The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-02-23 00:00:00

FIV 1111

I 71117111 IMPORT •T TIM 00141110101.12118
or IIAVAL ZIOVIOY.

TIMBER.
Oa this subjeel we examined Mr. Thomas Ne-
therton, first clerk to the clerk of the checque ; Mr.
John. Knapman, second clerk to the storekeeper ;
Thomas Stephens, a labourer, who had been em-
ployed thirty-six years in the receipt of timber ; Mr.
Thomas Jenner, master mast-maker ; Nir. Thomas
Stiover, the present timkr master; and Joseph
Tucker, Es•p. master shipwright.
From the evidence of the three former, it is very
apparent that the various regulations established by
the Navy Board, upon the receipt of this article,
were, during the late war, in great part negleanl.

The standing orders of the Navy Board direntd,
that the master shipwt tett (his assistarts), clerk of
the checque, storekeeper, and clerk of the survey,
or any two of them, should attend irt the receipt of all
r. ober ; that the officers should take cipecial care
the measurers measured every piece, each mea-
s.,l er separately ; and that they agreed as to the
otmentions and contents before the timber was re-
ceived. 'I he measitr.rs crnisted of a ct:rk from
the checque's, storekeeper s, and survey's offices ;
and a person selected fro.,i the class shipwrights,
who was styled master ,hipwright's measurer. The
officers were to see that each log was marked with
a progressive number, the initials of the contrac-
tor's name, and of the officer, present at the re-
ceipt, and tie date of the year ; great care was di-
retied to be taken that the • imber, on receipt, was
compared with the purveyor's reports, and that
none was received unless the purveyor's reports
were produced ; and the officers were to keep a very
particular account of every piece ; inserting against
each the number stamped thereon by the purveyor,
so that recourse might be easily had to any piece.

When an offer of timber is made to the Navy
Boa-J, it is the praCtice to send a purveyor, who is
always a shipwright, to view the timber, and if
judged by him 6t fot the service, he stamps his
initials and a number on each log, and having as-
certained the rough Conte,: s, he makes a particular
report thereof to the Navy Booid, a copy of which
is forwarded to the yard. The timber from the
Forest of Dean is delivered at tl.is yard, and in that
forest there is a resident purveyor, who nukes a report
of the timber felled there annually, similar to the re-
ports made by the purveyors of timber supplied on
contract. In the former instance, although the con-
traftor is paid only tor what he aCtualiv delivers jt the
yard, the comparisor of the timber with tho court in-
cures the delivery of the identical timber which has
been viewed and approved by the puryk r ; but, in
the latter case, it was the only check upon the due
dAivery of the quantity of timber felled in 111 S Ma-
jesty's forests, which is conveyed by contra& from
thence to the yard.
Notwithstanding the great importance of this
comparison, especially upon the deli very of timber
horn the king's Forests, it appears by the evidence
of Thomas Stephens, that it was negleaed upon
the receipt of sided titnher foam 1792 to lent, and
fo: about ten years upon the receipt of rough tim-
ber; and this is in great part admirtet by Mr.
Knaproitn, the second clerk to the storekeeper, who
was employed during the late war in the receipt of
timber.
Although the direaions of the Navy Board were
so positive as in the attendance of at least two of-
ficers, it appears tisl, ties part of their duty, during
the late war* was 1t".1,1Y net:idled ai.d it is stated
by Mr. Knapniai, that timber was mote frequently
teceived without that' with the attendance of any of
the clerk officer..
The attendance of the clerks or measurers, like-
wise, has been by no means regnlar. Timber has
been received by the builder's measurer and one clerk
only, and sometimes without the attendance of any
clerk. The assistant to the master shipwright, whose
fluty it was to survey and qualify the timber, or
determine en the purposes fur which it was appli-
cable, was the only officer who regularly attended
the receipt. Lven when the derail did attend, it
appears that the mare material part of the measure.
=slt, which the officers were swiftly diretted to see
executed by the measurers, was invariably performed
by Thonias Seephen., the labourer v.this attended
them, and the shipwrights who were employed to
search the timber for deltas, called timber tasters.
By tnis general negleft, the receipt of timber, an ar-
ticle of the first importat.ce, was in a great mea-
sure entrmed to persons in very subordinate situ-
ations.
The clerks who negleaed to attend, made their
entries from the account of the builder's measurer.
It is stated by ,%Ir. Netherton, that the clerk of the
checque's boOk of the receipt of timber was not re-
gularly kept up during the late war ; and that re-
course was therefore obliged to be had to the books
of other offices to make out the certificates to the
contractors ; and, it appears by the report of a com-
mittee of the avy Board, which is enteted in the
appendix to our sixth report, that in the umber re-
ceipt books produced to them from the storekeeper's
and clerk of the survey's Offices, entries, which
should hate been made at the periods of receipt
some years before, had evidently been written only
a few hours previous to their examination.
The important precaution, direaed by the Navy
Board, of marking each log upon its receipt with a
progressive number, and the initials of the officers
attending (whereby, in case of ally suspicion of
fraud or collusion, the timber might easily have
been re-examined), was likewise for some years ne-
gleaed but; prior to the discontinuance of that prac-
tice, it was little more than matter of form, as the
initials of the officer, whose turn it was to attend
the receipt, were stamped in whether he attended
or not ; and the labourer, whose duty it was to mark
the lop, assigned as a reason for so doing, that if
• he had not put the initials of the officer whose week
it was, whether present or not, the initials of no
clerk officer would appear on the logs."
In •the receipt of masts and fir timber, it was

stated to es. that the officers wet e more regular in Nork
• their attendance than oa the receipt of oak timber ;
bat even these articles have been received without jor,,w'
any officer being resent. The master shipwriglit, Kane
o• one of his. t•ssistunt.. attended the survey, mid were
1.. gnager inart-snaksr hkevrise attended the survey Th^rnit
and receipt of MUM When the master shipwright
Wbieit 4.
a rsl
whi the other officers have been called away apon
ether deb the measurers have proceeded with the ytr
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