information of the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury.-We are, &c. &e Rupt. George, Ambrose Serle, Thos. Hamilton, E. Bouverie. [Addressed to the Commrs. of Naval Inquiry.]

Amount. 90,534 14 11 1797 3,537,291 8 8 1798 2,611,926 17 2 1799 3,019,555 2 7 1800 4,661,788 2 2 1801 5,826,739 6 5

No. XVII. Navy Office, 20th Nov. 1804. Gentlemen.-You having by your precept of the 1st instant, required that there be laid before you an account, shewing what stand- No. XIX. Navy Office, 16th Oct. 1804. ing contracts with the navy board had deter--An account, shewing the amount of the mined between 1st October and 19th De- ninety-day bills issued from this office in cember 1801, and an account of the stand-each year, during the time interest was aling contracts in force at the latter date, and lowed both on the day of the date of the which continued so for twelve months after- bills, and the day of payment. wards; also, a copy of the minutes or direc- Commencing. Ending. tions for altering the practice of including 26 Dec. 31 Dec. 1796 the day of the date in reckoning the interest 1 Jan. 31 on ninety-day bills:-We acquaint you, that the contract for tin machines of 6th November, for Portsmouth and Plymouth, and the contract for leather liquored for Portsmouth, are the only standing contracts that determined between 1st October and 19th December 1801. We inclose an account of the contracts in force at the latter date, with a copy of the minute required; and have the honour to be,-gentlemen, &c. W. Palmer. S. Gambier. F. I. Hartwell.-Addressed to the com. of naval inquiry.] Here follows a detailed account of the contracts.]

1

31

1

31

1

31

1

19

Total £19,747,835 11 11

No. XX. Transport Office, 12th Oct. 1804.-An account of the amount of the bills payable at ninety days date, issued in each year, upon which the interest of the day of the date, and the day of payment, was included.

to

1797

1798

1799
1800
1801

-1,507,419 14 10
1,037,571 14 10

Total £6,305,976 11 7

No. XVIII. Transport Office, 12th Oct. 1804.-Gentlemen, in return to your precept of the 5th instant, requiring an account of the amount of the bills of this office, payable at ninety days, issued in each year, upon which the interest of the day of the date, and the day of payment was included; and a statement of the circumstances which led to the adoption and discontinuance of that No. XXI. Treasury. Chambers, 1st May, mode of calculating the interest; we enclose 1804.-Gentlemen,-The sum of ninetyto you the said account, and have to ac-five thousand pounds having been imprested quaint you, that the persons to whom payfor naval services, and the ments were made by ninety-day bilis, were, lords commissioners of his majesty's troal in strictness, entitled to their money upon sury being satisfied that disbursements for the completion of the several services per- those services have been made by them to formed; but an interval of several days that amount;-I am commanded by their having almost invariably occurred while lordships to direct you to cause a clearing their accounts have been under investiga- bill for the said sum of ninety-five thousand tion, and the bills were preparing; it was pounds to be made out, to discharge upon this ground, and upon the construction in the books of your office from that inwe entertained of the intention of the act of prest.-I am, &c. N. Vansittart. [Addressed parliament, that the interest was allowed by to the Comrs. of the Navy.] us both for the day on which the bills were No. XXII. The Examination of the Rt. Hon. dated, and that on which they became pay- the Earl Spencer, K. G.; taken upon oath, able. This mode has, however, been al- the 6th Nov. 1804.-Q. It appears, that be tered ever since the month of December, tween the 4th October 1799, and the 9th 1801, from which time the interest has not April 1901, navy bills, amounting to one commenced till the following day, und -hundred thousand pounds, were issued by standing the like alteration was to be made by the commissioners of the navy, with whose office list our daily accounts of bills issued are constantly incorporated, for the VOL. IV-Appendix.

the imprest cleared and taken off by an order from the right honourable the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury, seventy .thousand pounds of which sum were advanced between the 4th October and 22d November 1799, during which period your lordship presided at the board of admiralty; was any part of this transaction known to your lordship 4.1 apprehend the transaction was known to me at the time; but I have not now a sufficient recollection to speak precisely on the subject. [Signed by Earl Spencer and by the Commissioners.]

