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

jett of our enquiry.. We now antlerfling that aft&
has been inftituted againft Mr. Dick.
" We have hitherto confined ow ellertatlona to
one part of the fubjci only, the abaci committed in
drawing of Bills of Exchange for money taken op'
for the ufe of the Naval Department at Jamaica.—
The abufes in the expebtlitute of this money, and the
segleas in not fending timely demands for
Rotes, by which a necellity for Each large dill:mil-
-1 menu was created, though abufes not fo eerily deteet-
ed, or precifely fohttentiated, are of infinitely more
confequenee ; indeed, it is chiefly from this fource
that the occation of draeriag bills, and the confeqnent
great profit by the exchange, took its rife.
" The irregularity of Mr. Dick in the tranfmitfion
of Ms accounts of ltores expended and remaining,
and of the demands for the probable etigencies of
the fervice, and alfo in the asode of making
puchafes, appear in a very voluminous eorrefpondeace
between the Commanders in Chief on the Jamaica Re.'
tion,the Navy Board, and Mr. Dick (which we east fed
to be laid before us) as well as from the examination'
of two of the members, and the Secretary of the Com-
mittee of Stores; whole evidence, with a letter from,
the Navy-Board to Vice• Admiral Lord Hugh Sey-
mour, we have only thought it aecelfary to enter in
the appendix, conceiving them fully fufficient to aka
blips the feet of Mr. Dick's mikondua in Ade par-
ticulars ; in which he perfevered, notwithilanding the
fevere reprimands which he received, until it was con-
venient to himfelf to relinquilh his appointment.
By the million of the Naval Storekeeper to
traailnit his demands regularlps the Navy Board was
left enacquainted with ihe (tore► necelTary to be for-
warded to that Ration; and although fume fupplies
were fent oat, anticipating the probable wants, yet
they were set fufficient to prevent the nrceffity his
neglat bad created, for making large purchafts at an
enormous cepence, as the fleet was obliged to be fur-
nifbei with Inch acacias they flood in need of at any
late. _ _ .

" Another evil attended this mode of procuring
fupplies: Vice-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker Mates, in
his letter of the 9th of February, 1799, that the fibres
were not only bought at exorbitant pikes, but were
of very feafenor quality; indeed, the inferiority •fl
cordage andother naval flora procurable in this way,
when compared to thole (applied by Government, is
a fa& too notoris us to require any evidence.
" In order to (hew how much the public has loft
by there putchafer, we have feleaed thole made by
Mr. Dick in the months of January and February,
ifoo, nut becaufe the prices were more difadvama-
geons to Government in rhofe months, but becaufe in
that year the grcatel purchares were made, and it is
the year in which the neceffity for snaking them ap-
pears more particularly attributable to hit negle& ;
and in another column we have placed the prices
paid by Government for the like articles in England,
as Rated to ass by the Navy Board ; to which, if there
be added 15 per cent. for freight and other charges,
being the amount 'llowed for that purpofe in the in.
ftruitions to foreign officers, the difference will (hew
the lots which Governmeat may be fuppoled tuhave
Cufferedia there months, amounting to :7,895/. 3s. 3d.
[An account is here inferted, to prove the accura-
cy of this flateme.st.)
Supporing an eqmal difference to have prevailed
between the pricy at home and abroad, doting the
period of Ms. Dick's holding his office, the whole
amount of the lot, to Government would have been
134,5571. slits. sd. Ilerling on his purchafes.
" Cordage, the moil confiderable article in she
Storekeeper's purchafts, appears by the documents I
laid before us, to have boon bought by Mr. Dick, in
the months of Oaober and November, 1751, at the
rate of stal. fterling per ton, which would have colt
its England at that time 531. 3s. 4d. but we have ra-
ther chofen to reit our conclufions on this robje& up.
on his account of porchafes of a variety of articles,
made in the courfc of two months, as extratled from
his calls accotmts. _

" But it is not to be fappofed, that, wiih every care ;
in the tranfrniffron of his accounts and demands, and
equal attention in forwarding the lupplies, ill neoel.
tity for purchafing Items could have been prevented ;
allowing. therefore, a quarter, or even a third part,
to be deduCled from his account, there would iiill
lemain a [am of very great magnitude, enough to
(hew the nature and extent of the loft to which Go-
vernment has been in this inflame fubjeded, and is
always hable to Puffer, by huh praElices.
" We have inveßigated this ineance of shore, as
far as it laid in our power, more minutely, perhaps,
than was requifite, for the purpofe of difplaying it in
fuch a form, as to prove the truth of its etillence ;
but we confider it as as example of a great clads of
ahufes, to which a too fevere and unremitting at-
tention cannot be applied.
" We difcovcred, in the courfe of our examine-
tie u of Mr. Charles De Coetlogon, late Naval Store-
keeper at Saint Domingo, that Mr. James Dick had
been corcerned in a traffic of (patinas coin : We
therefore called upon the Right Honourable the
Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, and the
Na-
vy Board, for the papers relating to that tranfaSion;
by which h appears, that two boxes, containing bate
money, had beets found on board his blajefly's (hip
Adventure, at Saint Domingo, addreffed to Mr.
Dick, Es Naval. Storekeeper at Jamaica;—in one of
which was a letter from the manufatturer at Birming-
ham, with his bill, amounting to tool. est. and Rat-
mg, that be had fent him a pattern Johannes, and
fume two (nut pieces, which it was hoped would an-
fwer his pnrpole ; and by a reference to a paffage in
the knee, it appears that it was ant the kit tranfac-
tion of the kind in which he had been concerned.—
Mr. Dick pretends to have :teed in this bilkers only
as an agent for a perfim then deceafed. We thought it
proper to make form enquiry into this matter, though
not direaly connetted with his official condua, that
it might be known filch radices did erg, and ought I
to be prevented.
" That the Agents of Government fhould be in•
teretted, or, as it is termed, Rand to the rife or fall
of the exchange, is highly improper: it may be well
fuppored that flit neither has nor will be done, for
any length of time, but to the difadvantage of the
public; however, to lure a prefent purpofe, it may
be pretended, where the exchange is feldom belnw
par, an Agent would not venture to forego conliant
and large profits, by claiming a reimburfement of
cafual and trifling loffes : but fhould any change of
eircurnflances render the difconnt or lots on bills con.
tiderable and permanent, a regard to private intereß
will scrct fail tv firth .he loft (tom the individual to