Star.
London, England, 1803-06-01 00:00:00

NATAL ENtUIRT.

(Continued from our Paper of yeerda.)

I' The Navy Board, in their letter to the Officers
of
.1011/101 yard of the 14th September 1797, Verb
properly enquire, whether the accounts and papers of
the office had been delivered over to Mr. Dick ? We,
lament that on the receipt of their anfwer of aoth
December 1797, this enquiry was not followed up,
by afcertaining what papers were received by him,
and pat ticularly whether the warrant of 4th Septem-
ber 1795, rcfpeding the taking up money, was not
among(t them ? This would have cut off all fubter-
fuge, and Paved much future difcuffion ; though we
do not think it elrential in the confideration of the
condua which a public fervent, with fuch minute and
particular inftruaions before him, ought to have pur-
rued. Mr. Dick depofes, in his very extraordinary
evidence, that where the praCtice of office and the in-
itrudions were at variance, he followed the former;
and the rearons for his having done fo, are fufficiently
obvious; filch conduit, however, cannot be too
firongly reprobated.
.. Notwithftanding the late (biting inftance of ne-
gled in Mr. Smith, the correrpondence that took
place on the fubjea, and his confequent dirmitlion,l
yet from the time of Mr. Dick's appointment in July
1796, to the 18th September iSoo, the cat accounts,
continued to be tranfmitted from Jamaica without,
any alteration in form, or credit being given for the
premium on Bills of Exchange, or any enquiry on the'
part of the Navy Board, why it was not done.
.. Oa the tBth of September, tfloo, a letter was;
written by the Navy Board to Vice-Admiral told,
Hugh Seymour, referring to Rear-Admiral Parker's
letter in 1795, obferving, that Mr. Dick had not
brought the premium 'bet his bills to accountt and
remarking, that though it had been the pratftice of
Naval Store keepers to Rand to the rifk in the fluau-
stion of the premium and difeount on their bills,,
they thought that this had been done away by their
warrant of the 4th of September, 1795. A war-
rant to the fame efea as the letter to Lord Hugh
Seymour, was written to Mr. Dick ; (tating further,
that they will not at prefent determine on the sp.
propriati.--n of the money he had received, but re-
quiring him to obey his inftruaions in fume • and
charging him with not fupplying the Poll Offio; with'
bills on the application of the Deputy Poll:wafter
Genera:, to enable him to oak his remittances,
without being obligel to pm-chafe private bills at a
rifk as well as lots by the exchange.
.4 From the time that this order was communicated
by Lord Hugh Seymour to Mr. Dick, he of necellity
brought the premium to the public credit in his
monthly talk accounts ; bet he loon after refigned
the office and returned to England.
" In order to arcettain, with as much precilion as
the cafe would admit, to what extent the pubfic bad
(offered, during the late War, by not receiving the
benefit of the exchange, we called upon Georgellib-
bert, Thomas Huglian, Robert Millegan, Alexander '
Hear y, and John Willis, Efetuiits, Merchants of emi-
nence, having connexion with the laand of Jamaica,
fully qualified to give us information on that fubjea ;
echoic examinations, taken upon oath, appear in the
appendix ; and we alfo requefted of the Board of
Ordnance to furnifh us with the rates of premium
brought to account during this period by their Offi-
cers at Jamaica.
6. It appears from the account of bah which has
been laid before us from the tit of January 1793, to
the 31 ft of December iBOO, between which periods
the premiums were not carried to account, that the
Naval Storekeepers at Jamaica drew upon the Navy
Boaid for 536,2581. as. 6d. Reding ; and from the
belt evidence we have been able to obtain, the pre-
miums during that time, upon a low average,
amounted to tot. per cent. and confequently the pub-
lic have loft the fum of 53,6151. 16s. 3d.
.. The bills drawn by Mr. Dick, upon which he did I
not account to Governnieut for the premium, amount- I
ed to 364.0001. therefore, by the above average of
i c.h per cent. the public have follained a 10f50f36,4001.
thereon ; but, had we confined the average to the
sate of premium whilit he was in office, the loft
might fairly have been calculated at a greater fern.
.. From the 'nth tiaions given to Commanders in
Chief, by the Admiralty. we find it to be a part of,
their duty to approve all bills drawn by Naval
Storekeepers, if fitti-fied that the money has been I,
procured at the belt rate of exchange; yet it appears,
that Mr. James Dick gave to the Commander in
Chief, bills to the amount of4s,oool.without charging ,
him any premium, though at that period the rate of
exchange was high. On Mr. Dick's being quellinned
to this point, notoithitanding be had is a previous
part of his examination informed us that he confider.
ed the premium on his bills as his property, yet, in re-
ply, he laid. that,' he thought the Commander in
Chief, when be wanted public bills to remit his prise
money to England, bad as good a tight to them smile
had :' but as Mr. Dick neither polreffed a right to
take himfelf or give up to any other what belonged
t Government, we fee no realoo fur dedutting from
the charge againft him the premium on thee bills,
ah ch he ought to have received. and brought to ac-
count; and we obferve, by the evidence of Rear Ad-
miral /Nigh, that Mr. Dick prop-did to give him bills •
without receiving any premium, which lie declined
accepting, aftedging as a reafon or his refill-al, that if
it belonged to Goveinment, he Mould have to pay it
hereafter, and if it was the fair emolument of Mr.
Dick, he had no right to deprive him of it. The
Rear Admiral thinks that Mr. Dick did not fay,
whether it was his perquifite, or the property of Go-
vernment, but that he had written on the fubjed, and
had received no anfwer. Rear Admiral Illigh there
fore infilled on paying,and did aaually pay to him 15
percent.premi tim on 40001. which circumllances ft tong-
ly prove, that Mr. Dick did not at that time confider,
as he has Rated to us in his evidence, the premium
on his bills to be his property, or a fair perquifite of
his office.
4. In order to acquire every poffible information re
lating to there tratifitaions, we thought it proper to
call upon the Comptroller and other Members of the
Navy Board ; by come of whom it is Rated. that ow
ing to the multip.icity of bufinefs, the Itsbjea of the
premiums on Bills of Exchange drawn at Jamaica.
had been w - Ily loft lip lit of till September i boo, finer
wit' . .eireeniums had been carried on to ac
II%•
s 1 • .., .11 no meafures were taken
c ''
''.l. l' 41'. it .:
had been previoufty recciv.
4
' e os.
- 3 'i ,'' '" t'' • : biers, until it became a fob-
... ..,.