Return to an Order of the House of Commons, made on the 22d of March last; for Copies of Proposals which have been made, and a Statement of Securities given to the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Trea

General of the Land and other Taxes in Scotland, in relation to the Debt stated to be due from him, in the 8th Report of the Select Committee of Finance, so far as re lates to the Proposals therein mentioned.— The Proposals made by Mr. Fordyce to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, are recapitulated in a letter of the 10th June 1798, printed by order in the Report of the Select Committee of Finance for 1797, Appendix (E.); a copy of which is annexed, No. 1.

No. XXIII. The Examination of the Rt. Hon. the Earl of St. Vincent, K. B.; taken upon oath, the 2d of Nov. 1804.-Q. It ap-sury, by John Fordyce, Esq. late Receiver pears that between the 4th October 1799 and 9th April 1801, navy bills, amounting to one hundred thousand pounds, were issued by the navy board to for naval services, of which five thousand pounds have been repaid to the treasurer of the navy on the 9th October 1802, and the remainder of the imprest cleared and taken off by an order from the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury, thirty thousand pounds of which sum were advanced on the 9th April, 1801, at which time your lordship presided at the board of admiralty; was any part of this transaction known to you? A. None whatever,-Q. It appearing that the sum of fourteen thousand pounds was advanced by the navy board to Messrs. T. Hammersley and company, between the 18th of February and 21st of April, 1804, for a secret service; was the comptroller of the navy authorised by you to perform any secret service for which this money was advanced, or had you any knowledge of the transaction? 4. He was not; nor have I any knowledge of the transaction.-[Signed by Earl St. Vincent and by the Commissioners.]

Return to the above Order, so far as relates to the Securities therein mentioned.We have to state, that, to the best of our knowledge, the arrear of Mr. Fordyce was occasioned by the successive failures of three different agents employed by him for the purpose of paying into the exchequer the taxes remitted from Scotland, and not from any diversion or misapplication of the pablic money by the receiver; the debt therefore becomesdivisible into 3 parts; viz. The sum of 13,4151. 17s. 9d. occasioned by the failure of Douglass and Cockburn, and due from their estate seized under an extent. The sum of 23,9441. 3s. 10d. occasioned by the failure of Fergusson and Murdock, and due from their estate seized under an extent; making 37,3601. 1s. 7d. In regard to which sums the proposals are, that the effects of those agents, having been taken by extent, should remain for liquidation in the hands of Trustees appointed by the treasury. Return to an Order of the House of Com- For the first of these sums, no security has mons, dated the 22d March last; for, an been given by Mr. Fordyce, the reason for Account of all Sums which have been paid which is, that Mr. Fordyce has never conin Discharge of the Debt of 90,4737. 188. 6d. sidered himself responsible for it, for reastated, in the 8th Report of the Select Com-sons stated in his letter after mentioned. mittee of Finance, to be due from John Fordyce, Esq. late Receiver General of the Lund and ether Taxes in Sectland.

PAPERS PRESENTED TO THE HOUSE OF COM-
MONS RELATIVE TO THE DEBT DUE TO
THE CROWN FROM JOHN FORDYCE, FSQ.
LATE RECEIVER GENERAL OF THE LAND

AND OTHER TAXES FOR SCOTLAND.

Ordered to be printed 3d May, 1805.

For the latter, there is the security on the estate at Grenada, mentioned in the same letter, which will be applicable to this pur

Second, The Obligation of the executors proposal was, that the effects of the two or trustees of the estate of River Antoine, in agents of my late office, which had been Grenada, to pay not less than three-fourth seized upon extents, for the security of the parts of the value of the produce of that es- balances which I had remitted to them to be tate annually to the exchequer, until the re-paid to the exchequer, and which they had mainder of Mr. Fordyce's debt, now reduced to 14,3371. 6s. (exclusive of the said sum of 29,5001.) shall be fully paid; and after such payment, to remain as a collateral security for the payment of such part of the debt of 23,9441. 3s. 10d. due from the estate of Fergusson and Murdock, as may then be unsatisfied. The nature and effect of the latter instrument, and the proceedings subsequent to the proposals, we are not acquainted with farther than by the letters received from Messrs. Goodenough and White, trustees of the crown, and Mr. Fordyce, copies wherefore are annexed, No. 3 and 4. (Signed) W. Lowndes, B. Barne, E. Medows, H. Hayes, H Hodgson.-Office for taxes, 30th April, 1805.

