Sule Tebsbah BE RS. 
three hundred and feventeen; and 
the number of tons, nineteen thou- 
fand five hundred fifty-eight. In 
the department of the barrack 
matter general, the number of vef- 
fels was eighty-five, and of the tons 
feven thoufand eight hundred thirty- 
fix. In the department of the com- 
miffary general, the number of vef- 
fels was two hundred and nine, and 
of the tons fixteen thoufand fix 
hundred twenty-two. The total 
number of the veflels was fix hun- 
dred and eleven, and of the tons 
forty-four thoufand and fixteen. 
Many of them were, employed for 
a fhort time only: the number of 
thofe continued in the fervice for 
one year and upwards, we have ex- 
tracted from captain Laird’s lilt, 
and injerted in the appendix, with 
the number of tons, and their earn- 
ings during their fervice; and of 
thefe, fixty-two were left in the fer- 
vice at the end of the year 1780, 
This lift fhews, that the number of 
veflels employed each for a year or 
longer, during that period, in the 
department of the quarter matter 
general, was fixty-two, and the hire 
91,4447. 195. 4d.; in the depart- 
ment of the barrack mafter general, 
the number twenty-five, and the 
hire 34,737 /. 195.5 in the depart- 
ment of the commiflary general, the 
number forty-four, and the hire 
55.925/. 14s.: the total number 
one hundred thirty-one; the total 
hire 182,108 /. 125. 4d. 
We find, from the vouchers for 
the payments of hire made by the 
quarter mafters general, and _deii- 
vered by them into the office of 
the auditors of the imprefl, that the 
total expence of this hire in that 
department only, exclufive of pi- 
lotage, and various contingencies, 
from the 25th of December 1776 
Vor. XXXII, 
[321 
to the 31ft of March 1780, amount- 
ed to 127,483/. 18s. 1034.5 what 
the expence of this hire was in the 
other departments, we have not had 
the means of informing ourfelves. 
“In this lift appear the names of 
feveral officers in the departments 
of the quarter mafter, barrack maf= 
ter, and commiffary general, as own- 
ers of thefe veffels ; but the names of 
all fuch officers as were owners-do not 
appear; the names of the matters are 
inferted in their ftead. Where the 
principal officers were proprietors, or 
had fhares, their names are not found, 
either in the contraéts for the hire, 
or in the receipts for the pay- 
ments. 
A vefiel of one hundred tons, 
hired at 135. a month fer ton, 
would produce to the owners 780 /, 
a year. Suppoie him to have, dur- 
ing the whole year, his full comple 
ment of fix men, at each 3/. 155. a 
month wages, and to pay 25. a day 
for viétualling each ‘man, his mea 
would cof him 489/. and leave 
him a profit of 291 /. a year; which 
profit would be increafed in pro- 
portion as he could hire his men, or 
procure boys, at a lefs price, or di- 
minith his number whilft his veflcl 
lay at reft during any part of the 
year, or employ them to his ad- 
vantage in any other fervice. The 
prime coft, and expence of repairs, 
are diminutions of his profit, de- 
pending upon circumftances, and 
not open to calculation. 
As the quarterly returns, made to 
the commander in chief by the quar- 
ter mafter general, contain the num- 
ber of the waggons, horfes, and 
drivers, furnifhed by him in each 
quarter, with their diftribution, and 
expence to government for the hire, 
we have feleéted, and inferted in the 
appendix, two of thefe returns: Sir 
{X] William 
