rine infirmaries, derive the fame advantages, from the terms of twenty and thirty years fervice, as thofe who have ferved on board: but, as fome of thefe furgeons may not have ferved on board, the advantage of this regulation extends only to thofe already appointed, whofe pay, half pay, and retirement, fhall be regulated by the time they have ferved, as the reft. Difpenfers in hofpitals, receive per day, 55. When a refidence is not provided, lodging money per week, 125. Hofpital mates in all departments have, at home, per day 6s. 6d.; on foreign stations 7s. 6d. Half pay, per day 25. if they have ferved two years on full pay, fubfequent to January 23, 1805. If not accommodated within the hofpital, lodging money, per week, 10s. 6d. Hofpital mates removing from one department to another, are to prove themselves qualified by an examination.

REGULATIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SICK AND HURT. A convenient place is to be fet apart, in every fhip, for fick and hurt men. Proper perfons are to be appointed to attend them, night and day, by turns. Conveniences, as cradles, &c., are to be made and fresh fish to be caught for them. They are not to be fent into hofpitals attending the flect, or afhore, unless it be inconvenient to have them on board their own fhips. They are to be fent afhore by ticket, together with their cloaths and bedding, and the captains may order them flops if needful. Care is to be taken in the landing them, that they be duly attended, and furnifhed with proper carriages and neceffaries. A commiffioned officer is to go, twice a week, to the hospital to receive recovered men ; and may receive thofe of other fhips, when they are at a distance, and it is required by the agent. Captains are to correfpond with the office for fick and hurt, about his fick men. Commanders in chief, and the commiffioner of the navy, are to vifit the hofpitals at the ports, and to hear and redrefs complaints and grievances. Captains are to take care of their fick and wounded men, in foreign parts. In hofpital fhips, the gun deck is to be fitted up for the reception of the fick men, with proper conveniences. The hospital ship is to have fupernumerary to her complement, a physician, an able and experienced furgeon, four mates, and fix men affiftants, a fervant to the furgeon, a baker and four wafhermen. The captain is to fubfift the men under cure, with the best and neweft provifions in the fhip, and fresh meat as often as may be. Captains are to fend boats for their recovered men.

SERVANTS ALLOWED TO OFFICERS. The admiral and commander in chief of the fleet, is allowed fifty; admirals, thirty; vice admirals, twenty; and rear admirals, fifteen. Of which may be borne on the fhips books, as fervants; to the admiral and commander in chief of the fleet, fixteen; to admirals, twelve; to vice

and

and rear admirals, ten. Captains are allowed four fervants in every hundred men of their complement. The lieutenant, master, fecond mafter, purfer, furgeon, chaplain, and cook, in all fhips down to fixty men inclufiye, each one fervant. The boatfwain, gunner and carpenter, in all ships down to a hundred men, inclufive, each two fervants; and from a hundred to fixty men, one fervant. fervants to flag officers are to be reckoned over and above the complement of the fhip; but the fervants of captains and all other officers, are to be included in it. No fervants to be allowed on the fhip's books, under thirteen years of age, unless the fon of an officer, and then not under eleven,

SUPERANNUATION. All the petty officers above mentioned are intitled, after various terms of fervice, to retire as fuperannuated, on certain penfions or allowances, in order to the acquifition of which, the parties must apply with proper certificates, firft to the admiralty, and afterward at furgeons' hall, where they are duly examined.

WIDOWS. The widows of officers are intitled to pensions as follows. Thofe of Captains three years poft, 80l. per annum; of poft captains of less than three years standing, 70.; of a commander, 50l.; of a fuperannuated lieutenant with the rank of commander, 45/.; of a lieutenant, a mafter and furgeon, 40%. ; of a purfer 30l.; of a boatfwain, gunner, carpenter, fecond mafter of a yacht, or mafter of a naval veffel, warranted by the navy board, 25/. The children of the latter, with the widows and children of all thofe who die on half pay, to have fuch allowances as the lords of the admiralty fhall think fit. The widows of each clafs are obliged, every year, to make oath that they are not married. The widows of officers who die on their half pay, and having employed no regular agent, are, upon application to the admiralty, furnifhed with printed forms, and every information relating to the penfions. In order to obtain the pay duc at the time of deceafe, nothing more is required than to produce a certificate of death and adminiftration.

