Star.
London, England, 1807-01-21 00:00:00

ARMY IN INDIA.

ri'o BE DISPOSED OF, for the Regulation
.1. Price, a Cornetcy of Light Dragoons, in a Regiment ferving
In the Raft-India, by Mr. Joludon, N 0.6, Craven. itrect, &rand,
tendon.

mildrior IN.Q,UIRT.

OFFICE Or THE BARRACK MASTER GENERAL.
swum AND SUPPLIPS.
(Condensed from the STAIt of Monday Lilt.)
We mull obferve that the duty of regulating the
fillies of Cafh and Bills to Mr. Davifon feems to have
reflect in a great meafure with the Accountant, who,
although he was acquainted, he admits, with foam
of the balances, did not think them of fufficient mag-
nitude to notice the circumaance to the late Barrack
Matter General, or to jullify a refutal of further
• Miles to Mr. Davifon, until he had knowledge of
the large balance which was in his hands on 24th of
jtme aos. This, however, he was not informed
of, he lays, till the beginning of 1803, when he
Mentioned it to the late Barrack Mailer General.
Mr. Davifon, in his letter of loth January i 7995,
before given at length, propofes that he fhould be
allowed two and a half per cent. commiffion on the
whole amount of his accour.ts (including all per-
centage on making infurance, recovering loftes, ave-
rages, &c. and replacing all damaged or unfervicea-
hie articles delivered to the Barracks) ; and we find
that he has been allowed this Commiffinn nn the
amount of thefe charges as well as on his putchafes,
and alfo on all charges and expences on package,
warehoufe, rent, clerks, porterage, cartage, pot-
tage, &c.
Sometimes on an emergency Mr. Davifon furnifh-
ed the Barrack articles to a very confiderable amount
from 1111 own fiores, for which he charged as a
whnlefale dealer, and on which he takes no corn-

The whole amount of Mr. Davifon's account, for
articles thus fupplied by him on commiffion, exceeds
eight hundred and fixty two thoufand pounds ; the
balance of which, againß the Barrack Office, in his
half year's account, made up to the a4th December
1804, is Rated by him to be nine thoufand three
hundred and fixty-eight pounds twelve fhatings ; and
we have therefore obferved, in our firll Report, that
the balance was in his favour. But we have fince
received from the Barrack Office Mr. Davifon's fop-
plemental account made up to the 15th May lA,
by which, it appears,notwithllanding that no money
had been advanced to him by the Barrack Office,
yet. that by giving credit to the Office for various
fums recovered for lodes, averages, and deficiencies
of Rote., &c. a balance arofe agaird Mr. Davifon
amounting to fix thoufand and forty-feven pounds
feventeen fhillings and eleven pence. This was paid
to the credit of the Barrack Mailer General at the
Bank an the t7th of May 'att. From a Ratement
which we have procured from Mr. Davifun of the
periods when the fums fo credited in this fupplemen
tal account were received by him, it appears that
-upwards of feven thoufand pounds had been received
in 1796 ; upwards of four thonfand more in 1798 ;
and upwards of two thoufand in addition in t 799.--
This Ratement therefore affords another reafon for
recommending that an interea account fhluld be
Rated between him and the late Barrack Mader Ge-
neral.

