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1. Reports of the Commissioners for examining debts due to the Army addressed to the King on the following subjects:—the extraordinary charges of the office of Anthony Hammond, Esq., late Deputy to the Duke of Chandos, late Paymaster General of the forces abroad at Barcelona and Minorca. [Minuted:—“24th Janry 1721–2. To Audrs Imprests to prepare a Sign Manual. Warrt signd 12 Feb. 1721–2.] Charge of provisions from the marine and other regiments in Garrison at Annapolis Royal in 1710 and 1711. [Minuted:—“8th Feb. 1721–2. To Audrs Imprests to prepare a S. Manual.”] Allowance of mule money for regiments in Spain for the years 1707, 1708, and 1709. After the battle of Almanza the officers (Sir Charles Hotham and Col. Fredrick Sibourg) were obliged to maintain the beasts of carriage to protect the adjacent country. Both regiments sustained several losses by being besieged, and their horses, mules, and baggage were taken by the enemy on being forced to retire to defend themselves in the castle of Alicante. [Minuted:—“12th Feb. 1721–2. To Audrs Impts to prepare a S. Manual.”] Levy money for horses raised by the officers of the regiment of dragoons under the successive command of Lieut. Col. Green, Count Nassau, and the late Earl Stanhope. [Minuted as above.] Horses lost in action in the late war in Spain. [Minuted as above.] Demand of pay of Captain George Carleton as engineer in Spain. The Earl of Peterborough “commanded him to serve in that capacity at the Siege of Barcelona, Raquina, and Cuenca, and he acted as engineer at the Sieges of Barcelona, Alicant, and Denia where he was taken prisoner. [Minuted:—16th Feb. 1721–2. To Audrs imprests to prepare a S.M.] Demand of Mr Vincent Chabanes for his services and disbursements as Commissary of provisions in Spain amounting to 19,311l. 8s. 6½d. [Minuted as above.] Demand of officers of regiments of dragoons commanded by Major General John Pepper placed on the Establishment of Ireland. [Minuted as above.] Demand of Doctor John le Cane for his disbursements as director of the British Hospital in Spain. [Minuted:—“To Audrs Imprests to prepare a wt.] Claim for mule purchase and mule maintenance by Lieut. Genl Wills and officers under his command. [Minuted as above.] Demand for subsistence of the supernumerary men of Col. Charles Churchill's regiment of marines. [Minuted as above.] Claim of several officers of the late regiment of foot commanded by Col. Constantine de Magny. They were made prisoners at the battle of Almanza. Their application is for completing their full pay. Also a demand made by Mr Thomas Sydenham appointed in England to pay and subsist sundry invalid soldiers, discharged from the service in Flanders and Spain, and further a demand of Lieut. Charles Hutchinson, of Col. Edward Stanhope's late regiment of foot, being respited 64 days. [Minuted as above.] Demand for half pay to invalid officers of three companies that did duty at the Tower of London, of four companies quartered at Brentford, and of the officers of eight companies that were to be formed out of Chelsea. Dated between 17 Jan. and 7 March 1721–2. 22 pages and 4 halves.
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2. Various papers connected with the Treasurer of the Chambers Department, consisting of accounts, an estimate, &c. One is a certificate of what was due to Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bart., principal painter in ordinary to his Majesty; another is an application for an imprest of 500l. for his Majesty's intended progress to Salisbury and Portsmouth. 14½ pages.
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3. Lord Chamberlain's warrants to the Master of the Great Wardrobe, the Master of the Jewel Office, &c., for the delivery of articles of furniture, plate, &c. Besides which there are two certificates of the admission to the place of Gentleman of the Bedchamber, and a request to the Lords of the Treasury to pay 350l. to Mons. von Borssele, Envoy Extraordinary from the States General, on his taking leave. 7 pages.
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4. Reports of the Controllers of Army Accounts (Medows and Bruce) to the Lords of the Treasury, on the accounts of persons victualled, and on payments to be made to the contractors in connexion with the garrisons of Gibraltar, Placentia, and Annapolis Royal; on the allowance to Edward Hughes, Esq., Judge Advocate General; on the case of the Col. and Captains of the regiment of the late Earl of Donegal's regiment, who were charged with an additional company and six men, for the time when most of the officers of that regiment were made prisoners at Almanza, and detained in France two years. Some of the reports have minutes on the back similar to the following:—“Prepare warrant,” &c. Dated Controller's Office, Privy Garden. There are also the enclosures to the reports. 33 pages or parts of pages.
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5. Five Orders in Council, four of which relate to ships arriving, the sanitary condition of which required consideration, as to whether they should perform quarantine, and one relates to the seizure of a pirate ship at Barbadoes called the Royal James. 11 pages.
