"Upon the whole business, witnesses were examined by the Committee who deposed that the Marines, while on the West India expedition, were paid according to the returns of effective men made monthly to the Commander in Chief, and the account of the _off-reckonings_ was kept by the Pay-Office; and that the Officers _clearings_ of the first raised six Regiments had been paid _only_ to the 25th of December, 1740, and of the other four to the 24th of June, 1741, _of which_ the Pay-Master cannot _now_ make any demand, till muster-rolls are delivered into his office, which he must compute, and then certify a state of the Regiment's account to the Secretary at War, who lays it before the King; in consequence of which, _warrants_ for _clearing_ the Regiment are issued to the Pay-master, who then makes out _debentures_, pursuant to which a _warrant_ is drawn for the payment of the money, and that by this was to be understood _clearing_ the Regiment. It further appeared, that by the usage of the Army, Regiments could not be _cleared_ with till muster-rolls were made out, but that the Marines had never been regularly mustered, (owing to their being detached and employed in every quarter of the globe) to which circumstance is owing their not having been cleared with, which has been a sad inconvenience to many of the Officers who were obliged to assign their arrears at a prodigious discount." One of the Agents, upon his evidence, suggested to the Committee an expedient, by which to remedy this evil, which was, that muster-rolls might be made up from the books of the Men of War already come home, and from the muster-rolls of the men now at quarters. He additionally submitted it as his opinion, that it was the _duty_ of the _Commissary_ to make up this account, and _within his instructions_, to accept of such books as immediate vouchers. This Gentleman farther certified, that the _off reckonings_ were regularly paid, but that the _clearings_ were not, and that the Colonel usually saved near £1,000 out the _off reckonings_, after clothing a Marine Regiment; and he conceived, that the Officers _clearings_ might also be paid by a _warrant_ from the King to the Secretary at War; more particularly as there was no deficiency of Officers, though there might be of Private men; and the returns made being strictly upon honor, might supply the want of muster-rolls. From another witness it was obvious, that no account had ever been settled with the Captains of Marines for their Companies, the Agents always alleging, that it could not be done without muster-rolls; and that though the Marines, when in the West Indies, were mustered and paid in the same manner as the marching Regiments were; and though the latter were cleared when they came home, _yet the former were not_.