On this view of the courfe obferved by the late
Barrack Maher General in procuring all the articles
(except coals) wanted for the ufe of the Barracks, we
cannot but remark that it differs molt materially
from that hated by him in his examination before the
Selea Committee of Finance in June 1797. He then
hated (about two years and a half after the agree-
ment with Mr.D tvifon,and whilil he was acing under
it) that coals and candleswere in all inharrces provided
on the fpot, wherever it was found that they could be
purchafed cheaper than they could be furnifhed from
any general market ; that bedding furniture, and
utenfils were had on the loweit terms from the whole.
Pale dealers, and that the charges for them were
checked by the certificates of refpeetable perfons,
&twit% that they did not exceed the prices in the
market at the time, and alto by the perfonal Qnit.l
trout and invelligation of the officers of the depart-
molt ; and that the receipts of the Barrack Matters,
of the articles delivered to them, were the vouchers
cn which payments were made. But, although we
fi:td that in fait no competition was encouraged
among the dealers, and that certificates were not
procured of the reafonablenefs of the prices charged,
and that, inhead of the payment .for the limes not
being wade till after their delivery at the different
bar racks, Mr. Davifon, who furnifhed them, has had
in his hands, in the way we have before (hewn, the
calls and acceptances hated, beyond even the colts of
the llores provided at the end of each half year, yet
we have no reafon for believing that the articles fup-
plied by him were not conformable to the patterns
w. hick Mr. Davifon lays he had from the Barrack
Office, or that they were not procured at a fair whole-
fate pike. Two or three indeed of the dealers, of
whom Mr. Davifon purchafed fupplies, have hated
to us that, in confequence of his regular and early
payments, they charged him Ids than they charged
at the fame period to merchants who took a longer
credit. And we are ready to admit that at times
ethane when the demands of the Barrack Office for
efts were large and urgent, a perfon in Mr. 'Davi-
on's fituation, and with his connections, might'have
provided the articles wanted When they could not
have been other wife eafily obtained. Still, however,
we cannot but ”prefs our difapprobation that the
experiment iva.s never made of ifrocuring the 'flores
by competstion and open contrail, whicWis the prac-
tice of other public departments, and which it mutt
be prefumed, therefore, has been proved to be the
?iaoft edvamageous mode for the public.
- Add we learn In m the examina:ion of the dealers
Wirt; fold the barrack articles to Mr. Davifon, that
. wouldthem
they w h sold immediately to thepAr.
• • . .....

twit Office on the fame terms as they fold them to
him, could they have been allured of the &me regw
lar and prompt payment.
With the condition of prompt and regular pay-
mentt therefore, it Teems that the commiaion paid to.
Mr. Davifon. and tome part of his contingent charges
might have been faved to the public, and the public
would moreover not have bolt the ufe of its own
money in the advances which were made to him.
Our opinion is confirmed by the mode which is at
prefent °bin ved in procuring the articles for barrack
ufe, as will appear in a fubfequent part of this report.
The gores and fupplies thus provided in the time
of the late Barrack Matter General were difiributed
to the different barracks by orders from the Office to
M. Davifon, given on the application of the Barrack.
Mailers ; fuch as were procured by Mr. Davifon
were fent by him at his own rifk, the carriage being
charged to the Office. On the receipt of the (torts,
the Barrack Matters ufually examined them with an
officer of the corps Rationed at the time in the bar-
racks ; and they reported on their quality and quan-
tity to the Office ; on which the Barrack Matters
were charged with them in their [tore accounts. It
does not appear that any (landing patterns were de-
pofited in the barracks with which the articles thus
lent were to be compared, or that the Barrack Mall
ters had any particular inftrudions for the mode of
their examination ; they were, however, generally
direfted to fee that the articles were of good quality,
and fit for the fervice. Neither, therefore, in London,
previous to the articles being diltributed, nor after-
wards. when they were received at the barracks,was
that kind of examination had which was fufficient
to inform the Office of the reafonablenefsof the prices
charged ; and even in refped of their quality, as
there were no (landing patterns in the barracks with
which the articles could be compared, it might hap-
pen, from the differencein the experience and means•of
judging in the different Barrack Mailers, that articles
of very various quality, although charged at the
fame price, might have been reported as fit for the fer-
vice, and taken into the Ilores. Yet we do not learn
that complaints were often made of any defeCtivenefs
in the quality of the articles font by Mr. Davifon,
and when any complaints were made, it appears that
immediate attention was given to them ; the articles
were then examined by the direction of the Office,
and, if found to be unfit, they were exchanged for
others of better quality at the expence of Mr. Davi-
Con, agreeably to what was propoled in his letter of
loth January, 1795.
The iffues of the articles to the troops in barracks
are governed by the King's Regulations, counterfign-
ed by the Secretary at War ; thefe limit the quantity
according to the number of the rooms, and of the
men Rationed in them. The checks, therefore, on
thefe iffues, although confuting of a variety of ar-
ticles, are not difficult, and, as far as we have been
able to examine, have been well attended to at the
Office.

