These abuses are multifarious, and are perpetrated through the medium of a vast variety of agencies, which naturally divide themselves into two distinct branches.

The first relates to frauds which are committed by the connivance and assistance of clerks, store-keepers, and inferior officers in the dock-yards, and other repositories, and in ships of war and transports, in receiving and delivering navy, victualling, and ordnance stores, in surveys ; in returns of unserviceable stores; in what is called solving off stores; in fraudulcat certificates; in the sale of old stores; and by innumerable devices which constitute a great aggregate in the course of a year; thereby enriching a number of individuals at the public expence, by a system of plunder perpetrated by means of fraudulent documents and vouchers of articles which have no existence but upon paper.

うど

The second relates to the actual pillage of new and old cordage, bolts of canvas, "sails, bunting, twine of all sorts, fearnought and kersey, leather and bides, old and new copper, locks, hinges and bolts, copper bolts and nails in immense quantities, bar iron, old iron, lead and solder, ship's plank, oars, timber of small sizes, blocks, quarterstuff, candles, tallow, vil, paint, pitch, tar, turpentine, varnish, rosin, beer and water casks, iron hoops, biscuit bags, leer, bread, rum, oil, vinegar, butter, cheese, beef, pork, Sc.-all which articles suffer a vast annual diminution by means of that regular system of plunder which has become habitual to a number of the inferior servants of the Crown, who have in their respective situations access to such storés, in which they are encou raged from the difficulty of detection, in as much as no annual inventory is ever taken of the public property. Vast quantities are coustantly provided, and the storehouses are generally full; from which circumstance it happens as matter of course, that the articles which were recently deposited are issued first, and hence it is, that many valuable stores are said to have remained untouched and unseen for forty or fifty years; until a number of articles perish or become unserviceable from length of time. An annual inventory, rendered practicable by more extensive store-houses, would remove this obvious inconvenience.

All stores being delivered under the authority of warrants signed by the commissioners and proper officers, the clerks, or in their absence, the foremen of the warehouses where the articles stated in the warrants are deposited, deliver the stores; and if opportunities

-It is by no means to be inferred from what is here stated, that there are not both among the furnishers and contractors for public stores, as well as the officers and clerks employed in the departments here alluded to, many individuals of great honour and integrity. It is to be hoped the fraudulent are the smallest in point of number.

offer, large additional quantities, by the connivance of these inferior officers, are frequently said to be sent out of the repositories; and sometimes stores are delivered three or four times over, under colour of the same warrant, without discovery.

A similar system prevails with regard to stores sent to the public repositories from dismantled ships of war and transports.

Many vessels in the coasting trade, and even ships of foreign nations, are said to touch at Portsmouth and Plymouth, merely for the purpose of purchasing cheap stores; and it is well known, that many dealers in naval stores in the neighbourhood of the dock-yards are chiefly supplied in this way,

The system which prevails at present with regard to the sale of old stores, not only proves a kind of safeguard to these fraudulent dealers, but it is also subject to great abuses, in the delivery of larger quantities not included in the public sales; by which the parties, per petrating this species of plunder, are said to pocket considerable sums of money.

The artificers in the dock-yards, availing themselves of their per quisite of chips, not only commit great frauds through this medium, by often cutting up useful timber, and wasting time in doing so ; but also in frequently concealing within their bundles of chips, copper bolts, and other valuable articles, which are removed by their wives and children, and afterwards sold to itinerant Jews, or to the dealers in old iron and stores; who are always to be found in abundance wherever the dock-yards are situated.

It would seem that the abolition of the perquisite of chips would be a great improvement, and prove the means of correcting many gross abuses which at present prevail in the different dock-yards; where it is estimated, that 30:0 ship-wrights are employed at the wages of 2s. Id. with the privilege of one bundle of chips each day; which though not worth more than 6d. to each ship wright, actually costs Government is. 6d. because good and valuable timber is often cut down to make these chips-The following estimate will clucidate what has been stated, and shew the benefits which Government would probably derive from the abolition of this perquisite, even if the wages should be raised, which are perhaps too low at present.

3000 men, working 300 days in a year, will be entitled to 900,000 > bundles of chips at 18 6d,

Time lost to Government in making up these, chips, equal to 6d. per day

Articles purloined and stolen, by being concealed within these bundles; and by women and children, who resort to the yards on pretence of carrying them away; supposed

£67,500

22,500

50,000

£140,000

Deduc 6d. a day additional wages, in lieu of the perquisite of chips, which the shipwrights would consider as an ample remuneration, 22,500 Presumed gain by this arrangement £117,509

The naval, victualling, and ordnance stores pillaged in the dockyards and other public repositories, and also from ships of war in the River Thames, are estimated in the first chapter at 300,ocol. a year.

The vicinity of the metropolis, joined to the various facilities which fraudulent people enjoy through the medium of old iron and store shops on the spot; of carts employed in this trade alone, con-stantly going and coming from and to the capital; the advantage of an easy and safe conveyance of ponderous and heavy articles, by means of lighters, and other craft passing up and down the River; and the extensive chain of criminal connection, which a course of many years has formed, joined to the ease with which frauds are committed, have combined to render this nefarious traffic a very serious evil.,

Among the multitude of criminal people who are concerned in it, some are said to keep men constantly employed in untwisting the cordage, for the purpose of removing the King's mark, or coloured stran, which is introduced into it as a check against fraud; while others (as las been already mentioned) are, in like manner, employed in knocking the broad arrow out of copper bolts, nails, bar iron, and other articles, on which it is impressed, so as to elude detection,

It would scarce be credited, to what an enormous extent the sale of cheap cordage, sail cloth, and other naval articles is carried, in supplying coasting vessels and smaller craft upon the River Thames; which has been plundered in a variety of ways.