SEAMEN. The duty of private failors extends to every operation both of navigation and war, and in defcribing the command and regulation affecting officers, the flate of feamen as affected by their excrtions or orders, has been in great part difclofed. Yet there are many particulars, relating to this clafs of men, both while at fea and on fhore, which ought to be confidered and understood.

GOVERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE. The method of ordering feamen, and keeping up a regular difcipline in the royal fleet, is directed by certain exprefs rules, articles, and orders, first enacted by the authority of parliament foon after the reitora

tion; but fince new modelled and altered, after the peace of Aix la Chapelle, to remedy fome defects which were of fatal confequence in conducting the preceding war. In these articles of the navy almost every poffible offence is fet down, and the punishment annexed: in which refpect the feamen have much the advantage over their brethren in the land fervice; whofe articles of war are not enacted by parliament, but framed from time to time at the pleasure of the crown. None under the captain are allowed to inflict punishment. Articles of war are to be fet up in fome public place of the ship, and to be read to the fhip's company once a month.

RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF SEAMEN. No feaman can be taken out of his majefty's fervice by any procefs other than for fome criminal matter, unless affidavit be first made, that the debt or damage amounts to 20/.; but in order to prevent the practice of obtaining the liberation of feamen by means of improperly fuing out civil or criminal procefs, it is enacted, that petty officers or feamen arrefted by fheriffs or by other officers, fhall be kept in cuftody after being intitled to a dif charge from any procefs, and conveyed to the commander in chief, or some commiffioned officers, to ferve on board his majefty's fleet. And the sheriff, gaoler, or other officer, shall be paid, by the treasurer of the navy, on producing a certificate, for conducting fuch feaman, at the rate of two fhillings per mile. Seamen who have been employed in the king's fervice, and not deferted, may fet up and exercife their trades, in any town or place of Great Britain or Ireland, without moleftation, (except in Oxford or Cambridge,) and if any person is fued thereupon, and the plaintiff is caft, fuch perfons fhall have double costs. A feaman, instead of being committed to the house of correction, for default of paying the penalty for fwearing, fhall be put in the ftocks for one hour for every fingle offence, and for any number of offences of which he fhall be convicted at one and the fame time, two hours. The treasurer, comptroller, furveyor, clerk of the acts, or any of the commiflioners of the navy may punish feamen and others, making disturbances in the yards or offices, and may bind them to their good behaviour, and to appear at the next affizes, or general quarter feffions, to be profecuted for fuch offence. Seamen are alfo intitled to fend letters from their fhips under the hand of the commanding officer on board, and to receive letters wherever they may happen to be on actual fervice, free of poftage; and their receipts for wages, pay, and provifions are exempt from the stamp duty.

WAGES. With respect to their wages, feveral protective and beneficial ftatutes have been made. Whofoever willingly and knowingly shall perfonate or falfely affume the name or cha

