452 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



the efficient person in the office, 

 with a salary of 600/., and the dis- 

 continuance of the paymaster; but 

 the Board of Admiralty, deeming 

 it more expedient to reverse the 

 suggested improvement, abolished 

 the first and continued the second; 

 the great diligence and regularity 

 of Mr. G. Viiliers, who was repre- 

 sented in the report from the Admi- 

 ralty of August 1 799, G. II. as an 

 abieand attentive officer, by whom, 

 since his appointment in 1792, the 

 business of nearly the whole of the 

 marine department had been con- 

 ducted, being given as a reason 

 for disregarding this recommend- 

 ation of the commissioners. The 

 removal of the agent, aftcraservice 

 of twenty-eight years in the ma- 

 rine department, was attended with 

 an annual expense in the nature 

 of a compensation, paid out of 

 the marine poundage and stop- 

 pages, and directed to be inserted 

 in the paymaster's annual account. 

 The committee examined seve- 

 ral persons of experience as to tlic 

 propriety of abolishing tliis office. 

 [|Sir A. Snape Hammond, late 

 comptroller of the navy, thought 

 the office of no advantage. Sir 

 T. Thompson gave the same opi- 

 nion less decisively. Mr. Rose, 

 treasurer of the nav}', thought the 

 payments could be made at his 

 office, together with the widows' 

 pensions.] 



The present paymaster of the 

 navy, Mr. Smilli, did not point out 

 any objection to placing llie officers 

 now in the Marine Pay Office un- 

 der the control of the Treasurer 

 of the Navy ; who being in the 

 course of paying about 120,000 

 seamen, could, in iys opinion, 

 without much inconvenience, pny 

 30,000 marines. 



Captain Varlo, one of the four 



deputy paymasters, concurred in 

 the same view of the proposed 

 alteration. 



Captain Kempster, an agent for 

 several officers of marines ; con- 

 ceived it to be essential thateither 

 the paymaster or agent should be 

 retained, and that it would have 

 been much better if the latter had 

 been continued, and the former 

 suppressed. 



Your committee therefore do not 

 hesitate in recommending to the 

 House, that this office should be 

 forthwith suppressed; and that the 

 business shouldbetransacted in the 

 office of theTreasurerof the Navy, 

 under whose direction drafts may 

 be prepared of such regulations, 

 and an estimate of such an esta- 

 blishment as may be necessary for 

 that purpose, which ought to be 

 submitted to, andapproved by the 

 commissioners of the treasury. 



It may deserve consideration, 

 whether some of the houses in So- 

 merset place, as they become va- 

 cant, mnynot be applied to the ex- 

 tension of such offices as are at 

 present cramped for wantof room. 

 Your committee being of opinion, 

 that official houses are (except in 

 some specialcases) an improvident 

 mode of adding to salaries, or of 

 paying public servants, inasmuch 

 as the charges upon the public, for 

 building in tlie iirst instance, and 

 i'orcontinual repairs afterwards, are 

 out of all proportion to the benefit 

 oi' accommodation which is deriv- 

 ed totheoHicers who inhabit them. 

 * * * -X- * * 



The discovery of Mr. G. Vii- 

 liers's default, led to the detection 

 of another of very inferior amount, 

 but arising principally from the 

 snnie causes, in the conductor's 

 department under the Treasurer 

 of the Navy. 



