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cution, and which, together, form the title to reward.

By this regulation the officer will know his income, the public will know their expence, and uniformity and equality will be introduced in the provifions for officers of equal rank and ftation in fimilar offices. The induftry of fome perfons requires the fpur of profits continually flowing in, or the hopes of increase: others prefer the certainty of a known, fure income, paid at stated times. No arrange ment can fuit the difpofitions or occafions of all men; but time and ufage will foon reconcile one reafonable rule, extended through thefe departments of government. Notwithstanding this regulation throws upon the public the whole expence of thefe offices, which are at prefent fupported in part by individuals, yet, by adopting it, that whole expence will become lefs than the fum it now costs the public; for that fum is fo great as to afford every liberal falary, and yet leave no inconfiderable faving. Not that this is the only faving propofed by the regulation: the public at prefent bear a much greater fhare of the burthen than is obvious at the first view. Befides fees and gratuities paid by public offices, and refunded to them out of public money, many payments, though made by individuals, are charged by them ultimately to the account of the public. For inftance, the contractor, when he calculates the terms upon which he may fafely engage with government, muft eftimate every article of profit and lofs confequential to his bargain: to the account of the latter, he places all his charges, and amongst them the long cata

logue of fees, certain and uncertain. The first he knows; the last he will calculate not to his own difadvantage; and if by them he can procure credit, or preference, or expedition, he will charge them to government at their full price. If this head of various expences was blotted out of his column of charges, by fo much would the terms of his contract be more favourable to the public.

But befides this, fo very various and extenfive are the operations of government, that the number of perfons employed in their service conftitute a very confiderable body of the people; and their relief is a public concern. If, by discharging an office, at prefent paid by a falary, from thofe fees and deductions to which it is now fubject, that falary fhould become greater than the office ought in reafon to have annexed to it, it may easily be regulated, and reduced to its proper ftandard.

We have faid the falary fhould be paid free of all deductions; that is, as far as is confiftent with the laws in being. The falaries and fees of office are at prefent fubject, by three acts of parliament, to the land-tax, the fixpenny, and the one fhilling duties. Whoever takes a view of the above ftate of the official profits, will not wonder they fhould be deemed by the legislature a fit fubject of taxation; and, under the fyftem then in ufe, no other mode of taxation could well be contrived, but that adopted in thofe acts, though at tended with inequality; and, in many cafes, with hardship. Had one known falary been at that time the pay of office, and the neceffities of the ftate required the aid

of every fubject, in proportion to his faculties, it is poffible a diminution of the falary before it iffued, might have appeared a more eligible, more equal, and lefs expenfive mode of taxation, than paying it entire out of the Exchequer, and then bringing back again a part of it, delayed and defalcated by a variety of deductions in its circuit; but, as it is, the fums at prefent affeffed upon thefe offices must continue to be paid; becaufe, otherwife, in the landtax, it will occafion a deficiency in the fum to be raised by that divifion in which the office is affeffed; and, in the other duties, it will diminish the funds created by thofe acts, and confequently the fecurity of the creditors upon thofe funds. The land-tax and duties are now paid by the of ficers, at ftated times, to the collectors and receivers. If the mode of payment by a clear falary is adopted, the total fum, now affeffed upon all the officers in one office, may ftill continue to be paid as one fum, in like manner, out of the fame fund with the falaries themselves.

We have faid the falaries fhould be annexed to the office: it ought to be a full and competent recompence for the execution, and no more. The whole of it ought to be paid to the person who executes, independent of the officer who prefides, but who should ftill retain the fame power of appointment, and the fame controul that he now exercises over the inferior officer. Where the profits exceed what the officer is in reafon entitled to, the overplus fhould be abolished, and the public reap the benefit, not a perfon who earns no part of it.

In the pay-office of the army,

fome of the offices of the deputy paymafters abroad are finecures : though deputies themselves, they execute thefe offices by their deputies, being themselves engaged in very different employments under government.

Inftances are not wanting, in all thefe offices, to warrant this regulation of payment by a falary. The treasurer of the navy and his paymafter, the paymaster-general of the forces, the paymafters of exchequer bills, and their officers, are all paid by falaries only; and why the fame rule may not be extended to the reit, no fufficient reafon has hitherto occurred to us. It might feem too fanguine, to fuggeft how far this rule may be applied to other offices, without a previous examination into their peculiar circumftances; and yet the advantage it holds out to the public, its fimplicity, and aptitude to be accommodated to all offices, however diftinguished, afford great reafon to believe it may be applied to every department of government.

