Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/100

 Guard and the officers of the artillery train. A portion had been elected by Dr. Petty, with the consent of the Council, as part of his salary as Commissioner of Distributions, at the Act rates. Sir Hierome and his supporters contended that the Limerick lands ought to belong to one Colonel Wentworth, under the ordinary system of boxing, as forming part of the county which had been allotted to the soldiers. The old grievance in regard to the decision of the Council to pay part only of the actual value of the army claims, reserving the balance to help to clear off the debts of the Commonwealth and to pay the expenses of the survey, was also again brought forward, to impart an additional sting to an already sufficiently embittered contest.

Dr. Petty, considering the character of the attacks made upon him, and that it was generally put about that he was shortly to be arrested, 'and as in consequence there was nor table nor tavern in Dublin unprovided of a theame to discourse uppon for days together,' determined to carry the war into the enemy's camp. He therefore drew up his reply to show that, if accounts were to be strictly gone into, the State was still his debtor. A memorial to this effect he placed before the committee of officers, with facts and figures in support, as he had nothing to keep back and everything to gain by publicity. The committee referred it to Mr. Jeoffreys, a member of their own body, who appears to have been a professional accountant. His report being favourable to Dr. Petty, four of the committee, Mr. Roberts, Mr. King, Mr. Jeoffreys, and Vincent Gookin, drew up a report favourable to him; but the officers of the committee refused to sign it, because it pointed to the Doctor's having more land, which was against the intention of the army. Then, Sir Hierome alone dissenting, they drew up a counter report to that effect, and without making any charges of dishonesty or corruption. To the counter report the Doctor drew up