Scotland, Queen Anne added a fecretary of ftate for Scotch affairs; an appointment which was afterwards difcontinued. In the reign of his prefent majefty the number was again increased to three, by appointing one for the American department; but, in the year 1782, this office was abolished by act of parliament.

The bufinefs of the secretary of state's office confifts in receiving intelligence, conducting correfpondence, preparing and iffuing warrants, and managing transactions relative to the executive government of the British empire. Such of this business as relates to the British dominions, and to the four ftates of Barbary, is carried on in the home department, in which there is a fubordinate office for the affairs of the colonies. Such, on the other hand, as relates to the foreign powers of Europe, and the United States of America, is carried on in the foreign depart

ment.

The establishment of the fecretary of state's office in each department confifts of a principal fecretary of state, two under fecretaries, a chief and other clerks, (ten in the home, and nine in the foreign department,) together with two chamber keepers, and a neceffary woman.

The office for plantation affairs, confifts of an under fecretary and three clerks. There are likewife attached generally to both departments, the offices of gazette writer, his deputy, a keeper of state papers, a collector and tranfmitter of ftate papers, two commiffioners for methodizing and digesting the state papers, a fecretary for the Latin language, two decypherers, and fixteen meffengers.

The duty of the under fecretaries is to attend to the execution of fuch orders, to prepare drafts of fuch special letters and inftructions, as occafion may require; to tranfact themselves, whatever is of the moft confidential nature; and generally to fuperintend the bufinefs of the office in all its branches.

The duty of the chief clerk is to diftribute the ordinary official bufinefs among the clerks; to fee that all warrants and other inftruments are duly prepared, tranfmitted to the proper perfons for fignature, and delivered to the refpective parties, when application is made, and the regular fees paid for the fame; likewife that the office books are properly kept, and the public dispatches punctually tranfmitted. He further acts as the accountant of the office, in which capacity he receives and accounts for the fecretary of state's falary, all the fees and gratuities, together with fuch other fums as are issued for defraying the general expence of the office.

The remaining clerks, who are diftinguished by the rank of

fenior and junior in the home department, though without any diftinction in the foreign, obey fuch orders as they receive from their fuperiors in office, but have no particular branches of bufinefs affigned to them.

The attendance of the under fecretaries is conftant and unremitting; that of the chief clerk's is likewife conftant; and the other clerks, though not always employed, are in daily attendance, and are expected to be ready for the execution of any business in which their fuperiors may think neceffary to employ them.

The duty of the other inferior officers is fufficiently expreffed by the titles of their offices, and is fuch as to occafion their conftant attendance.

Each of the principal fecretaries of ftate has a falary of 6000l., and the fecretary for plantation affairs 2000/. The profits of the under fecretaries were stated, in 1786, to be nearly 1100/. per annum each. A law clerk has 300l., a precis writer, whofe duty it is to make an abftract of all dispatches and other communications, has 300l., a librarian 2001, and the clerks and other officers have refpectable but not extravagant falaries.

To the office of fecretary for the home department, has beent annexed, fince the French revolution, a branch called the alien office, which is under the perpetual controul of the two under fecretaries of ftate, and a perfon efpecially appointed for that purpose called the fuperintendant of aliens. At this office all foreigners are obliged to prefent themselves when required; to obtain permiffion to refide in England, which may be modified by fuch terms as are deemed neceffary, and if thofe conditions are broken, or if any complaint or fufpicion arifes, the party may be fent out of the kingdom. In this office are a chief clerk, clerk of the paffports, and three affiftants; and agents are ftationed at Dover, Gravefend, Harwich, and Falmouth.

There is alfo, fince the union with Ireland, a department in the fecretary of state's office, peculiarly fet apart for tranfacting the affairs of that part of the united kingdom.

The State Paper Office belongs alike to thofe of both fecretaries of state. In it are a keeper of ftate papers, with falary of 500%., a deputy; a gazette writer with 300l. a year; a collector and tranfmitter of ftate papers, and decypherer of letters, each 500l. a year; a fecretary of the Latin language with 2807. a year; and an interpreter of Oriental languages. Several of thefe places are finecures.

The meffengers employed in thefe offices, thirty-four in number, belong to the effablifhment of the lord chamberlain's office, and were all under the direction of the clerk of the cheque (an officer fpecially appointed to put the messengers upon

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their respective waits, and to examine their bills of fervice,) until the year 1772, when fixteen of them were fet apart from the reft, to be independent of the clerk of the cheque, and subject folely to the orders of principal fecretaries of ftate. These fixteen are accordingly appointed by the recommendation of, and attend particularly upon, the fecretaries of ftate; neverthelefs, they continue on the lord chamberlain's lift, and are paid at his office. The meffengers attend in rotation, and undertake their journies in the fame manner; the foreign journies are confined exclufively to the fixteen attached to thefe offices. Each meffenger upon his appointment takes an oath before the clerk of the cheque, for the faithful difcharge of his duty. They have each a falary of 454. a year, reduced by deductions to 351. 8., and feven fhillings and fixpence per day, called board wages, while in waiting, and during home journies, but which ceafes when they are difpatched upon foreign journies; alfo an allowance of 251. a year for keeping a horfe; and are paid befides for the expence of journies, foreign and domestic, according to certain fixed rates.