The principle of economy by which we have been guided, has led us to the conclufions we have formed, and the regulations we have fubmitted to the wifdom of parliament: conclufions ftrictly deduced from that principle, and regulations made neceffary by the preffing exigencies of the times.

GUY CARLETON,
T. ANGUISH,
A. PIGGOTT,
RICH. NEAVE,

(L.S.)

(L.S.)

FL.S.)

(L. S.)

SAM. BEACHCROFT, (L S.) GEO. DRUMMOND, (L. S.) Office of Accounts, SurryAtreet, 1782.

9th February,

CONTENTS.

HISTORY

OF EUROPE.

CHA P. I.

Ireland. Retrospective view of the internal state of affairs in that country.
Attempt to reform the conftitution, by fhortening the duration of parliaments.
Mutiny bill paffed. Meetings of the Irish volunteers to obtain a par-
liamentary reform. Ineffectual attempt to induce them to difband. Bill for
effecting a parliamentary reform-rejected by a great majority; and re-
Jolution thereupon. Addrefs to his majesty on that fubject. Counter-address.
Another bill prefented, and rejected. Propofition for the relief of the Roman
catholics. Petition of the delegates conveyed to Mr. Pitt. Mr. Pitt's an-
fwer. Difunion among the volunteers, on the subject of the Roman catholics.
Lord Charlemont thanked by the city of Dublin for his conduct. Steps ta-
ken by government to prevent the meeting of the delegates. Letter from the
Attorney General to the sheriffs of Dublin. High fheriff of the county of
Dublin profecuted, fined, and imprisoned; others alfo profecuted. Meetings
of delegates nevertheless held. Another bill presented, and rejected. Dif
treffes of the manufacturers of Dublin. Committee appointed for their re-
lief. Mr. Gardener's plan rejected by a very great majority. Violent
ferment amongst the people. Outrages of the mob, who are difperfed by
the military. Bill for reftricting the liberty of the prefs. Petitions against.
Modified, and paffed. Non-importation agreements entered into. Precautions
to prevent enormities. Lord Lieutenant incurs popular odium, and is openly in-
fulted. Commercial arrangement between Great Britain and Ireland. A set of
refolutions prefented to the house of commons in Ireland; agreed to; tranfmitted
to England. Bufinefs opened in the house of commons there by Mr. Pitt;
bis fpeech. Propofitions minutely investigated. Ten new propofitions added.
Propofitions paffed. Very strongly oppofed in the house of lords; paffed. Bill
thereupon. Propofitions tranfmitted to Ireland; their reception there. Bill
moved for, correfpondent to that in England; debates thereupon. Speeches of
Mr. Grattan and Mr. Flood. Bill brought in; ordered to be printed. Further
profecution of the meafure declined. Mr. Orde's Speech on the occafion.

Intended emigration of the Genevefe to Ireland. Reception of their commif-
fioners there. Difagreement between the parties. Scheme proves abortive. [1

CHA P. 11.

Retrospective view of continental matters, which, through the multiplicity and
importance of other foreign or domeftic affairs, were, of neceffity, paffed
over in our late volumes. France. Death of the Count de Maurepas,

and

and fome account of that celebrated minifter. Convention with Sweden, by which the French are admitted to the rights of denizenship, of establishing warehoufes and factories, and of carrying on a free trade in Gottenburgh; in return for which, France cedes the West India island of St. Bartholomew to Sweden. Obfervations on that ceffion. Spirit of civil liberty, of enquiry, of reform and improvement, with a difpofition to the cultivation of ufeful arts, characteristics of the prefent times. Causes. Great improvements in Spain with respect to arts, manufactures, and agriculture; measures pursued for the diffemination of useful knowledge, for improving the morals, and enlightening the minds of the people. Inquifition difarmed of its dangerous powers; numerous patriotic focieties formed, and public fchools inftituted, under the patronage of the firft nobility; canals and roads forming; fubfcriptions for conveying water to large diftricts defolate through its avant. King fuccessfully refumes the project of peopling and cultivating the Sierra Morena; abolishes bull feafts; restricts the number of borfes and mules to be ufed in the carriages of the nobility; procures an accurate furvey and charts of the coafts of the kingdom, as well as of the Straits of Magellan. Attention to naval force and to com merce. New Eaft India company formed. Improvements in the adminiAtration of colonial government. Intermarriages with the royal line of Portugal lay the foundation for an alliance between the latter and France. Patriarchal age, eminent qualities, and death of the celebrated Cardinal de Solis, Archbishop of Seville. Important reforms in the police of Portugal. Queen forms the 'excellent refolution of never granting a pardon in any cafe of affaffination or deliberate murder; which has already produced the happieft effects. Excellent regulation of taking up the idle and diffolute throughout the kingdom, and of applying them, at the expence, or under the care of government, to proper labour. Improvements in agriculture attempted; climate and foil unfavourable to corn. Political obfervations on the intermarriages with Spain, and on the new alliances with the boufe of Bourbon.-Italy. Noble act of Pious the VIth, in his generous Endeavours to drain the Pontine marshes.-Naples. Difpofition of the king to naval affairs, and to the forming of a marine force. Grand Duke of Tuscany. Regulation in Florence for the difpofal of the dead in a common cemetery, caufes great difcontent. [25

