the diffention between the house and the council of ftate; the first command Monk to march flowly thither with his whole army, the laft command him to halt. I think I fhall have little occafion for the future to fend your majefty accounts of the Rump, believing it may be in an unfavory condition.

The State of Lambert's Army.

ter.

This body, being composed of fectaries, libertines, and anabaptifts, is prudently by Monk commanded into Scotland; where (if, his ambition blinding his reaion, he fets up on his own fcore) they will be the moft proper fcourge for the prefbyAnd thus he may dclign the Scotch army, which he leads hinfelf to fubdue the fetaries here. And thofe lunatics, to keep in order the violent kirkmen, Morgan commands in nature of a major general. Their numbers are decreased, many following the example of their general, and perhaps refolving to purfue his fortune, who is now very bufy here; and if from fo fmall a párk he raises a combuftion, it will be the moft wonderful change yet feen, and may in future ages país for a miracle.

The State of Monk's Army.

The 86 eral opinion (which always magnifies the fuccefsful, and often unjustly condemns the unfortunate) is, that fince this long and fad rebellion, no army was ever fo well difciplined and officered as this; the numbers, by the beft account I can trust to, amount to 7000 horfe and foot. And it feems to me a wonder, in this weather, it gathers not like a fnow-ball. What effect

Monk's conference with Fairfax hath produced is not yet known; this night I expect it from Rushworth, his fecretary; in the mean time we all change our opinion, and believe they have a good underftanding, I mean in relation to what I with. He brings 25,000l. along with him; thus his prudence mafters Lambert's choler, and certainly he had read Taffo's

Fu il vincer fempre mai laudabil cofa, Vinca fi pur d'ingegno o pur di forza. He is now at Newark. I hope we make no ill conclufion when we fuppofe him ours, upon the ground of his giving commiffion to the Fenwicks (fecluded members) to buy a regiment of horse, his giving the government of Newcafile to Elifon, one of the fame ftamp, and his employing colonel Bethell, an honeft lay elder as we call him. I can fay little more of him, but that he is a black Monk, and I cannot fee through him.

The State of the Army here.

That the whole or part is to be bought I hope to produce demonftration; and, though the defign hath taken air fome weeks, yet I hope to fee good effects from the conjunction of Browne, Ingoldby, and Robinfon. The fum of 15,000l. is raifed for the prefent, but if not made ufe of in two days, the contract is null. The foldiers are independent of their officers, and by reafon of the frequent changes, never permitted any officer to make himfelf beloved or popular; an agitator will do more in an hour than all the officers in a day, and they will either march or refufe it, as the laft impreffion works upon

them.

fecurity, than will be done by thofe formal ways which I hear some men endeavour to go about, and in which many obstructions will be found, which I could easily remove and prevent; and if any courfe be taken, in which a juft difcontent remains with any, and juftice itself be wounded, the foundation is not well laid for a lafting fecurity. I am confident I fhall prevent all inconveniences of this kind when I am with you, which I must conjure you to halten by all your intereft. And I tell you again, I will not leave myself bread, rather than every thing fhall not be performed which you promise to your officers and foldiers on my behalf. I am confident you know there hath been, and is ftill, a cabal which endeavours to infufe and keep alive all ill humours and diffatisfaction in the army and in the houses, to obstruct and defer my being fent for, which, by the bleffing of Gød, can only put an end to all distempers; and therefore I must conjure you to use all your intereft for the removal of all thofe obftructions, and all unneceffary formalities, which may retard my coming. And you may be as confident, as of any thing in this world, that if it were in my power to recede from any thing I have promifed in my declaration or let ters, I would as much abhor the doing it as any wickedness that can be imagined; and furely a full and general fecurity, which no man is more folicitous to establish than I am, can never be so well provided for as by my prefence with you, which, by God's bleffing, would difappoint all ill defigns which are contrived against me and you, and the peace of the nation. I expect within few days the arrival of the commiffioners

General Monk to the King.

May it please your Majesty, “TUESDAY last I attended your majefty's two houfes of parlia ment to proclaim the recognition of your royal right unto your imperial crowns. By the universal joy in the performance, it appeared that God hath given to your fcepter the hearts of your people; who, though they have been by neceffity and force agitated to different points, yet, like a needle truly touched, rett only in this magnetic determination towards your majefty; whose royal heart, touched with the divine grace, I am fure is fixed to make it the glory of your majefty to advance the crown and fcepter of our Lord Chrift, and that under you all your people may lead a peaceable life in all godliness and honefty.

This bearer, major Robert Harley, whose faithful endeavours have not been wanting to your majefty's fervice, will acquaint your majefty with the defires of your parliament for your majefty's fpeedy return into your dominions. To which I take the boldness to add my humble opinion, that now your ma

jefty's

vereign,

"That your majefty may enjoy many years of glorious reign is the

Your majesty's, &c."

