Lord A .Hamilton ,after a few prefatory remarks on the public interest excited towards the conduct 560 of the Barrack Department, by the Third Report of the Commissioners of Military Inquiry, (an interest in which he strongly participated,) moved, for the purpose of comparison, that there be laid before the house a return of the Barrack Supplies furnished by Alexander Davison, esq. during the last whole year that he was so employed; specifying the articles furnished, their quality and price, the barracks to which they were delivered, and their total amount. Also, a similar return of the barrack supplies furnished by the commissary-general of the barrack department during the whole first year of his being so employed.
Mr. S. Bourneseconded the motion, conceiving it to be highly desireable that the house should be put into complete possession of all possible information on this important subject. He wished to call the attention of the house to a paper relative to the barrack department, laid on the table of the last parliament, which must render it obvious to all those by whom it had been read, that the last administration had taken every possible measure to prevent premature issue of public money in the barrack department. This paper proved that the subject had engrossed the attention of government towards the end of the year 1804, when an arrangement was made, that could not well have been entered into at an earlier period. That arrangement went to remedy the evils complained of, to bring the whole of the transactions in question, under the immediate superintendance of the commissary-general to abolish the treasurer, to prevent any expences for building or repairs from being incurred without the knowledge of the treasury, and to produce a variety of other beneficial effects. If the noble lord (H. Petty) had no objection, as soon as the present motion should be disposed of, he would move for the re-printing of that paper.
§ Lord H. Pettydeclared that he should have no objection whatever to the motion of the hon. gent. He allowed that the regulation to which he alluded was extremely proper. It was now under the consideration of his majesty's government, and in all probability the subject would soon be submitted to the consideration of parliament.—Lord A. Hamilton's motion was then agreed to: and Mr. S. Bourne immediately moved, that the copy laid before the house of commons on the 20th of 561 March, 1806, of so much of his majesty's regulations respecting the barrack department, as related to the safe custody of money intrusted to the barrack-master-general, be re-printed. Ordered.