In thole regulations it may be teen that all loges
and damage to the gores, furniture, and buildings,
occafioned by the careleffnefs or wantonnefs of the
troops, were to be charged to the corps Rationed
therein at the time ; and we find, that confiderable
firms were fometimes received on this account, which
have been regularly carried to the credit of the office.
When articles of furniture, &c. are thought by the
Barrack Mailers to be ao longer fit for ufe, they are
put away, and at the time of the AQiflant Barrack
Muller General of the Diftritt's attendance, they are
furveyed by him, the Barrack Mailer, and an officer
of the corps in the barracks ; and if on fuch furvey
any of them Wall be judged to be repairable, it is fo
ordered, and the remainder are direfled to be fold.—
The tale is after public notice, and is public, but not
by auction.
A circumliance, in refpeet of coals laid in for Bar-
rack ufe, has fometimes occurred, which it may be
proper to mention in this place, viz. an apparent in-
crude on the quantity laid in ; this, which is called
favings, is differently accounted for :—Lieutenant
Colonel M'Kenzie fays, that it may afire from the
different modes of meafuring in the due, or from
the breaking of the coals ; he obferves that this cir-
cumflance has occurred in the cafe of lea coals only,
for, from fume late information, it appears that on
Scots coals there was generally a deficiency. Mr.
Knollis, who was the Barrack Mailer at Plymouth
for fix or (even years, and at the time of v.hofe re-
tiring from office, in September, ifiog, it was found
that there was the large quantity of 6438 bufhels and
a half in !tore beyond what was to be collefted from
the returns of the receipts and ifines, conceives that
this faving may have arifen principally from the coals
(welling, by being expofcd after their delivery into
the yard to the fun and wet ; and alto frum the large
coals received from the (hip breaking, whereby they
fill more fpace ; and a fur plus fometimes arifesi he
lays, from all the coals not being drawn for on tome
occafronal hurry of marching out of barracks. He
calculates the increafe altogether to amount on an
average to one buthel per chaldron on the quantity
delivered in.

The Living in this cafe was transferred by Mr.
Knollis to his fuccetfor, and was therefore carried to
the °credit of Government, as Lieutenant Colonel
M-Kenzie lays has always been done ; this is obviouf-
ly tight, and we make the obfervation becaufe• we
apprehend doubts have prevailed as to the property
in thefe ravings.
We have before obferved that the articles provided
by Mr. Davifon on commiffion, did not include coals.
The preceding flatement and obfervatinns therefore
refpating flexes, do not apply to this the molt confi-
derable article of barrack confumption.
ft was criFinally intended by the Barrack Matter
General, that coals thould be-provided on commiffion,
the tattle as the other artiefes • but Mr. Davifon, in
a letter of 3il March, 170 s, having !listed that de-
pots, and their accompanying eflablithments,,would
in fuch cafe be neeeffary, the late Barrack Matter
Gener.sl very properly objeffed to the e*pence, and
to the difficulty of preventing abufes if fuch arrange.
men's were made, and clefirest that Tome other mode
might be adopted, fo that the coals Iltould be aftually
delivered intd the barrack yards, and the receipts of
thelbarrack matters be the votachers for the paymepts.
Mr. Davifon, in his aniwer to this letter on the
4ptil followi4g, after ohferving that the mode
he had pointed out was the only one poffible in cafe
the butineli was to be done on commiflion, Pays,
" that the fole means by which the fupply can be
made, G. as to deliver the article direilly into the
barrack Am, and to eau ,all expences ttua i4C3I is

tq have the fame fupplied at the rates *hitt the
irbole dealers are paid at the feveral places where'
tht barracks are fituated ;" and he adds, "as 1 can,
from the conneetions I have in the bait coal coun-
tries, execute the bufinefs on as favourable terms as
any perlon whatever, I will undertake to fupply any
bafracks you may be pleafed to dire& with the heft
coals, taking back all loch as fhall be found of inftlf-
ficient quality, to be paid for the number of bufhels
a&ually delivered into the Barrack Matter's (lore, on
prOduCtion of his receipt far the fame, at fuch rate as
is the market price with the coal dealers, at the time
of delivering the fame, to be afcertained by the pro-
dation of certificates of two (nth refpeCtable perfons
refident in the places as you (hall approve." The late
Biarack Mailer General acknowledges the receipt of
this letter on 25th April, 1795, and fays, 44 that if
the fupplies be made at the mot} advantageous lea-
lons, the mode pointed out would, in his opinion, be
the molt beneficial for the public ;" and he defires
Mr. Davifon to execute the (apply of coals on the
terms he bad mentioned ; and he adds, 46 that the
perfons whore certificates are produced mutt be of the
mod refpeCtable defcription, and whole, charaCters
would bear the ilriftell inveftigation."
(To iv continua.)