STAT ee A Pe RS. 
‘perfon concerned in it; and who 
may be authorized and dire¢ted to 
examine into the whole expendi- 
ture, as well of the antecedent as 
fubfequent iflues. The commanders 
in chief may be enjoined to give 
them their countenance, protection, 
and fupport, and not to grant war- 
rants for the payment of any ar- 
ticle of thefe expences without the 
teftimony of their allowance. The 
difallowance of the voucher comes 
too late, after payment. By acheck 
and control thus eftablifhed upon 
the fpot, and by an able and con- 
{cientious execution of fuch a truft, 
the public might be enabled to ob- 
tain reftitution where they have 
been defrauded, and fecurity againft 
impofition and peculation for the 
future, 
Office of Accounts, 
Surrey-Street, 
18th June, 1782. _ 
T, Ancuisu, (L. S.) 
A. PiccorrT, (Les 
Rica. Ngave, (L.S.) 
Sam. Beacucrort, (L.S.) 
Geo. Drummonp. (L.S:) 
The Eighth Report of the Commif- 
fioners appointed to exatnine, take, 
and ftate, the Public Accounts of the 
Kingdom: Prefented to the koue 
of Commons 20th December, 1782. 
N all the aéts by which we have 
been conftituted, one of the ex- 
prefs purpofes of our appointment, 
and, m the laft aét, the enly one 
particularly mentioned, is “ to ex- 
*€ amine, and ftate, in what man- 
“ ner, and at what times, the re- 
* ceipts, iffues, and expenditures 
* of the publi¢ monies are now ac- 
counted for; and to confider and 
“ report, hy what means and me- 
[329 
« thods the public accounts may in 
* future be paffed, and the account- 
** ants compelled to pay the ba. 
« lances dwe from them, in a more 
“ expeditious, more effectual, and 
* Jefs expenfive manner.” 
In our examination into the pay 
offices of the navy and army, we 
found the accounts very far in ar- 
rear; 75 millions, the iffues of up- 
wards of 24 years, to October 1780, 
for the navy fervices; 47 millions, 
the iffues of fixteen years, to the 
fame period (exclufive of the un-" 
fettled account of Lord Holland} 
for the army fervices, were unac- 
counted for. So ftriking a circum- 
ftance would have led us, of courfe, 
to that office where the public ac- 
counts of the kingdom are audited, 
that we might endeavour to difco- 
ver the caules of this delay; whe- 
ther it arifes from any want of power 
to compel perfons to come to ac- 
connt, or from any neglect in the 
exercife of that power; whether 
from any defeét in the conftitution, 
or in the execution of the office 
that audits the accounts; or whe- 
ther it is occafioned by any ob- 
ftructions thrown in the way by the 
accountable perfons themfelves. 
We inquired, in the firft place, 
whether there exifts any compulfive 
power to bring in public account- 
ants, and what fteps are taken pre-~ 
vious to their accounting. Upon 
thefe points, Mr. John Hughfon, 
clerk of the debentures, in the office 
of the auditor of the exchequer; 
Adam Martin, efq. firtt clerk in the 
office of the king’s remembrancer 
in the exchequer; and Mr, Alex- 
ander Bennet, one of the {worn 
clerks in the fame office, gave us 
the following information. 
The power of compelling public 
accountants to come to account, is 
lodged in the court of exchequer q 
1g 
