STATE PAPERS. 



481 



mentary report, which your com- 

 tnitteehave adopted as the ground 

 of their report. But your commit- 

 tee conceive that neither this office, 

 nor that of one of the joint pay- 

 masters, which is also included in 

 the same list, comes under that 

 description of " sinecure offices," 

 or offices executed by deputy, 

 which is intended to be referred to 

 their consideration. They are not 

 offices held, either by patent or 

 by custom, for life ; nor given as 

 the reward of public service. 



The division of the office of pay- 

 master of the forces does not ap- 

 pear to grow out of any thing in 

 the constitution of that office ; and 

 in point of fact, the whole duty of 

 that office, now become very con- 

 siderable, may be said to be per- 

 formed exclusively by one of the 

 joint paymasters. 



The office of master of the mint 

 is undoubtedly an office requiring 

 little or no attendance, though one 

 of occasional responsibility ; but 

 the present master of the mint dis- 

 charges the duties of the president 

 of the board of trade, a situation 

 ofnoemolument,andrequiringcon- 

 stant attendance and application. 



The duties of the office of vice- 

 president of the same board are 

 m like manner discharged by the 

 treasurer of the navy. 



This observation applies equally 

 to the whole business of the privy 

 council, which is transacted by 

 members, who, with the single ex- 

 ception of the lord president him- 

 self, are not entitled to any salary 

 or emolument for their attendance 

 at that board. 



The dutiesstillperformedbythe 

 Chief Justice in Eyre, south of 

 Trent, appear to be of a merely 

 formal nature, which, so far as the 



Vol. LI I. 



continued performance of them is 

 essential to the preservation of 

 any of the rights of the crown, 

 might, in the opinion of your 

 committee> without inconveni- 

 ence, be transferred to some other 

 efficient office ; such as that of the 

 surveyors of the woods and forests. 

 The government of the Isle of 

 Wight appears not to be of a mili- 

 tary nature. A part of the func- 

 tions of the governor are similar to 

 those of the lords lieutenants of 

 counties, and like them might be 

 discharged without emolument; the 

 other functions appear to be per- 

 formed by deputy ; but with re- 

 spect to this office, your committee 

 have not yet been able to obtain 



sufficiently detailed information. 



* * * * * 



Your committee have next pro- 

 ceeded to examine^ so far as their 

 time and means of information 

 would permit, the more numerous 

 class of offices, which being per- 

 formed entirely or principally by 

 deputy, appear to them to come 

 more immediately within the pur- 

 view of the third resolution. 



Of this description your com- 

 mittee have to notice the follow- 

 ing offices : 



In the Court of Exchequer ••— 

 Clerk of the pipe, comptroller of 

 thepipe, clerk of Exchequer pleas, 

 clerk of foreign estreats, comp- 

 troller of first fruits, the chirogra- 

 phers, foreign apposer, king's re- 

 membrancer, together with which 

 is held the office of registrar of 

 deeds in Middlesex, marsh^i of 

 the Exchequer, surveyor of green 

 wax. 



Register of High Court of Ad- 

 miralty, 



Register of High Court of Ap- 

 peals for prizeS; 



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