Observations on the fifth Report of the Commissioners of Military Enquiry; and more particularly on those parts of it which relate to the Surgeon General

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE FIFTH REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF MILITARY ENQUIRY Sti-ahan and Preston, Printers-Street, London. r, OBSERVATIONS ON THE FIFTH REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF MILITARY ENgUIR AND MORE PARTICULARLY ON THOSE PARTS OF IT WHICH RELATE TO THE SURGEON GENERAL. By THOMAS KEATE, Esquirf, F.R.S. SURGEON GENERAL TO HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES, SURGEON TO THE QUEEN, TO THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES THE PRINCE OF WALES, AND THE DUKE OF YORK, TO CHELSEA HOSPITAL, AND TO ST. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL. LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. HATCHARD, 190, PICCADILLY. l8o8. OBSERVATIONS, &c. \ S the Fifth Report of the Commissioners of Military Enquiry contains various statements in which misconduct and neglect of duty are either alleged, or insinuated against me ; and, as a general disposition unfortunately prevails at the present time, not merely to suspect, but to believe, that persons who hold offices of trust have been more attentive to their private interests than to those of the public, I have thought it necessary, in justice to myself, to select and extract all the different parts of that report, in which blame seems to be imputed to me, to distinguish these passages by a succession of numbers according to the order in which they are placed. in the report, and to subjoin to each extract such a plain exposition of facts (with a reference to the official documents in an appendix which support these facts) as will, I trust, afford a full justification of my conduct and a lesson of caution to my accusers.

ARTICLE I. Page 6, of Report. " The Surgeon General states that his actual duties, in addition to those " detailed in His Majesty's warrant, are the formation of Medical Staff for " every foreign expedition ; the due supply and appropriation of medicines, " hospital stores, and instruments, for the use of the troops employed " thereon ; the issue of directions to the Inspectors and deputy Inspectors " for the conduct and controul ofthe Medical Department attending e.xpe " ditions, and of specific instructions to the. Purveyors and Apothecaries " attached thereto, relative to the charge and expenditure, and to the i* transmission of regular accounts by monthly and quarterly returns, " which are afterwards verified and registered in his office. The future " supply also to such expeditions depends on him.

" It does not appear to us by what authority Mr. Keate executes these " duties in addition to those enumerated in the warrant. Most of them, " it seems, had been executed by him whilst he held the office of Inspector " of regimental infirmaries. But from Lord Amherst's letter to him and " to Mr. Gunning, given in the Appendix, we infer that such duties were " to have been jointly executed by them and the Physician General when B « such App. No. 1 App. No. 1 A. App. No. 1 B. " such officer should be appointed. Whether, however, he voluntarily-. " or by agreement with the other members of the board, undertook these " additional duties, we cannot but remark that a very extensive patronage " has accompanied the execution of them." Observation. The charge here made against me is, that I have assumed certain functions, which I myself confess are not assigned to me by His Majesty's warrant of the 12th March, 1798, but are " in addition to my duties as " detailed therein ;" and that this assumption of duty is without proper authority : and it concludes with a broad insinuation that they were under* taken for the fake of " the very extensive patronage which has accom- K panied the execution of them."