The Sun.
London, England, 1809-05-19 00:00:00

MILIFARY ENQUIRY.

'The Ninth tlipOrt of the Commissioners Or
tarp. Enquiry has been printed.. * It is of considerable
length, and enumerates tunny abuses, oferhieksil.
bas* time and Oath to notice only, a few.,
reciting.the moreiptorninent peps of what. iseetolo.
in the Reports of the West fruitier CommSa QifitiO* •
lative to the oondeti. of the Peptsly Payroader:oo-
- sod of his agents, dttring the period of the te,o
w4r, it says :—" From the whole of the pi4l4
information, it may be colteeted, that at ithe 1414
when the Lords Cenunisstioners rife lie Treasury, were
induced, on she ((nutria( on cf* Mr, Pletlipsi'Meina,"
rho, to make the order appearing in their Mmute oft..
July 6, 5796, he could have furnished an aCetri't'.
of the mewl coniingencies of his office, and of the
prices at. which the Bills 'drawn on the Paymaster- ,
General wereaduilly sold, the profits from. which):
by his instrudions, should . have been credited to. the
Public, for he himself had participated in the net
profits from both ; and whilst he was receiving a Si*. •
lary of ene pound ten shillings per diem, front Fed.
bruttry 170, to June 179,, andiresided in England,
contrarily to the tenor of his instruations, his Aetet-
Dies or Agents were emploYing the publiemoney to,:„
their private advantage." it then proceeds era.
nr..raie several frauds praised iu eon-fleets made .141',
the West Indies, for the necessary supply of wioe,
spirits, &c. for the forces, and recommends that
the contraas should be Made in this country. It
next notices the inadequacy of the present sr.
tem of keeping *accounts to check end prevent
.such frauds and abuses,' and 'recommends that
a Board of AtcountS, consisting •of three Oficial
Members, should be established.
The Repot t also suggests, " That the judicial
ministration in the West Indies would be improved,
if Chief Justices were appointed from this, 4790111,
whose qualification should be, that they have bee_
praElising Barritcrs at the EngliSh Bar, of-!eY.'0
,"_
years standing at least; that they should be restrio'
•ed frocks being connected in any plantation concern
or mercantile engagement in the Weil Jodie; that
-their isslerjesAr.e.paitt.by tbittrbOtiy, and be 1001.
,sterling per annum, withoutany fees or perqui4ites
whatever." The Commissioners then conclude
their report in the following words :,-e" We' heist
now completed that view of the abuses in the Weit
India Army Expendituite, and of the measures to be,7
adopted to prevent their recurrence, which we hays
undertaken to exhibit. The evil has duubtless been •
of great magnitude, widely extended, and deePlY
rooted. But if the opportunities for fraud shell
diminished, by making the contracts in this i.:00111
for the necessary supply of the forces in the
Indies; it a regular controul over thise whOdiie"
and manage the expenditure be established ; if ilia
account be invertigated soon afier it incuiredi 1111"
it, in case of malpractices, toe offenders be uni"ee
,cliatelypro4ecuted 'in the country, and an impolieh
and firm administration of the Law can be insured
it may be expected that the evil which has hereto
fore existed, will he in a.great degree prevented."