this part of it, is confirmed by two letters addressed
to him, and signed by Mr. Davison himself. In a
part of the first, dated Harpur-street, June IS,
1791, Mr. Davison says, " and, in order to prove
to the Barrack Master Geneial neccssaty) the
advantages arising by the present mode of supply-
ing the D. rracks with Coals, in compatisou with
the press paid try the ordinary inhabitants, at the
• tespeiive situations, I will trouble you to get the
a trued certificate properly filled up, and signed by
two mpetiable persons at each place, &c" In the
other, dated Harpur-straet, D,.e. mber 21, 17?9, he
says, 66 the annexed certificate being wanted for my
own satiefaceirm, and to prove to the Barrack Mas-
ter General the propriety and economy of the pre•
sent made of supplying the Barracks with Coals,
tau will oblige me by getting the same properly
kited op, agreeable thereto. and signed by remelt-
and another respeitable inhabitant to that for Brigh-
ton, and tad tespeciable inhabitants to that for
SOerehans. and return the same as soon as possible."
Mr. Hargraves said further, o that, had he known
that Mr. Davison was paid the certified prices, he
weuld have sent certificates of the prices, on the
• days of allual d. livery, and he would have deli.
vexed the coals at the tin:es when the prices were
the lowest."
'lbis part of Mr. Hargraves' evidence suggests
what ought now to be diem iii the instarces of the
delivery of the 60 chaldrons, and of similar sleli-
veries, either at Brigthelrrotene or at ether places
in which the coals were delivered at various times ;
but the receipt and certificate of prices. fur era: day,
viz. to ascertain the days of antral delivery, and the
prices no those days. When this is done, the ac-
count between the Barrack Office and Mr. Davison
should be made out in contormity to the information
acquired; and if it appears that he has received
more than by such account he would be entitled to,
the balance should be considered as a debt due
from him to the Public; for the agreement between
him and the late Barrack Master General was, " to
be paid at such rate as was the market price with
the coal dealers at tl:e time of delivery," which
most mean the time of actual delivery, not the
time at which the Barrack Master's receipts may !
have been obtained.
What we have just said weuld be equally appli-
cable,. whether the aftual deliveries were left to '
Mr. Hargraves' riiscretion, " as he says they were
subjetl to the cone aft," or o ere regulated by the
orders of Mr. Davisr.n. Bat rf tt Aboad oppear
that Itle. Daziton b.:d roomed to °Pain en advantage
egamst th.. Pahlic is Inas ',spec/. rOluiltei
Le roteudered in snatiser point of view. Bat we do not
penewe le give an opinion oa thtt tea.: ; and we shall
:lardy state the Outlier information obtained iela•
tree to the supply of coals at Brighthelrnstona Bar-
tacks.
Among Cie raw letter a:Wrested to Mr. Har-
graves on the auoject of this supply, which lie per-
mitted its ti, see, is one dated Stli April I e,W. signed,
(tor Ales.uid.o 'arisen, Esquire, Daciel Wiiionsen),
iii an ttttaß of which, speaking iii tiie pens, n of
Mr Davis, n. he says, " I have very much to la-
ment havi-lt to tretilde yon and Colonel Moore, Ly
retionity, iaelesed hie reoe'pt for the s lid coals ; its
being dated on ti:e 4th iietant, for coal:. supplied its
the course of the last mouths, is too :nefficial
for the voucher of a account fists obliges
me to request his receipts for the different deliv«.
tie:.; or rather, that the qualit:ty delivered to 24.%
December, should be ackieiwledged in three sepia.
rare receipts, ant! :he reteittity supplied since to the
nth instant, in three others, the Tires of which should,
AS near as peSiNt., vote-peed with those at wig:eh
Colonel Moo:o's return state the coals to be le-
ived."
Our first ole 'teeth en on this letter is, that although
the aeparent objea in it, of procuring receipts front
the Barrack Master, which ghould ontespood with
his returns to the Barrack Office, was perfeClly cor.
era I yet, bad the six requited receipts been .b.
with their cerresponOing certificates, the
eirsumsotace of come of them bearing date in the
winter moons mieht have given Mr. Dari,,on an
advantage in the prices charged by him to the
Office. 1311 t we cannot OA, on examination of
the voila:ices, any other receipts, than one on the
• liOth September. Into, and acotaer on the 4:11
April. 1000, to both of which the annexed certified
price of coals is sixty shillings per el:aid/dn.
We may also observe, from what appears in this
letter, that although the contrast for coals must
have been made ia the summer months, yet, by
giving the ContraStor one months to make his
deliveries, the prices to Vie puhl.c being according
to the deiieerits, the supplies were not to be made
as they ought to have been, a cording to Lieutenant
General De Lancey's lett. r to Mr. Davison, 44 at
the most othantagenur sessoro."
Lt another letter, of 16th April, WO, Mr. Wil-
kinson, again al-waking in the person of Mr. Davi-
son, says, " lam favoured with yours of the 14th
instem, and observe your proposition of delivering
100 chaldeons of coalsat Brighton Barracks for h3s
per chaleron, but that you will not engage to de.
liver them so soon as a fortnight ; and that the
present mice of eoala in Brighton is 60s. per chat-
dron. --1 am willing to extend the time tr a month
or six weeks from this date, provided you agree
that .he price shall be Ts per chakkoa less alma