322] 
William Erfkine fupplied us with 
the firft regular diftribution that was 
returned to the commander in chief, 
which is for the quarter ending 
3oth June 1777; the other is a re- 
turn made by lord Cathcart, for 
the quarter ending 31f Decem- 
ber 1779. 
- ‘The diftributions did not always 
contain the fame numbers, and 
therefore we could not come at the 
expence of the hire of them to the 
public, but by collecting it from the 
vouchers allowed by the auditors of 
the impreft to thofe quarter matters 
general who had pafled their ac- 
counts inthat office. By an abftract 
-compofed from thofe vouchers, we 
find that the fum paid by the public, 
_ for the hire only of waggons, horfes, 
and drivers, employ ed under the 
management of the quarter matter / 
general, from the 25th of Decem- 
ber 1776 to the 31ft of March 1780, 
was 338.4352 85. 62d. exclufive 
of provifions, forage, repairs, and 
other contingent expences. 
The rate of the hire ofa waggon, 
driver, and four horfes, being 125. 
a day, produces to the proprietor 
z1gl. a year ; from whtnce the hire 
of the driver, at the mean price of 
¥s. 24. a day, thatis, 21/. 5s. 10d. 
a year, being deduéted, leaves him 
a clear yearly profit of 197/. 145. 
2d. the repairs of the waggon and 
harnefs, and the food of the driver 
and horfes, being found by the pub- 
lic. Computing the :prime colt of 
the waggons compleat, at the high- 
eit price, 20 /. and of each hor fe at 
a5 /.he receives back 80/. his pur- 
chafe money, in lefs than five 
months; after which, if poffeifed of 
fifty large waggons and two hun- 
dred horfes, (and the waggons and 
-horfes were in general the property 
efa few officers only) he will have, 
i 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1790. 
as long as he can continue them in 
the fervice of government, a clear 
} 
income of 9,885 /. 85. 4d. fecure’ 
from all rifk. 
The commander in chief, confult- 
ing with the principal officers in the 
feveral departments, fettled the 
eftablifhment, and ordered that it 
fhould be permanent and kept com- 
pleat. As the army was not always 
in motion, the neceffity for fo nu- 
merous a permanent eftablifhment 
was not obvious. The reafon given 
for retaining the fame number for 
the whole year, is, the dithcalty of 
procuring them again when wanted, 
in cafe they had been difcharged at 
the end of the campaign; but this 
reafon does not appear altogether 
conclufive; for, if they are in being, 
the arm of the commander in chief 
can reach them, wherever they are; 
he has power to feize, the inftant he 
Wants it, whatever is neceflary for 
the fervice, in his contemplation : 
from the enemy he feizes of right, 
from a friend he prefles of neceflity, 
paying him the value, or for thg- 
ufe. ( 
The eftablihment was hardly 
ever compleat, from the’ conftant 
difficulty of procuring the number 
of waggons it required; as they 
were therefore fo fcarce in that 
country, and the cattle could have 
been employed to more advantage 
than upon the pay of government, 
At might have been advantageous to 
the inhabitants to have had the ufe 
of them for the time the army were 
in guarters; and the hire of them, 
for {ome months every year, would 
have been no inconfiderable faving 
to the public. 
All orders’ and regulations ‘of 
every kind proceed from the com= 
mander in’chief: his power extends,. 
without controul, over the wholé 
army 
an, ae es ee ee 
eet et ee, anes 
