Vittualliuu fficr.

'Tin: Victualling Office has two distinct functions,-provisioning the Navy, and managing the Medical department. The minor classifica- :lull; will be readily understood by an inspection of the annexed

SIMM.IlV OF TILE VICTUALLING DEPARTMENT.

Victualling Office £26,560 Victualling Yards 48,975 E%ponse of Management --75,535

Viii oats for the s,•anten and Marines 459,517

Medical Establishments 50.104

Clothing, Barracks, and Infirmaries or the Royal Marines 29,166

Buildings at Cremill 60,000 Total of Victualling Expenditure £674,322

To provision an army, would appear to be as complicated and ex- pensive a matter as to victual a navy. Yet the cost of the former, in- cluding the Commissariat establishments abroad, is nearly 20,000/. less than that of the victualling expense of management. This difference can only be ascribed to the Commissariat contracting for supplies, which the Victualling Office persists in manufacturing. This depart- ment brews, grinds, bakes, buys, kills, and salts cattle, with the proba- bility of fraud, the certainty of waste, and a contingent expense for buildings, machinery, &c., to which "master millers" and "master brewers" and "master coopers," with all the paraphernalia of a "Yard," are nothing. The 60,000/. for buildings at Cremill, is an instance of this; and as it illustrates the mode in which Government Works are managed, we shall present a few particulars to the reader. Our autho- rity is a Parliamentary Report.'

It having been determined to erect these buildings, the land was pur- chased in 1823, for 28,6751., without the knowledge or authority of Par- liament. Upwards of a year afterwards, an estimate of the expense was submitted to the 1-louse; and the expenditure of a sum, amounting to 74,0001., was allowed by the Legislature. Up to 1830, however, no less than 249,441/. was expended ; being 175,441/. "beyond the amount submitted to the consideration or sanction of Parliament; which pay- ments were all made from the surplus of sums voted for general pur- poses." The original estimate has also been exceeded by upwards of 100,000/., even supposing no further addition to be necessary. It now appears that the works are entirely useless, but may be wanted in case of away. Thus, in addition to the constant expense of the Victualling Yards, nearly 400,000/. has been expended upon one establishment. A specimen of the .Manufacturing system.

VICTUALLING OFFICE. 1,000 1,000 2,090 2,900 6,210 9,930 130 100 3,200 £26,560 £25,513

\S-ages of the Foremen, Warders, Artificers, and La- bourers at the several Victualling Establishments

at Home and Abroad 31,256 Deduct £56,771 The Amount received in 1831 for OH Stores . • 7,796

Total of Victualling Yards at Home and Abroad . A:48,975

VICTUALS FOR SAILORS AND MARINES. 18,000 Sailors, 9,000 Marines, making 27,000 Men, at IL 4s. a man per month £421,200 1,505 Men's Provisions for Ships in Ordi- nary. at I/. 10s. a mats per month.. 29,347 460 Men's Provisions for the YardService Afloat, at 11. 10s. a man per month 8,970 28,965 Men. Total cost of Provisions X 459,517 MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENTS.

Haslar Hospital £7,483 Plymouth Hospital 4,891 Deal 330

* Report-Victualling Establishment at Cremill Point-Ordered by Me HMO of Commons to be printed 13th March 1832-No. 272.

Surveyor-General of the Victualling Physician-General of the Navy

Per Annum.

3 Clerks of the 1st Class mid 1st Section, from 600/. to 800/. 5 Ditto of tit-t 1st Class and '2i1 Section 500 - 600

16 Ditto of the 9A1 Class 309 - 500 44 Ditto of the 31 Class 90 - 300

Head Messenger, Salary, and House-rent housekeeper Parish Duties and Taxes, Advertisements, Stamps, and Con- tingencies VICTUALLING YARDS.

