Till the middle of the year 1792, when there was a prospect of a war with revolutionary France, and the British ministry were apprehensive of disturbances in this country, barracks were neither very numerous, nor were they under the control and management of a separate and peculiar Board. Till that time, they were built under the authority and directions of the Board of Ordnance, by whom they were supplied with bedding and the necessary utensils. Any extra articles that were requisite were supplied by the secretary at war. In 1792, orders were given by the ministry to build cavalry barracks with the utmost despatch, and the deputy-adjudant-general was directed to superintend the building and fitting them up. In January 1793, he was appointed superintendent-general of barracks; and, on the 1st of May that year, the King's warrant was issued for their regulation. Greater powers were given to the superintendent-general in the year 1794; but as these seemed to interfere with the duties and powers of the Board of Ordnance, a new warrant was issued in the year 1795, defining and limiting the respective duties and powers of the Board of Ordnance, and the superintendent-general, or barrack-master-general, as he was now called. In the year 1796, the barrack-office establishment consisted of a barrack-master-general, with two clerks; a deputy-barrack-master-general; an assistant-barrack-master-general, with three clerks; an accountant, with five clerks; an assistant-barrack-master-general for the general inspection of barracks, and six other assistant-barrack-masters-general for the particular inspection of barracks in different districts; five clerks for general business; one assistant-barrack-master-general for the building branch; one checking clerk, and seven other clerks; two architects and surveyors; one assistant-barrack-master-general in North Britain; with two assistants and clerks; one treasurer; and three other assistant-barrack-masters-general for general duties, and visiting barracks. The salaries and extra pay of these officers amounted, in 1796, to L. 9524, 17s. 2d. The establishment was afterwards considerably increased, in proportion as the number of barracks throughout the kingdom increased, and by the creation of some new officers, among whom was a law clerk. In 1806, the salaries amounted to L. 19,329, 4s. 10d.

During this year, the commissioners of military inquiry began their duties; and their first reports were on the subject of the barrack establishment: In the arrangement of this establishment, and in the mode in which its duties were performed, particularly with respect to the supplies of coals, &c. to the different barracks, and the contracts for building them, they pointed out many things that were highly objectionable; and concluded their reports by recommending that the offices of barrack-master-general, and deputy-barrack-master-general, should be totally abolished, and that the superintendence of the barrack establishment should be vested in commissioners. This suggestion, and some others relative to the mode of transacting the business of the department, and preventing useless and extravagant expenditure, have been followed; and the barrack establishment is now under the direction of four commissioners, one of whom is generally a military man. The mode of Barracks writing letters in this public department is deserving of notice and imitation, as securing despatch and accuracy. A sheet of paper being folded in the middle, officers of the department, who address the barrack-office, write their letters on the left side; and, along with the original letter, send a duplicate in the same form, and signed also. On the blank side of the duplicate is written the official answer from the barrack-office which is sent; and, on the original letter, which is preserved in the office, is copied the answer: each party has thus an exact copy of the whole correspondence.

As it frequently happened, that it was absolutely necessary to build barracks on an emergency, when there was no time to summon a jury to value the land before the commencement of the building, and as most persons were averse to have barracks near their dwelling-houses, or even on their property, Government was often obliged to pay an extravagant price for the land which they needed for their erection; in order to remedy this evil, it was provided by the act, usually called the defence act, 43d Geo. III. cap. 55, that Justices of the Peace might put any general officer into the possession of such ground as he might deem fit for the erection of barracks,—the value of it to be settled afterwards by a jury—provided, however, the necessity for such ground was certified by the Lord-Lieutenant, or two Deputy-Lieutenants of the county.

Barracks throughout the country are more immediately under the management and care of the assistant-barrack-masters-general, and the resident barrack-masters; the former are attached to districts; the latter to particular barracks. The following are the districts in Great Britain:

1. Northern, containing Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Durham. 2. York, containing Yorkshire. 3. Eastern, containing Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, Huntingdonshire, and all Essex, except Tilbury-fort. 4. Southern, containing Kent, Tilbury-fort, and Sussex. 5. South-western, containing Hampshire and Dorsetshire. 6. Isle of Wight. 7. Western, containing Devonshire, Cornwall, and Somerset. 8. Severn, containing Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, and South Wales. 9. North-western, containing Cheshire, Shropshire, Lancashire, North Wales, and the Isle of Man. 10. London. 11. Home, containing Middlesex, Surrey, Hertfordshire, and part of Kent. 12. North-inland, containing Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Leicester shire, and Rutlandshire. 13. South-inland, containing Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. 14. Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. BARRACKS.