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Retrospective view continued.-Venice. War with Tunis.-Germany. Dif appointment in the Emperor's commercial views. Failure of the Afiatic company. Ancient crown and regalia of Hungary removed from Prefburgh to Vienna. Archduke Maximilian fucceeds to the electorate of Cologn, Admirable improvements in the ecclefiaftical electorates. Paftoral letter from the elector of Triers. Death of the Landgrave of Heffe Caffel. -Turkey. New prophet. Some account of the Sheich Manfour. Porte obliged to procure a peace for the Emperor's fubjects with the Barbary ftates. Perfian phyfician conftructs a balloon at Conftantinople, and afcends fuccessfully into the air, with two others, in the prefence of the court

and

and city. Nobly rewarded by the Grand Signior. Proffered services of a celebrated aeronaut, about the fame time, rejected by the Emperor and the king of Pruffia. All attempts of the fort forbidden in the Ruffian empire. -Demark. Prince Royal displaying uncommon early abilities, is declared major. Unexpected revolution in the miniftry, and wisdom with which it was conducted. New council or administration formed under the auspices of the prince. Queen Dowager prefented with the royal caftle of Fredericksburgh, in Holstein, to which she retires. Prince fupports with luftre the early hopes formed of his talents and virtues. Becomes the encourager of literature, and patron of learned men. Liberal and fuccessful attempt to recover the antiquities, and to procure materials for establishing the biftory of the northern nations. Succeffion of irregular feafons, with violent fhocks of the earth, extraordinary commotions in the heavens, and other natural evils, produce great calamities to mankind in various parts of the world. Peftilence defolates the coafts of the Levant with unexampled malignity. Failure of harvests in Europe. Many parts of Italy, Hungary, Germany, and France, defolated through the inundations of their great rivers. Prince Leopold of Brunswick unfortunately perishes in the Oder. Famine and diftreffes of every kind prevail in the northern kingdoms. Ruffia refufes the ftipulated fupply of grain to Saveden from Livonia, which "increafes the calamity of that country, Complicated diftresses of Norway. Unexampled destruction, and calamity of Iceland,

[45

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Neither the danger of foreign war, nor the refignation of the duke of Brunfwick, ferve in any degree to allay the ferment in Holland, or to restore tranquillity to the Stadtholder's government. Great point gained by the adverfe party, in procuring a French General to command the armies of the Republic. Some account of the Marshal de Maillebois. Short view of the origin and hiftory of that celebrated republican party, which has fubfifted in Holland from the days of Prince Maurice to the prefent time. Motives on both fides for the clofe connection which generally fubfifted between that party and France. Late war with England, and its confequences, afforded the means for that party to become again formidable. General charges against the Stadtholder with respect to the conduct of that war, and the answers made to them. Repeatedly challenges them to the proof. Their views anfwered by fupporting and spreading the clamour and jealoufy. Specific enquiry into the conduct of the navy, after a long and tedious courfe of proceeding, produces nothing equal to the public expectation. Various caufes which concurred at this time to raise the republican Spirit, to the highest pitch in that country. Injudicious measure of placing arms in the hands of the burghers, produces effects little expected or wifhed by the leaders of the party, and caufes great innovations in the government of many towns. Peculiar advantages poffeffed by the adverfe party over thofe on the Orange fide. Great legal, official, and natural powers, and refources, poffeffed by the Prince Stadtholder. Violent measure of depofing the Prince from the government of the Hague. Prince and family aban

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