History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Vol. 1: Compiled from the Original RecordsDuncan, Francis
History
History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Vol. 1: Compiled from the Original Records
Duncan, Francis
Great Britain. Army. Royal Regiment of Artillery
Money seems to have been more plentiful during the reign of William
III.; but when Queen Anne came to the throne, England's continental wars
drained the Ordnance exchequer wofully; and while most of their debts
were only paid in part, many were never paid at all. An amusing incident
of the Board's impecuniosity occurred in 1713. An expedition to Canada
having taken place, the gunners and matrosses employed were found after
a time to be sadly in want of clothing. The Commissary of the Ordnance
on the spot, being without funds, drew a bill on the Honourable Board
for 140_l._, which instead of selling as usual to the merchants, he
disposed of to one of the gunners, apparently a man of means, and
destined ever after to be immortal, Mr. Frederick Price.
The bill, in due course, reached the Tower, but only two-thirds of the
amount were paid. Mr. Price naturally remonstrated; but as the
proceeding seems not to have been unusual, the Board took no notice. So
the injured gunner petitioned the Queen, and a courteous letter from the
Treasury speedily reached the Tower, in which a nice distinction was
drawn between Mr. Price's case and that of the merchants, who had been
similarly treated, "who had been great gainers as well by the exchange
as by the stores and provisions which they had sold." The Board admitted
the force of the reasoning, and the creditor got his own again.
The duties of the storekeeper are expressed by his title, and involved
close and frequent personal inspection of stores, as well as great
clerical labour.
The Clerk of the Deliveries had to draw all proportions for delivering
any stores, and to keep copies of all orders or warrants for the
proportions, and journals vouched by the persons who indented for them.
He had to compare monthly the indents taken for all deliveries of stores
with the Storekeeper's proportions; and had to attend, either in person
or represented by one of his sworn clerks, at all deliveries of stores,
and when taking _remains_ of ships.
The Treasurer of the Ordnance, who had to find heavy personal
securities, was one of the most important of the remaining officers
attached to the Board.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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