SCOTLAND.

Northern, containing Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Morayshire, and Banffshire.

Western, containing Aberdeenshire, Argylshire, Ayrshire, Bute, Kincardineshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, and Wigtonshire.

Centre, containing Angus-shire, Clackmannanshire, Dunbartonshire, Fifeshire, Kinross-shire, Perthshire, and Stirlingshire.

Southern, containing the Lothians, Berwickshire, Peebles-shire, Selkirkshire, Roxburghshire, and Dumfries-shire.

Number of Barracks in 1805.

On the 14th of July 1805, there were in Great Britain and Jersey, &c.

<table> <tr> <th>Established barracks of brick and stone</th> <th>84</th> </tr> <tr> <th>of wood</th> <th>12</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Temporary barracks</th> <th>75</th> </tr> <tr> <th>- rented</th> <th>41</th> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2">212</th> </tr> </table>

The annual rents at this time amounted to L. 40,281. The whole of these barracks were calculated to accommodate nearly 100,000 foot and 15,000 cavalry. In the cavalry barracks, field-officers have two rooms each; captains one; subalterns, staff, and quarter-masters, one; serjeants of each troop of dragoons, and corporals of each troop of horse, one; eight rank and file one among them; and two rooms are allowed for the officers' mess. In infantry barracks, field-officers are allowed two each; captains one; one is allotted to two subalterns; the staff has one; twelve non-commissioned officers and private men, one among them; the serjeant-major and quarter-master-serjeant, one; and two are allotted for the officers' mess. The barracks are supplied by the barrack-office with beds, bedding, sheets, blankets, towels, house and stable utensils, coals and candles: beer was formerly supplied, but now an allowance is made instead of it. Forage is supplied by the commissariat.

The expence of erecting barracks must of course greatly depend on the price of materials at the time, and, in some measure, on the part of the kingdom where they are erected. In the year 1805, permanent barracks for a battalion of 800 men, in the south of England, cost L. 37,000; and barracks for 1200 infantry and 400 cavalry L. 60,000.

The following statement exhibits the several particulars of the total expence incurred by the nation for barracks, and the barrack-office, in Great Britain, between the 25th of December 1792, and the 10th of November 1804:

<table> <tr> <th>Buildings and purchases of land,</th> <th>L. 3,930,223</th> <th>5</th> <th>8</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Forage,</th> <th>846,246</th> <th>7</th> <th>10</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Beer,</th> <th>643,030</th> <th>9</th> <th>6</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Coals, candles, furniture, rents, repairs, supplied by barrack-masters, and salaries,</th> <th>1,685,487</th> <th>8</th> <th>0</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Office-establishment,</th> <th>256,129</th> <th>10</th> <th>4</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Fees at War-office,</th> <th>80,346</th> <th>3</th> <th>6</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Insurance,</th> <th>1,519</th> <th>2</th> <th>2</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Additional rents,</th> <th>36,860</th> <th>13</th> <th>5</th> </tr> </table>

Lodging-money to officers, 139,582 16 0 Barracks Engines, - 11,860 0 5 Barry, Bedding, furniture, &c. issued by the Barrack-office, and in store, 1,357,215 7 3 Miscellaneous, - 35,498 4 8

Total, L. 9,024,005 8 9

The annual expence, during the last war, varied Present from L. 350,000 to L. 500,000; in the year 1814, it Expence, was L. 309,826. The peace estimate for 1816 is L. 173,500. In Ireland, where barracks are more numerous, the expence, in 1814, was L. 360,515, and the peace estimate for 1816 is L. 218,000.

See first, second, third, and fourth Reports of the Commissioners of Military Inquiry, 1806; and the Finance Reports and Estimates laid before Parliament for the years 1814 and 1816.

(c.)