No. I. Copy of Letter to Charles Long, Esq. dated 10th June, 1798.-Sir, In answer to your enquiry as to the progress which I had made in carrying into effect the proposal which I had made to the treasury, I have the satisfaction to be able to state to! you, that a great part of what I proposed is already executed, and that the whole will be completed in the course of next week. My

retained contrary to my orders, should remain for liquidation in the hands of the trustees appointed by the treasury. That in order to ascertain, within a limited time, the gradual and full payment out of my own property of the remainder of the debt to the public, occasioned by the failure of my other agent for that office, in whose af fairs a commission of bankruptcy had preceded and prevented the effect of the writ of extent which I had applied for, I should give the following securities, amounting in. all to 52,0871. 6s.

1st. The sum due to me by government, as one of the commissioners of the land revenue (8,250 0 q 2d. The bonds of sunday gentlemen of undoubted fortune and responsibility, whose names were laid before the treasury, payable in 5, 6, and seven years, for

3d. The obligation of the executors of the estate of River Antoine, in the island of Grenada, to pay the three-fourth

32,500 0 0.

parts of the value of the producc of that estate annually to the exchequer, until the whole of my debt, and that of Messrs. Fergusson and Murdock, late agents of my office, shall be fully paid, This estate, before the late disturbances, yielded 5,0001, a year, and the works being now re-established, it is expected to yield 6,000l. a year. The value of the crops of the next and following years are to be applied to the discharge of the money borrowed for the expense of re-establishing the estate; and along with the obligations of the executors, I give my personal engagement, that the payment on my account out of this fund shall be thereafter not less than 3,000l. per annum. This I give as a security for the balance of the sum for which I proposed to give security.

11,337 6 0

£52,087 6 0

of time.-A plan similar to this, as you know, I had made some progress in 4 years ago, but was disabled from carrying it into effect by the disturbances which then broke out in Grenada, and which made it impossible for me to give the necessary securities to the friends who were to engage for me. I have the honour, &c. John Fordyce. 10th June, 1798.

No. II. Copy of Letter to Charles Long, Esq. dated 31st March, 1799.-Sir, I my letter dated 10th June last, I had the honour to acquaint you, for the information of the lords of the treasury, that I was then nearly prepared to carry into effect the proposal which I had made to their lordships, respecting the debts due by myself and the agents of my late office of receiver general for Scotland. I am now able to state to you, that I have since completed what I was then preparing to execute, and have, agreeably to the directions from the lords of the treasury, delivered to Messrs. Goodenough and White, as trustees appointed by their lordships, the securities herein-after mentioned. This debt, which as has been often stated, was increased to a great sum by the failure of three different agents, I shall divide into 3 parts. The first and greatest part, being 52,0871. 6s, is answerable from my own property only, in consequence of a commission of bankruptcy hav ing, in the affairs of one of those agents, preceded and prevented the effect of the writ of extent which I applied for, and for which the following securities are given :

1st. The sum due to me as one of the commissioners of the land revenue, for salary, at the rate of 1,500l. a year, from Jan. 1788 to July 1793; being 5 years

The whole of the securities referred to in
this statement I am already prepared to give,
except three of the bonds, to the amount of
14,000l., which are now preparing, and
they also will be executed in a few days.
My object in proposing to give the bends
above-mentioned, was, to fix periods beyond
which the debt, so unfortunately incurred,
could not remain unpaid, The terms of
payment were necessarily determined by a
consideration with the friends who granted
them, of the time which it might possibly
require, from the state of my affairs, to
complete the liquidation of the amount of
their engagements on the security of those
affairs. My expectation however is, that
the greatest part of the debt will be much
zooner paid. I have already obtained the
engagement of a very respectable house in
the West-India trade, to advance within one
year after peace shall be made, 10,000l. on
the consignments from the estate in Grena,
da, which sum I have engaged shall be im-
mediately applied to the payment of part of
those ponds which have the longest term of
payment; and there are other very consi-Antoine in Grenada, to pay
derable sums which I have reason to believe not less than three fourth
I shall be able to raise at no great distance parts of the value of the

2dly. The bonds of several gentlemen, of undoubted fortune and responsibility, deposited with Messrs. Goodenough and White for

The names of these gentlemen are given in the inclosed paper.

