To the Honourable The KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, and BURGESSES, in- Parliament aflembled. The Eighth REPORT of the Commiffioners appointed to enquire into the Fees, Gratuities, Perquifites, and Emoluments, which are or have been lately received in certain Public Offices in Ireland; and alfo, to examine into any Abuses- which may exift in the fame,; and into the . prefent Mode of receiving, collecting, iffuing and accounting for Public Money in Ireland. HAVING the* ' n in our preceding Reports, the manner in which the feveral Duties of Excife are afcertained and brought to charge again ft the Trader, we fhall proceed to defcribe the mode of ACCOUNTING for thefe Duties When colle6ted, and to ltate the Expen- diture of the Excife Department under the refpeftive Heads of ESTABLISHMENT and INCIDENT, or CONTINGENT EXPENCES. A C C O U N T S. The Collector, after receiving from the Officers of the walk duplicates - dr the feveral Excife Vouchers, retains one part and tranfmits the other to the Examiner of Excife, whofe duty it is to afcertain whether the Appendix, N"- i « , charges therein have been rightly computed, and to certify to the Office of the Accountant General the amount of Duties with which the Collec- tors of the feveral diftri£ ts are chargeable, in the Account made up by that Officer quarterly for each collection. Thispra6tice of tranfmitting both parts of the Voucher to the Collector, as well that from which he is to make the charge againft himfelf, as that from which the Examiner - of Excife is to enable the Accountant General to check his Accounts, appears to us extremely obje£ tionable. We fubmit, that the duplicates < df the Voucher ought to be feparately tranfmitted to the Colle6tor and Examiner, fmce it is obvious that while both parts are delivered to the Colledtor, - the charge is not only in danger of alteration, but of entire H-. ppreffion-; and die check, which the Certificate of the Examiner is calculated to furnifh, becomes proportionably inefficient. We are aware, that by reference to the Office of the Examiner of Surveyors and Gaugers Books, fuch practices might be detected, and we are informed, that under an order lately iffued, the Stock Books are from time to time t& ken by the examining Clerks of that Office to the Office of the Ibid, . Examiner of Excife, and compared with the Vouchers of the corre- sponding