The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-09-26 00:00:00

cannot

4
- on the expedienty nf these jouttiles,
Master wbo is re-

. decide
. which the Barrack . General, -
sponsible for the good conduft of the business
within hit department, roust be the fittest judge ;
but as there is a resident Principal Assistant Barrack
Master General in Scotland, it should seem unne-
cessary that an officer of the same description should
travel from London, to inspeft barracks immediately
under the controul of the former.
The salary of the Principal Assistant Barrack
Master General for the General InspeCtion of Bar-
racks, is fifteen shillings per diens regular pay, and
twenty shillings per diem extra, making per annum,
63t1'. Us.
WRINCIP•L ASSISTANT IsItRACt MASTER GENERAL,
FOR SUPFLICi AND RETURNS.
The duty of this officer relate; wholly to the dis-
tribution and returns of barrack stores and supplies.
To assist him in these duties, he has under him
an Inspettor of Store Returns, and clerks, who re-
ceive and examine the returns of every description.
The iaspeeion of the books of this branch of the
Offiee, and the examination of its °Ricers, afforded
to the Board very satisfadorr information as to the
mode of checking the expenditure of the stores en-
trusted to the different Barrack Masters, for the use
of the troops, so far, at least, as to ascertain that no
expenditure takes place beyond the Barrack regu-
lations, and tct make the Barrack Masters account-
able for whatever has not been issued : but some fut.
Cher check seems to us requisite. As the mode of pro-.
/riding supplies, as well as of distributing and`theek!
ing their expenditure, will, however, be ful
treated in our report on that diVision of our inquiry,
we must refer to that Report for the remarks we have
to offer on this subjee.
The salary of the principal Assistant Barrack
Master General for supplies and returns, is the same
as that of the first Principal Assistant Barrack
Master General, viz. three hundred pounds per an-
num, and five shillings per diem extra pay. The
present possessor of this office is also Standard
Bearer to the band of Gentlemen Pensioners. The
salary of the Inspeaor of Returns of Stores is three
hundred pounds, per annum.
INSTLCTOR OF 11•RRACI $TOl2$.
This is a new appointment, made by the present
Barrack Master General, in consequence of direc-
tions from the Lords Comtnisioners of His Majesty's
Treasury. He examines all articles furnished in die
metropolis, under the contracts of the Commissary
General, at the Contraftor's warehouse, where they
remain subjeft to the orders of the Barrack Master
General ; he keeps an account of such as he has
approved, and by means of the orders for their issue
passing through his hands, he i- enabled at all times
to ascertain the quantity which ought to be in the
Contrattor's possession, ready to be distributed as
the Barrack Office may dire&
The pay of the InspeCtor of Barrack stores, is
15s. per diem.
TIRE ACCOUNTANT.
The duties of this Officer are of much importance.
as, on their uniform and corral execution, depend,
in great measure, the regularity and good order of
the whole system; how far these duties, during the
late Barrack Master General's time, have been
punctually executed, may be in some measure col-
treed from our First Report, and we shall probably
have occasion again to advert to the subjedt. With
the aid of his Assistant, and Clerks, he receives and
examines all accounts and vouchers, except those of
the builders, sehich are examined and certified by the
Arehitee. and the principal Assistant Barrack Mas-
ter General for the inspection of barracks ; he di-
Tees the correspondence relating to all money mat-
ters, prepares estimates for Government, and ar-
ranges the general accounts of receipt and expendi-
ture.
A general account is stated to be made up in the
office annually, of all monies received and expended,
under their respeftive heads of service ; but no ge-
neral annual account of the barrack expenditure,
for the examination of any public office, has been
made up since the 24th December, 1795 ; and the
principal reason assigned by the Accountant for this
omission, is, that the Barrack Master General did
not know by what office his accounts were to be ex-
amined. The general accounts, to 24th December,
1795, are those noticed in oar First Report, and
which are now at the War-Office for examination.
The books in charge of the accouatant are
cash-books, ledgers, bill-books, and others of a si-
milar description, relating to the receipt and distri-
bution of money. Bills drawn on ;he Barrack-Mas-
ter General amounting to six or seven hundred in
a month, and of which fifty or sixty are sometimes
presented fir acceptance in a day, are accepted by
the accountant. _ _

Since the appointment of tl:e present Barrack-
Master General, Mr. Stanbank, the Accountant, and
a proportion of Clerks, with the eldest Archite& of
the Department, have been set apart, solely to cc-
raitge the arrears ofi the late Barrack-Master Ge-
neral's accounts, a duty which (if not interrupted by
the more summary proceeding suggested by us in
our first report) is likely to occupy them three if not
foot years ; and to execute the current business of
the office, the late Assistant Accountant has been
recently appointed Accountant under the present
Soreask-Master General. Exertion, we are in-
formed, is now used in the Accountant's branch, to
meat the business of the Departtneat, and to keep
the present Barrack-Master General's accounts from
failing into arrear ; an.L from what has been repott-
ed to us, there appears a well-grounded hope, that
this desirable objet will be accomplished.
Each Accountant receives a salary of eight hun-
dred pounds pot annum, and the Assistant Ac-
countant to the 04Ece lour hundred pounds per
annum.
LAW CLLRK.
This Officer appears to be the general legal ad-
viser of the Barrack Office, upon all sabjeds referred
to him, by the orders of the Barrack Master General,
He examines the enntraßs for the purchase or hire
of lands, on whielt Barracks are intruded to he
ereaed, and the titles of the vendors of such laads,
and settles and approves of all legal instruments,
on the behalf of the office.
The first appointment took place in 1803, by the
Secretary at War, on the application of the late
Barnacle-Master G 1, who states, that the Soli-
citor of the Treasury, to whom he had been used
to refer all legal matters relating to the Llepartment,
being unable, from the weight of his other business,
w execute that of the Office withia the time acquit-