EXCHEQUER, or _the Office of the receipt of his Majesty’s_ EXCHEQUER, a plain old building formed of wood and plaister, at the south end of New Palace yard, where the King’s revenue is received and disbursed. This important office is under the direction of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has the custody of the Exchequer seal; he has also the comptrollment of the rolls of the Lords of the Treasury, and sits in the court above the Barons of the Exchequer. He has the gift of the office of Comptroller of the Pipe, and of that of Clerk of the Nihils.
The Auditor of the receipts of the Exchequer, is another great officer. He files the bills of the Tellers, and draws all orders to be signed by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, for issuing forth all money, in virtue of privy seals, which are recorded by the Clerk of the Pells, and entered and lodged in the Auditor’s office. He also, by warrant from the Lords of the Treasury, makes debentures to the several persons who have fees, annuities or pensions, by letters patent from the King, out of the Exchequer, and directs them for payment to the Tellers. He daily receives the state of each Teller’s account, and weekly certifies the whole to the Lords Commissioners, who immediately present the estimate, or balance to the King. He makes half yearly, at Michaelmas and Lady-day, a book called _A Declaration_, containing a methodical abstract of all the accounts and payments made the preceding half year, and delivers one of them to the Lords of the Treasury, and another to the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and by him are kept the registers appointed for paying all persons in course, upon several branches of the King’s revenue. For the discharge of these offices, he has a chief clerk, a clerk of the debentures, a clerk of the registers and issues, a clerk of the cash book, and a clerk for making out Exchequer bills; and in the offices for annuities under the Auditor are two chief clerks, and nine clerks under them.
The other great officers are the four Tellers of the Exchequer, each of whom has his deputy, his first clerk, and four other clerks. Their office is to receive all moneys due to the King, and thereupon to throw down a bill through a pipe into the tally court, where it is received by the Auditor’s clerk, who there attends to write the words of the bill upon a tally, and then delivers the same to be entered by the Clerk of the Pells, or his under clerk, who attends to enter it in his book; then the tally is cloven by the two Deputy Chamberlains, and while the senior deputy reads one part, the junior examines the other part with the two clerks.