Deptford £8 4%*

Ito, al Clarence Yard, Gosport 5,696

Ply:mouth 3 251 Sheerness 1 146

Milor 100 Cork 800 Cape of Good Hope 1,375 Gibraltar 950

Malta 1 420

Staddon Point 120 Brixham 42 Fernando Po 900 Ascension Island 300 Bermuda 400 Halifax 200 Jamaica ..... 150 Rio de Janeiro 100 WAGES.

Wages of the Matrons, Porters, Barbers, Keepers of Lunatics, Cooks, Sm. heretofore

paid by salary 1,195 Wages of Labourers, Nurses, Washers, Sze. at the Hospitals at Home and Abroad 4,700 Total Wages 5,895 MEntem, STORES AND HOsrITAI. PROVISIONS.

Provisions and Stores of all kinds 12,000 Medicines 3,500 Surgical Instruments 700 Subsistence and Cure of Seamen at Sick

Quarters and at the London I lospitals 2,000 Miscellaneous Disbursements. and Value of Stores issued from Victualling Deptits 7,000

-- 25,200 Total for Medical Service £ 50,104 Jamaica £2,212 Malta 1,549

Cape of Good Ilope 776

Bermuda 1,668 Halifax 100 - z Total Salaries, Sec. 19,009 SERVICE OF TIIE ROYAL MARINES.

The expenditure (exclusive of pay and victualling) for the Royal Marines, was formerly voted in the Navy Estimate. The change is not for the worse, but we scarcely see the advantage of the transfer.

Cm:snits:a, 8:c.

Clothing for 9,000 Marines

Compensation for Clothing to ditto Necessaries for ditto

Total Clothing

BARRACES.

Repairs and Painting of the Marine Barracks

9,000 Total for the service of the Royal Marines £29,166 EXTRA ESTIMATE FOR PURPOSES NOT NAVAL.

The expenditure incurred for the objects enumerated below, is not in strictness an expenditure for naval purposes. Of 205,000/., 115,000/. is for the Army; 88,500/. for Punishment, or Police, or Justice; an 1,500/. (a pennyworth of bread to all this sack) is for the People. Even this pitiful assistance to the miserable bids fair to terminate al- together. Last year, double the present sum was voted to aid emi- grants. Yet, on reflection, we feel tempted to qualify our remark. The ominous words "•Swan River" may perhaps indicate the winding up of an old job. The respective proportions of the cost for provisions, &c. cannot be given, as the amount is stated in a gross total. Had it been otherwise, we should have added these amounts to the different heads for whose service they are expended.

EXTRA NAVY ESTIMATE.

Freight of Ships for the Conveyance of Troops, Stores, Sze. on ac-

count of the Army and Ordnance Departments £115.000 Expense of conveying Convicts to New South Wales 88,500

Freight of Ships for the Conveyance of Passengers. Stores, 8:e. to Swats River, and other places on account or the Colonial de- partment 1,500 Total of Eta a Navy Estimate £205,000 EXTRA V/CTITALLING ESTIMATE.

Provisions for Troops on Foreign Stations, and for the Convict Service, and the value of Rations for Troops to be embarked on board ships of

war and transports 150,000 Total of Extra Estimates for Navy and Victualling £355,000

£ 8,000 4,000 1,500 13,500 800

Stores and Necessaries for the Barracks: consisting of t Can-

dles. Bedding. Sacking, Ironmongery, and articles of all descrip-

tions, for (lie four divisions Salaries at the four Marine Barracks, Woolwich and Deptford, Chat- ham. Portsmouth, and Plymouth, viz.-

-- 812 Total Barracks - 10,612 MARINE INFIRMARIES.

Repairs and Painting of the Infirmaries 700 Stores and Necessaries of the same description as specified for the Barracks 1,000 Salaries at the four Infirmaries, viz.-Woulwich, Chatham,* Ports- mouth, and Plymouth 3,354

Total Marine Infirmaries 5.054 Barrackmaster at each Barrack £182 House-rent for each Master 21

203 Barrackmasters 4