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6. Reports (with enclosures) of the Comrs of Customs to the Lords of the Treasury on petitions relating to the following subjects, also some memorials of the Comrs of Customs:—(1) on a composition with the Crown by a merchant indebted for tobacco duties. (The petitioner and his sureties held the manor of Uxendon with divers lands in and near Harrow-on-the-Hill. He had also possessions in London, Guernsey, and lands called Goodwins in Essex; (2) on certain bales of silk in which bags of stones were found for which duty had been paid. (The Comrs say “that admitting the case to be as represented in the petition, yet the repaying duties of goods as over entered, after they are out of the possession of the officers, is contrary to the constant practice of the Customs, and may be of dangerous consequence to this revenue by opening a way to many frauds”); (2) on the sale of the estates of Cornelius Denne, late of London, merchant, under extent for a considerable debt to the Crown. The estates were at Hemingford Greys and Hemingford Abbots, and difficulties had arisen in making a title to them. As to that at Hemingford Abbots, Capt. Keyser claimed a title under a mortgage made by Mr Denne for 2,000l. and part of the estate was copyhold, and was not liable to the extents. Mrs Judith Wonnocott had also a mortgage of 500l., besides a large sum for interest due on both estates. The purchase money for both estates was 9,600l., of which there was due to the Receiver General of Customs, 4,642l. 11s. 7d.; pray their Lps to be a means for passing the grant of the estates to Mr Mitchell, the purchaser. [Minuted:—“Warrt sign'd 19th May 1722”]; (4) on what was due to the Crown by Mr Hawes, late Receiver General and Cashier of the Customs' revenue (66,240l. 15s. 4½d.). [Minuted:—“21 Aug. 1722.”] Write to the Trustees (for the sale of the Estates of the late Directors of the South Sea Company) to know what money is in the hands of the cashier applicable to this debt; (5) on a deposit for duties on unrated East India goods until the dispute thereon could be adjusted. [Minuted:—April 25, 1722]. “The Lords agree that ye sum of 43,629l. 19s. 9d. payd by ye E. India Company by way of deposit, be charged to Sr John Shaw's account, & that ye warrant for deposits be recalled, & ye payments be made & accounted frequently for ye future”; (6) on arrival and seizure of goods from Ostend, when the post announcing the shipment only arrived four days after; whereby the petitioner could not be privy to the running of the goods; (7) on the repayment of land tax to the inferior officers of the Customs, whose salaries do not exceed 60l. per ann.; (8) “For the sign manual for deducting 6d in the pound to be explained.” [Minuted:—Warrt signd 4th 8br 1722.] (9) On the additional business occasioned by the quarantine. (10) On the allowance of duties paid on goods burnt in a ship. The report states that the Commissioners are of opinion the petitioner cannot be relieved, “for that by law the duties of all goods are due and payable on their importation into this Kingdom, that the appropriation of the duties takes place from the time they are legally charged in the King's books, and that ye revenue cannot be affected by any subsequent hazard to the goods”; and if any such indulgence should be brought into practice, it would put the management under many difficulties, and expose the revenue to great hazards. (11) On the gross and neat produce of the revenue [the account not now with it]. (12) On the petition of the Mayor, Aldermen, and burgesses, merchants and traders of the borough and parish of Barnstaple. They represent that the borough formerly comprehended the port of Bideford and all the creeks and harbours within the bar of Barnstaple, the duties of keyage whereof belonged to that Corporation. Upon the erection of the port of Bideford, the creek or harbour of Appledore was left, as it ever was, to the port of Barnstaple. The dismembering and annexation of it to the port of Bideford would be of the most fatal consequence to the port of Barnstaple, and the revenues and privileges of the latter town. Long since the erection of the port of Bideford the limits and bounds thereof have been visited by virtue of a writ or commission from the Court of Exchequer [of Easter term 29 Car. II.], and by the return to the same, Appledore is limited to be, as it always was, within the port of Barnstaple. Of late the officers of customs at Bideford, have granted warrants for the delivery and shipment of goods imported and exported at Appledore, which will favour clandestine trade, &c., and will be a notorious infringement of the revenues and privileges of the Corporation of Barnstaple. The Comrs report that it appears that the limits of the port of Barnstaple, by virtue of the above Commission, extend to the Bar of Barnstaple, unto a Rock called Whipplestone, or Hubbastone, in the parish of Northan in the river of Bideford, and that the port of Bideford extends from the said rock, on both sides the river, to Bideford Bridge “and Appledore lying between the said Rock and the Bar of Barnstaple,” and they are of opinion that the despatches for the shipping and unshipping goods at Appledore should legally be granted by the proper officers of the port of Barnstaple only. There are also several enclosures including two plans. One of the enclosures is a copy of certificate of the Inhabitants in, and near, the port of Bideford, in which they state that having often viewed the river and port of Bideford and keys thereof, “the ‘Lyer’ before the Key in the West side of the sd River is choaked up with sand, mudd, & stones, that ships of eighty tons & upwards, laden with goods, cannot come near the Key, unless on the heigth of a spring tide; and even then are in great danger of damaging both ships & goods by the sands washing away from under their bottoms, as has been often found by experience; and that no part of the ground, near the same key is so safe for any ships, as the ground on the East side of the said River. That for several years last past the river has alter'd its course, and now runs on the East side, as it formerly did on the West side, which has scoured off the sand & mud, and made the ground on the East side, free & safe for ships or galleys of burthen to lie upon with safety, without danger of taking any damage.” They further “certifie that on low tides, the boats from Apledore, with passengers, are forced to land them on the East side, not having water to come near the key on the West side.” [The report is minuted 7th Feb. 1722–3. Make a copie of this report for Mr Whetham, 8th April 1723. Read.”] Also (13) copy of memorial of the Comrs of Customs for additional building to the Custom house, Thames St, with Warrt for the same annexd, dated 30th March 1722. Mentions that the estate belonging to the Trustees of the Free School at Sevenoaks, Kent, adjoining the East End of the Custom House, is now vested in the Crown. 72 pages or parts of pages.