racter

rafter of any officer, feaman, or other perfon, intitled, or fuppofed to be intitled, to any wages, pay, or other allowances of money, or prize money, for fervice done on board any of his majcfty's fhips, or vefiels; or willingly and knowingly fhall perfonate or falfely affume the name or character of the executor or adminiftrator, wife, relation, or creditor, of any fuch officer, or feaman, or other perfon, in order to receive any wages, pay, or other allowances of money, or prize money as aforefaid; or fhall forge or counterfeit, or procure to be forged or counterfeited, or utter or publifh as truc, knowing the fame to be falfe, forged, or counterfeited, any letter of attorney, bill, ticket, certificate, affignment, laft will, or any other power or authority, in order to receive any fuch wages, pay or other allowances of money or prize money as aforefaid; or fhall willingly and knowingly take a falfe oath, or procure any other perfon to take a falfe oath, to obtain the probate of any will or letter of adminiftration, in order to receive the payment of any wages, pay, or other allowances of money or prize money due, or that were fuppofed to be due, to any fuch officer, feaman, or other perfon as aforefaid, who has really ferved, or was fuppofed to have served, on board any of his majesty's fhips or veffels; every fuch perfon fo offending fhall be guilty of felony without benefit of clergy. And for the more effectual bringing the offenders to juftice, the treafurer, comptroller, furveyor, clerk of the acts, or any commiflioner of the navy, may act as juftices, in caufing any perfon charged with forging or counterfeiting, or procuring to be forged or counterfeited, any letter of attorney, bill, ticket, certificate, affignment, lait will, or other power, or authority, or with uttering or publishing the fame as true, in order to receive any wages, pay, or other allowance, due to any officer, feaman, or other perfon in his majefty's fervice, or with taking or procuring to be taken, for any of the. purpofes aforefaid; or to obtain a probate of any will, or letter of administration, in order to receive fuch wages, pay, or allowance, to be apprehended, committed and profecuted for the fame, and the conftables, gaolers, and other officers, fhall obey their. warrants accordingly.

By a most excellent and benevolent feries of acts framed by the right honourable Henry Dundas, afterward Lord Melville; after 1st May, 1795, every petty officer, and feaman, or landman, non-commiffioned officer of marines, and marines ferving or entering on board any veffel of his majesty, may allot a certain part of his monthly pay for the maintenance of his wife and children, or mother. And by 37 G. III. c. 53, an increase of wages is made to fuch perfons, and they are allowed to allot a part of fuch pay, to be calculated as nearly as may be, to equal

one

one half thereof. All petty officers, able feamen, ordinary feamen, landmen, and marines, who may hereafter be wounded in action with the enemy, fhall receive their full wages and allowances, until their wounds are healed; or until (being declared incurable) they fhall receive a penfion from the cheft, or be admitted into Greenwich Hofpital. If any feaman or landman shall voluntarily enter himself with any regulating officer, and shall at the fame time declare his name and place of abode, and that he is married, and the name of his wife, and her place of refidence, and if he has children, how many, and how many are boys; and if he has a mother then living, the place of her refidence; and that he is willing to allot a part of his wages for their fupport; then, in cafe his wife or mother refide in London, the fame fhall be paid by the treasurer of the navy; if at Portfmouth, Plymouth, or Chatham, or within five miles thereof refpectively, by the clerk of the cheque, at those places; elsewhere, by the receiver-general of the land-tax of the county or city, or collector of the customs or excife neareft the refidence of fuch wife or mother. And fuch regulating officer fhall make out three declarations of allotment, and three orders of payment, to be triplicates of each other in a prefcribed form, which being numbered and dated, and the blanks filled up, fuch feaman or landman fhall fign the fame, and fuch regulating officer fhall alfo fign as a witnefs: and if fuch wife or mother fhall then attend in perfon, fuch officer fhall deliver to her one of the triplicate orders, and fend the other two to the commiffioners of the navy; but if the wife or mother shall not attend, the officer fhall fend all the faid triplicates to the faid commiffioners, and fhall fpecify and mention, opposite to the name of every man fo entered, whether he has allotted any part of his pay as aforefaid, and to what amount, together with the date of fuch order. And as often as the commander of any fuch veffel fhall read over the mufter of his fhip's company, if any fuch petty officer or perfon aforefaid shall declare, by word of mouth, or deliver in writing, the name and place of abode of his wife, and number of his children, if he have any, and how many are boys, or that he has a mother living, and the place of her refidence, and fhall defire that a part of his wages may be paid for their fupport, the fame fhall be paid in like manner as aforefaid. And the commiffioners of the navy shall examine fuch declarations and orders, with the lifts tranfmitted by fuch regulating officer, or commanding officer of any fuch veffel, and if found right, fhall be filled up and figned by three commiffioners, fpecifying the date; and they fhall tranfmit one of the faid declarations and orders to fuch wife or mother, and another to fuch receiver-general, collector of the customs or exVOL. II.

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cife,