The fecretary of ftate for the home department has the cuftody of the privy fignet, because the king's private letters are figned with it. There are four clerks of the privy fignet office, who write out fuch grants and letters patent as pafs by bill figned, or till fuperfcribed by the fign manual, or under the king's hand; the tranfcript and fealing of thefe with the fignet is a warrant to the privy feal, as the privy feal is to the great feal. A ne exeat regno may by command be under the privy fignet, or the privy feal, as well as by the king's writ under the great feal, and the fubject ought to obey it; but a warrant under the privy fignet is not fufficient for the iflue of any treasure, or the dif charge of a debt, much less verbal order; for it ought to be under the great feal, or at least under the privy feal. The fignet office is entirely under the direction of the fecretaries of ftate, a clerk attending the court wherever it may happen to zefide, to prepare fuch bills or letters for fignature, as the king may direct, or as may be ordered by warrant from the fecretaries of ftate, or lords of the council. All grants prepared by the clerks of the fignet, or by the king's counfel learned in the law, for the king's hand, are returned into this office, when figned, and there tranfcribed again. The tranfcript is carried to one of the principal fecretaries of ftate, and being fealed by him, it is called a fignet, which is directed to the lord privy feal, and is his warrant for the iffuing of a privy feal; but privy feals for money always begin in the treasury, whence the first warrant iffues, counter-figued by the lord treasurer, or the lords commissioners.

II. MASTER

II. MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE. The office of ordnance is in the tower of London, and has both a civil and a military branch. It fupplies both the army and navy with all forts of military ftores. When to the latter, they are delivered on board the refpective fhips, to the gunner, who has under him an armourer and a gunfmith. Storekeepers are established at all the principal fea ports, where any of his Majesty's fhips are ftationed, both at home and abroad, who receive the ftores, from the board of ordnance, where there are clerks and other officers, with falaries, for expediting the bufinefs of the army and navy.

The mafter general, is deemed the principal officer in the civil branch of the ordnance; in him is vefted the fole power of ftoring all the military magazines in the king's dominions, with proper munitions of war; and likewife to fupply the royal navy with what they may need in his department; the parliament granting liberal fupplies for this purpose. He is colonel in chief of the royal regiment of artillery, and is invested with a peculiar jurif diction over all engineers employed in the feveral fortifications in his Majesty's dominions; to him they are all accountable for their proceedings, and from him they receive their particular orders, according to the directions and commands given by the king in council. As mafter general of the ordnance, he has a falary of 1500l. per annum, and the appointment of almost all the inferior officers and fervants. He has a fecretary, who has a falary of 2207. a year, and under fecretary, who has a falary of 180. a year. There is a fecretary to the board of ordpance, who has a falary of 2001. and a counsel to the board, who has an annual fee of 3001.

The refidue of the citablishment confifts of a lieutenant general, a furveyor general, a clerk, a storekeeper, a clerk of the deliveries, and a treasurer, with a great number of inferior officers, employed in the tower of London, at Woolwich, and in almost all the forts, garrifons, and principal ports in the British dominions.

The Lieutenant General of the Ordnance receives all orders and warrants figned by the matter general, and from the other principal officers, and fees them duly executed; iffues orders as the occafions of the ftate require, and gives directions for discharging the artillery on folemn or joyful occafions. It is alfo his peculiar office to fee the train of artillery, and all its equipage fitted for motion, when ordered to be drawn into the field, or fent on any particular fervice. As lieutenant general of the ordnance, he has a falary of 1100!. per annum. He is colonel en fecond of the royal regiment of artillery, and has a fecretary, and feveral officers and clerks under him.

The

The Surveyor General infpects the ftores and provifions of war, in the custody of the ftore keeper, and fees that they are ranged and placed in fuch order, as is most proper for their prefervation. He allows all bills of debt, and keeps a check upon all labourers' and artificers' work; fees that the ftores received are good and serviceable, duly proved and marked with the king's mark, taking to his affiftance the rest of the officers and proof masters. He has a falary of 705% per annum; and to affift in the bufinefs, he has under him, the proof mafter of England, and other inferior officers.

The Clerk of the Ordnance records all orders and inftructions, given for the government of the office; all patents and grants; the names of all officers, clerks, artificers, gunners, labourers, &c. who enjoy thofe grants, or any other fee for the fame; draws all eftimates for provifions and fupplies to be made, and all letters, inftructions, commifiions, deputations, and contracts for his Majesty's fervice; makes all bills of impreft, and debentures, for the payment and fatisfaction of work done, and provisions received in the faid office; all quarter books, for the falaries and allowances of all officers, clerks, &c. belonging to the office; and keeps journals and ledgers of the receipts and returns of his Majefty's ftores, to ferve as a check between the two accountants of the office, the one for money, and the other for ftores. He has 500l, a year falary, and 100l. a year more for being a check on the ftore-keeper. In his office he has a number of clerks, under-clerks, and ledger-keepers, who have all fixed fa laries.

The Store-keeper takes into his cuftody all his Majesty's ordnance, munitions, and ftores belonging thereto, and indents and puts them in legal fecurity, after they have been furveyed by the furveyor general, any part of which he must not deliver, without a warrant figned by the proper officers; nor must he receive back any ftores formerly iffued, till they have been reviewed by the furveyor, and registered by the clerk of the ordnance, in the book of remains; and he must take care that whatever is ander his cuftody be kept fafe, and in fuch readiness as to be fit for fervice on the moft fudden demand. He has a falary of 400l. a year; and in his office are feveral clerks.

The Clark of Deliveries draws all orders for delivery of stores, and fees them duly executed. He alfo charges by indenture the particular receiver of the ftores delivered; and, in order to difcharge the ftorekeeper, regifters the copies of all warrants for the deliveries, as well as the proportions delivered. He has a falary of 400% per annum, and has feveral clerks in his office at fixed falaries.

The Treafurer and Paymafter receives and pays all monies, both falarics

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