In addition to the remedies which have been proposed by the extension of the bum-boat act, with applicable amendments, to the different dock-yards situated beyond the limits of the River Thames; and by establishing police offices at Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, with proper boats and officers of justice, to watch the conduct and proceedings of fraudulent people, and to put the laws effectually into execution; it may be necessary to strengthen the existing statutes, by introducing into the proposed act of parliament, the following regulations, including those already suggested: viz.

1. That all public stores found in the possession of persons employed under the Crown, in ships, dock-yards, or in public repositories, be conclusive evidence of embezzlement.--The punishment, transportation.

2. The possession of stores having the King's mark, in the custody or premises of any other person, to be evidence of receiving such stores, knowing them to be stolen.-The punishment, transportation.

• It has been mentioned in the preceding chapter, that 9000 coasting vessels, and also 4500 traders to foreign parts, enter and clear in the Custom house of London, in the course of a year, independent of small craft in the River. This offers an inexhaustible resource for the purchase of cheap cordage, sail-cloch, and every other material.

3. The defacing any of the King's marks, or removing the same, or forging or counterfeiting the marks in canvas.— Transportation.

4. A power to magistrates, to grant warrants to peace officers to search for King's stores, on oath being made of their being deposited in any specific house or place, to be stated in the information.

5. Rewards to be granted for apprehending all offenders under the existing laws, for stealing or receiving the King's stores; to be paid according to the discretion of the judge who tries the offence, and in no case to exceed 40l. nor to be under rol

6. Regulations to be made relative to the sale of old stores, so as to prevent the purchase of such stores from being made a cover, in the hands of receivers of stolen goods, for protecting stores fraudulently obtained.

7. Police Magistrates to be established with proper officers at Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth."

8. The Act of the 2d of his present Majesty, known by name of the Bum-boat Act, to be extended to Sheerness, Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth.

9. Regulations to be made, rendering it felony to alter, erase, or fabricate any documents, vouchers, books, accounts, or any writing, with an intent to defraud his Majesty; or to procure a quietus to any person having accounts to adjust with the navy, victualling, transport, ordnance, or sick and hurt offices.

To render the System complete, and to guard the public against the frauds which take place in the receipt and delivery of stores, and in surveys; a system of checks might be usefully introduced into the different dock yards, upon the plan of what prevails în the excise, with such variations as should be applicable to local circumstances; but as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have full authority over their own servants, such regulations will require no new law.

But whatever may be judged expedient as the best means of preventing those evils which are known to exist; it would seem indispen sibly necessary to place all the officers, artisans, and servants in the naval departments, above the reach of those temptations which con*stantly assail them; by such a liberal increase of salary or wages, as would enable them to live comfortably according to their respective stations in life, and shield them against the necessity of yielding to any proposition, for the purpose of obtaining money at the expence of their honour or integrity.

The abolition of all perquisites, fees, or gratuities in the naval departments, would, of course, follow the liberal increase of salaries; and would operate powerfully in promoting that chastity of conduct, which ought to be the leading feature in the character of every person in whom any trust, either public or private, is reposed.

Nothing can be upon a footing more hostile to this chastity of conduct, than the prevailing practice of disposing of clerkships in the dock-yards for a premium :

It is said to be no uncommon thing to pay 300l. for a situation, where the salary does not exceed 30l. or 40l. a year. It may fairly be asked in what manner a person so situated is to reimburse himself? The conclusion is obvious, and the result has been already explained, and may perhaps be still further elucidated by stating the following fact;

An officer of justice, having discovered some instances of pillage and peculation going forward, in the fraudulent removal of copper and other articles from a dismantled ship of war, complained to the store-keeper in the dock-yard; whose province it was to have received those articles into his charge, which were conveyed elsewhere. - He replied thus

"D-n it, mind your own business.-Such things have always been done, and will continue in spite of you or me -It will at any rate, last our time."

The object and views, however, of the Author of these pages, are somewhat different from this trusty servant of the Crown; for the suggestions, now offered, lead to measures, which, he hopes, will in time be the means of introducing such regulations into the system of the navy, victualling, and ordnance departments, as will, by ren dering the resources of the country productive in a much greater degree, establish that kind of permanency which will not only last our own time, but extend to many generations; while the same regulations, by preserving the morals of the people, will increase the happiness and the security of all ranks in the community.

CIRCUMNAVIGATORS.

Drake, in 1577. Cavendish, 1586. Cowley, 1683. Dampier, 1689. Cooke, 1708. Clipperton and Shellock, 1719. Anson, 1740. Byron, 1764. Wallis, 1766. Carteret, 1766. Cook, 1763, 1772, 1776; continued by King, 1780. Since by Portlock in 1788. First that entered the Pacific, Magellan, 1520. Spanish. Groalva, 1537. Avalradi, 1337. Mendana, 1567. Quiros, 1625. Dutch. Le Maira, 1615. Tasman, 1642. Roggewin, 1721.-Bougainville's, was in 1766.

1