flections on his Majefty and the Royal Fa- Vol. IX. mily, fcatter'd through that infamous Libel, which make up the Fifth and Last Head, I leave them to the Animadverfion and Cenfure of the Law, whenever the Authors, Printers, and Publishers, of it, are discover'd. I fhall only draw this natural Inference, from thofe Traiterous Suggestions, That fome Perfons Joyning with the Whigs, in Proclaiming and Inviting over the Proteftant Succeffor, was more owing to the Neceffity of their Circumstances, and the Confufion they were in upon the late Queen's fudden Death, than to their Inclination and Affection to the Auguft Houfe of Hanover. Be that as it will, 'tis certain, that Virulent Libel was a very improper Means for the Tories to ingratiate themselves with the King; and that on the contrary it could not but fix the Whigs in his Majesty's Fa

vour.

Another Discovery that was made about this Time contributed not a little to ruin the Late Managers in his Majefty's Efteem: Which whole Matter is, contain'd in the following Order, made on the 11th of January, the King present in Council, viz.

Discovery of Abufes com

mitted in Chelsea Colthe ledge.

the

PON Reading this Day at Board a Report from the Right Honourable the Lords Committees of Council, and others appointed to Examine and En quire into the Abuses of Chelfea College, Dated the Tenth of this Inftant, in the Words following, viz.

THP

HE Lords of Your Majefty's most Honourable Privy Council, and others, to whom it was Referred to examine and enquire into the Abuses and Mifmanagements of the Royal Hofpital near Chelsea, having often Met and Proceeded as far as the Time would permit, beg leave humbly to Represent to Your Majefty the present State and Condition of the faid Hofpital, which as it appears to them, is attended with fuch irregular, unwarrantable, and corrupt Practices, as almost entirely Defeat all the good Ends and charitable Purpofes of that Great and Noble Inftitution, and is at length grown to fuch an Heighth of Iniquity, as to become a Burthen to the Nation, rather than a Relief to Superannuated and Difabled Soldiers.

The firft Occafion of this Enquiry arofe from a Memorial of Mr. How, late Paymafter-General and Treasurer of Chelsea College, Delivered to the Lords Commiffioners of Your Majefty's Treasury, the 27th of November laft, a Copy whereof is hereunto annexed

This Memorial being referred to a Committee of Council, and to the Lords Commiffioners for Chelfea Hofpital; the Acting Commiffioners, that thought themselves principally concerned in the Charge, and infift upon their Juftification, demanded a Copy of the faid Memorial, to which they gave in their Anfwer.

To this Anfwer of the Commiffioners Mr. How thought fit to make a Reply; All which we lay before Your Majefty, and for Your further Information, and Satisfaction, beg leave to Obferve and Explain to You, the Nature of the Charge, and the feveral Facts that appeared to us, during the Examination.

The chief Grievance, complained of is, That whereas the Fonds, properly applicable to the Sup

port

port of the Royal Holpital, do very little exceed 22,000 l. per Ann. the Annual Charge and Expence thereof does now amount to above 91,000. If this extraordinary Expence had grown and become neceflary under a frugal Management and good Oeconomy, the Burthen of it had been more Supportable, but 'tis very furprizing to find, that the whole is owing to a fcandalous Remifnefs in the Principal Officers, and Notorious Corruption in the Inferior, Countenanced, if not Encouraged by the Acting Commiffioners.

The First Article is the great Number of OutPenfioners, which deferves a very particular Confideration, and as Stated by Mr. How, Amounts to 8980 Men, but upon Cafting up the Pay-Books, it Appears that the Number now Entred there is 9109.

Nor will it seem strange, that there is this difference in the Total Numbers, if we come to confider the Method of making up thefe Books, and upon whose Integrity alone it did depend to make the Number whatever was thought proper, even after the Books were Signed by the Commiffionrs.

These Pay-Books are made up by Mr. Crifp, Secretary to the Commiffioners, wherein all the Names of the Men are entred Alphabetically; and at the end of the whole Lifts there are Warrants Signed by the Earl of Clarendon, Lord North and Grey, Lieutenant General Withers, Colonel Hales the Governor, and Mr. Crawford Deputy Governor of the Hofpital: These Warrants are not only Authorities, but pofitive Directions to the Pay-Mafter to pay the Men their ufual Penfion for the Time therein specified, being Six months in each Book; and all the Men are there certified by the fubfcribing Commiffioners to be then Alive, and duly Entitled to the Penfion.

As

A's thefe Warrants were a Direction for Diftributing above 60,000 1. of publick Money, it is Aftonishing to find what little Care was taken by the Acting Commiffioners to prevent any Fraud or Abuse, which the Method of these Books was not only liable to, but feems calculated for no other purpose.

As the Names of all the Men are entred Alphabetically, fo at the end of almost every Letter in the Alphabet, there is in these large Folio Books a Page, or a Page and Half, left Blanks, which it was most evidently in the Power of those who had the fole Management of this Affair, and in whofe Cuftody the Books were kept, till delivered to the Paymaster, to fill up with what Names they thought fit.

And to make any fuch Practice the more Easie and Undifcoverable, the Names of the Men are no where numbered, nor any One Page in the Books, nor are the Totals caft up at the end of the whole, nor the amount of the Pay specified; that it no ways appeared to the Commiffioners for what Numbers they Signed, nor how much Money they Difpofed of,and whether the Numbers were 8980 or 9109, or but half the Number, at the Time the Commissioners Signed. The Publick can have no Satisfaction but from Mr. Crifp's Integerity: And fo little Care had the Signing Commiffioners to make any thing certain, that their Warrant is without Date: The first Inftance, that fo much Money was Directed with fo many Blanks and no Date for the War

rant.

This Unaccountable and Unwarrantable Method of Making up and Signing the Pay-Books, Three of the Commiffioners, viz. The Earl of Clarandon, Lieutenant-General Withers, and the Governor, have thought fit to Juftifie, and in Anfwer to this part

of

of the Charge to alledge, "There could be no De"fign to add any Number of Men at the end of "the feveral Blank Pages, no Men being to be paid, "but upon a Re-examination; and for this purpose "they say, the Direction to Mr. How is to pay "fuch Perfons as were therein mentioned, except " where it was otherwife excepted; and that this "Exception was inferted to prevent the Payment "of any Men upon the Penfion who fhould not be "Re-examined. But that there is no fuch Exception in the Warrants, nor any Words that can be conftrued to have any fuch Meaning, the Perufal of the Warrants will Satisfie Your Majefty beyond all Difpute.

But the faid Commiffioners infifting fo much upon this intended Re-examination for their Juftification, it is neceffary to State the Fact very parti cularly: They confefs they were fenfible of the extraordinary Encrease of the Out Penfioners. "And "that they had Reafon to believe, that by the "Number of the Dead which would appear upon a "Re-examination, and those whofe Wounds, &c. "were Cured, they fhould be able to reduce them "to a reasonable Number; and for this their great Care and Caution, they Appeal to an Advertise"ment in the Gazette in July laft, for the Penfi

oners to appear in August, to be Re-examined: But the fame Commiffioners, who declare under their Hands, they were fenfible of all this in July laft, very foon forgot their good Intentions; and in November following, without any previous Examination or Reduction, certifie the whole Number to be Living, and give a pofitive Order for Paying them, or fuch Perfons for them, as fhould have Letters of Attorney for that purpofe: And as to that Allegation, that the Draughts from the Penfioners to do Duty in Garrison upon the Demife of the Queen,