St. James's, May 10, 1660. An original.

The Sixth Report of the Commiffioners appointed to examine, take, and ftate, the Public Accounts of the Kingdom.

Prefented to the House of Commons on

the 11th of February, 1782. N pursuance of the directions of the act by which we are appointed, our attention has hitherto been engaged, principally in marking the delay which affects the public money in its paffage, either from the pocket of the fubject into the Exchequer, or from the Exchequer back again into the poffeffion of the perfon who becomes entitled to it; but of ftill greater importance to the public is the diminution it suffers in it's progress.

Întent upon the object pointed out to us by the act, as the first for our confideration, namely, that the public might avail themselves, as foon as poffible, of the balances in the hands of accountants; we have, in the offices that have as yet come under our examination, applied ourfelves chiefly to the investigation of these balances, and reported upon them with as much expedition as we were able; adding only fuch fuggeftions of immediate regulation as arofe out of the subject, and occurred to us in the course of that inveftigation, but deferring, as a matter feparate and diftinct, the execu

tion of that part of the act which directs us to report an exact state of the fees or gratuities paid or given in collecting, iffuing, expending, and accounting for the public monies, and the authority under which fuch fees and gratuities are paid or received."

In the course of our examination into the office of the paymaftergeneral of the forces, we obferved in the account of the payments made by him out of the deductions of twelve-pence in the pound, and one day's pay, for the year 1778, annex、 ed to our laft report, No. 7, a charge of 32,5571. 7s. 1od. paid for fees at the Exchequer. So large a fum of fees paid by one officer, to one office, in one year, demanded our attention, and led us to require from this office the fum total of the fees paid at the receipt of his majefty's Exchequer, by the paymafter-general of the forces, during the year 1780; the accounts of that year being then under our confideration.

By the return made to that requifition, it appears that these fees, in the year 1780, amounted to 39, 1981. 6s. 1od.; and that they confifted of a poundage on the money iffued.

As the annual fupplies laft year exceeded that of all former years, and may increase, and all poundage fees on thofe fupplies will increase in proportion, we thought it incumbent

upon

upon us to proceed to an immediate examination into the article of fees, and of the principles upon which they are founded; to the intent, that, fhould they be deemed a fubject worthy the interpofition of the legiflature, the public may not remain without the benefit of a speedy remedy for a preffing and increating evil.

We have had under our examination two offices of large public expenditure; the pay-office of the navy, and the pay-office of the army. To each of thefe we iffued our precepts for an exact state of the falaries, fees, and gratuities, received by the refpective officers and clerks in thofe offices, from the 24th of December, 1779, to the 25th of December, 1780, with the amount thereof received by each officer and clerk, during the faid period.

To the feveral branches of the receipt of his majefty's Exchequer, that is to fay, to the auditor, the clerk of the pells, the tellers, the chamberlains, the ufher, and the paymasters of exchequer bills, we iffued the like precepts; and returns were made to us from all thefe offices.

We have thought it expedient, in the courfe of this enquiry, where the office is not executed by the principal officer, but by his deputy, or first clerk, to examine the latter only, as probably beft qualified to give us the information we wanted. We have omitted likewife, as more minute than neceffary, to examine thofe inferior officers and clerks who receive small falaries only, or inconfiderable fees.

As our account of the emoluments of thefe offices is taken in a year of the most expenfive war, we have required and stated, where we have been able to obtain it, the net

produce of each office in time of peace.

At the clofe of our examination into each office, we have stated, and inferted in the appendix, an account of the falaries, allowances, fees, and gratuities, diftinguished under their feveral heads, and the total amount thereof received by each officer and clerk in that office, with the fums paid for taxes, and other difbursements; and the net produce to each officer and clerk, during the year 1780; and diftinguifhing, as far as appeared to us, without entering into too long an examination, to what amount each office is a charge upon the public, the civil lift, and individuals. But we must at the fame time remark, that most of the fums for fees and gratuities, ftated by us as paid by individuals, are ultimately paid by, and a charge upon, either the civil lift or the public. This latter diftinction we have made, not confidering the intereft of the crown as feparate from the intereft of the public; but because the favings, if fuch there fhould be, will in the one cafe, fall into the fund appropriated for the fupport of his majesty's civil government, and in the other, into the finking fund.

We have diftinguished the taxes paid by the officers, that is, the landtax, and the one fhilling and fix penny duties, from their other difbursements; because the charge of the public, in fupporting thefe offices, is leffened by as much of thefe taxes as get back again into the Exchequer. But, not being able eafily to difcover what diminution they fuffer in their progrefs, we have only ftated the amount of them, without deducting them from the expence of the public.

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