3dly. There has also been deposited with Messrs. Goodenough and White, the obligation of the executors or trustees of the estate of river

pros

£8,250 0 0

29,500 0 0

duce of that estate annually to the exchequer, until the whole of my debt, and that of Messrs. Fergusson and Murdock, late agents of my office, shall be fully paid

14,337 6 0

£52,087 6 0

great sum of that money contrary to the or-
ders given them to pay it into the exchequer.
Steps were taken for obtaining writs of extent,
and the securities so acquired for that menth
were put into the hands of trustees appoint-
ed by the treasury, with whom a consider-
able part of those securities still remain for
liquidation.-The remainder of the debt to
the public is due by Messrs. Fergusson and
Murdock, who having been appointed agents
for the office, on the failure of Douglas and
Cockburn, fell into the same irregularity of
retaining the money remitted to be paid into
the exchequer; in consequence of which
their effects were seized upon extents from
the crown, and put into the hands of the
same trustees. From those effects it is ex-
pected that the full amount of what remains
due by them will be recovered. I have the
honour, &c. (Signed)
John Fordyce.

In a letter from those executors, a copy of which has been sent to Messrs. Goodenough and White, shey thus express themselves respecting the value of the last-mentioned security, and the loss occasioned by the late disturbances in Grenada:-" The returns "from the estate of river Antoine for the years 1795, 6, and 7, which have been comaletely lost, would probably have been worth 20,0001. which, added to the loan you were endeavouring to obtoin, would have made a great impression on Note of Londs, referred to in Mr. Foryour debt to the public before this time." dyce's Letter to Mr. Long, 31st March, That estate, which was wasted during those 1799.-Bond granted by Duncan, Davidson, disturbances, being now re-established, is and W. Gemmell 7,000l. by R. Bogle, Esq. expected from this time to be as productive 4,000l. by P. Antrobus, Esq. 4,000l. by W. as it formerly was; and if the present prices Blair, Esq. 3,5001. by G. Mowbray, Esq. of sugar shall continue, all the debts upon it 3,0001 by A. Brodie, Esq. 2,000l. by Q. prior to mine will be discharged by the crop Colt, Esq. 2,0001. by R J. Sullivan, Esq, of next year. I am also still persisting in 1,500l. by J. Sullivan, Esq. 1,500l. by J. my endeavours to obtain a loan upon it, Spalding, Esq. 1,000l. making 29,5001. which the continuance of war renders dif- No. III. Copy of a Letter from the ficult, but which will probably be easily got Trustees of John Fordyce, Esq. to the Secre when peace is made. The returns therefore tary to the Board of Taxes; dated 16th June from the estate will be paid annually, and 1802.-Sir, We have the favour of your that loan, when it shall be obtained, to the letter of the 28th May 1802, in which you exchequer, in discharge of the balance be- state, "That the commissioners for the af fore-mentioned of 14,3371. 6s. in the first "fairs of taxes observing by a letter from place; and after that is paid, to the gradual" Mr Fordyce, late receiver general of discharge of the bonds for 29,500l. and of" Scotland, to Mr. Long, dated the 10th the debt due, as is after-mentioned, by "June 1793, that one of the bonds offered Messrs. Ferguson and Murdock, as agents as a security for part of the debt due from for my late office, in just proportion to the "him to the crown, is an obigation of the amount of the sums due to them and me "executors of the estate of the river Anfrom that estate; so that though those bonds "toine in Grenada, to pay three-fourth granted by my friends are not payable till" parts of the value of the produce of that 1805, I have reason to expect that a very "estate annually into the exchequer, until considerable part of them will be discharged "the whole of such debt, and that of before that time; and that term of payment "Messrs. Fergusson and Murdock, late is only to be considered as the mode taken" agents in his office, have been fully paid to fix the period beyond which no part of" and that the payment out of that fund that debt due by me for the security of" after the two years crops which are ap which those bonds are given, can reniain" propriated te the discharge of the money unpaid. The second part of that debt to "borrowed to re-establish the estate, would the public is for 13,4151. 17s. 9d. due by" not be less than 3,000l. per annum; and Messrs. Douglas and Cockburn, to whom it appearing that no payment has been the money of my office was remitted by my "made into the exchequer ont of the prodeputy, in obedience to the directions of" duce of the estate, the board request us the first lord of the treasury, at the time" to transmit them a copy of the bond, if when I discovered that they had detained a "in our possession, or acquaint you with.