STATE PAPERS. 



451 



The account of 

 this year ap- 

 pears to be 

 closed, but not 

 examined by the 

 late paymaster. 



From Jan. 1st to £. s. d. 

 Dec. 31st 1806.. 339,792 13 3 



Thecontingentex- 

 pence of this 

 year is not made 

 out, nor includ- 

 ed' in this sum. 



From Jan. 1st to 



Dec.Slst 1807.. 337,599 U e\ 



Thecontingentex- 

 pence, and sa- 

 laries, paid in 

 this year, are 

 not made out, 

 nor included in 

 this sum. 



<£ 1,016,393 9 111 



By the books of the late pay- 

 master the accounts for 1808 ap- 

 pear very imperfect, and those for 

 1809 are not begun to be made 

 out. 



The whole amountof balances in 

 the hands ofsub-accountants trans- 

 ferred by Mr. Villiers to the pre- 

 sent paymaster, when he succeed- 

 ed him, was no more than 20,14-6^. 

 of which 8,258/. was drawn for, 

 or due for service performed. 



Tlie sub-accountants were the 

 deputy paymasters of the four di- 

 visions of marines, seven inspect- 

 ingfield-officers connected with the 

 recruiting service, and more than 

 one hundred recruiting officers. 



In the course of these investi- 

 gations it became a matter of 

 consideration, how far the con- 

 tinuance of the office of paymas- 

 ter of marines may be necessary 

 for conducting this branch of the 



public service, your committee 

 bearing in mind, that all useless 

 offices ought to be suppressed, 

 and that every additional channel 

 through which public money flows, 

 affords an additional hazard of 

 the misapplication, detention, or 

 loss of a part of it. 



Recent experience in the cases 

 of the acts for regulating the offi- 

 ces of Treasurer of the Navy (25 

 Geo. 3rd, c. 31.) and Treasurer of 

 the Ordnance (46 Geo. 3rd, (i. 

 45.) induces a reasonable mis- 

 trust as to the efficacy of all legis- 

 lative provisions and directions; 

 in cases where the temptations 

 to a contrary practice are great, 

 the means of evasion have not 

 been found impracticable. 



The commissioners on fees, &c. 

 (in 1787) in their third report 

 pp. 104- and 5, referred to, and 

 printed in the proceedings in con- 

 sequence of the finance reports, 

 G. II. pronounced an opininn a& 

 to the inutilityof this office, which, 

 "besides being an unnecessary ex- 

 pense, tends to multiply accounts, 

 and disperse the public money ; as 

 there will always be a balance left 

 in the hands of each officer to 

 whom any portion of ij is issued ;" 

 they continue, that, '• this office 

 ought, in their opinion, to be car- 

 ried on in the office of the Trea- 

 surer of the Navy, not only as 

 being a branch of the pay of the 

 navy, but that the officer may be 

 contiguous to check the pay of 

 the marines on ship board, the 

 debts due from those who embark, 

 and for other purposes." 



There was at that time an agent 

 as well as a paymaster, the former 

 of whom acted as deputy, and 

 transacted almost the wliole of the 

 business, and the commissioners 

 recommended the continuance of 



2G2 