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7. Report and three memorials of the Comrs of Excise to the Lords of the Treasury, relating to (1) “duties upon printed linens ad valorem”; (2) the insolence of the runners on the Coast near Battle, who are headed by persons for whom rewards have been offered in the Gazette, also as to the quantities of foreign brandy brought in by the Portsmouth dealers by fraud [Minuted:—“12th July 1722. My Lords will move his Matie to send two companies to this Coast as desired”]; (3) the runners of brandy on the coasts of Sussex and Southampton and the attempts to kill the customs officers [Minuted like the last]; (4) the gross and net produce of the several branches of his Majesty's Civil List revenues under the management of the Comrs of Excise. 13 pages or parts of pages.
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8. Various financial papers consisting of (1) Estimates of the debt of the Navy; (2) Estimates of the debt for Transport Service; (3) Accounts of debt of the Civil List and declaration of the expense of the same; (4) Accounts of what is wanting to clear the Foreign Ministers (names given); (5) Estimate of charge of the office of Ordnance; (6) State of the sinking fund; (7) Rough draft of contract for circulating Exchequer Bills; (8) Sums voted for the public service; (9) Abstracts of the produce of the revenue in Ireland; (10). Account of the produce of the Excise; (11) Papers as to the South Sea Company's capital, &c.; (12) Papers as to Exchequer Bills; (13) Accounts of produce, &c. of the “Aggregate Fond into the Exchequer”; (14) State of the produce of the duty of 4½ per cent. 37 pages.
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9. A broken series of similar papers numbered on the back. There were originally 59 or more papers. Amongst them are three papers of estimates of the charge of the guards, garrisons and other his Majesty's Land forces in Great Britain; of the out pensioners of Chelsea Hospital; and of the forces in the Plantations, Minorca and Gibraltar. 31 pages.
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10. Several papers relating to Lottery affairs. 13 pages.
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11. Memorials from the office of Paymaster of the forces to the Lords of the Treasury, asking for the issue of moneys for remittance to Minorca, Gibraltar, Port Mahon, &c., and in payment of various other services. One relates to Captain John Kelly, who whilst ill of a fever was superseded. His company was serving at Tinmouth Castle. Another relates to fees paid at the Exchequer at 1½d. per pound on upwards of two million pounds. [Minuted:—“Agreed to make a standing warrt for the time to come.”] 26 pages or parts of pages.
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12. Representations of the Comrs of Works to the Lords of the Treasury on the following subjects: (1) the upper story of the New Buildings at Kensington; (2) the Court of Requests and the passage between the House of Commons and the Painted Chamber. Recommend that the walls of the former be raised and the roof pulled down and rebuilt, and that the passage Gallery between the House of Commons and the Painted Chamber be made new, the stairs more commodious for the Members, and rooms over the passage for the Clerk of the Parliament: (3) the “condition of the fine equestral statue at Charing Cross which is very much out of repair, the reines of the bridle being broke and wasted small” &c.; (4) the condition of the work of painting the ceiling of the Great Chamber at Kensington. A report by Messrs Nesbott (or Nesbitt) and Rambour is enclosed, which states the work is better than half done; but the perspective is not just. The principal of the work, which consists of ornaments and architecture, is not done as such a place requires. “Mr Nesbott adds, that the boys, masks, mouldings, &c. far from being well, he has seen very few worse for such a place,” and Mr. Rambour affirms that the sd work far from being done in the best manner;” is not so much as tolerably well performed. They cannot say whether the blue used in the work is true ultramarine, because it does not look fine enough; but Mr Nesbot's opinion is, that it is nothing but Prussian blue, in which perhaps there may be some ultramarine mixed, and (5) the debt due in the office. 6 pages.
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