delinquents, detected in robberies, pilfering or other fcandalous practices. The punishment is inflicted in the following manner the whole fhip's crew is ranged in two rows, ftanding face to face on both fides of the deck, fo as to form a line whereby to go forward on one fide and return aft on the other; each perfon being furnished with a small twisted cord, or spun yarn, called a knittle, having two or three knots upon it. The delinquent is then ftripped naked, above the waift, and compelled to march forward in ordinary or quick time, between the two rows of men, and aft on the other fide, a certain number of times, rarely exceeding three, during which, every perfon gives him a ftripe with his knittle as he pailes along. Although the. punishment is termed running the gauntlet, yet in the navy the delinquent is never permitted to run between the ranks of his executioners, but is compelled to march in ordinary or quick time, preceded by the mafter at arms with a drawn sword pointed in the rear towards him, while the corporal follows him behind with another drawn fword; or, inftead of the corporal, it is fometimes ufual to caufe the boatswain's mate to follow him, furnifhed with a cat-o'-nine-tails, but he never applies the lafh of it, in the march, unless the offender makes a retrograde movement. In the army, when a foldier is sentenced to run the gauntlet, the regiment is drawn up in two ranks facing each other; each foldier, having a fwitch in his hand, lafnes the criminal as he runs along naked from the waist upwards. While he runs, the drums beat at each end of the ranks. Sometimes he runs three, five, or feven times, according to the nature of the offence. The major is on horseback, and takes care that each foldier does his duty. Of late years, however, this punishment has been difufed in the army, nor is there in the navy more than one inftance of its being inflicted by order of a court-martial.

Neither the punishment of forging, nor that of running the gauntlet, is fo fevere in the army as in the navy. One dozen of lafhes applied to the bare back by a boatfwain's mate, furnifhed with a naval cat-o'-nine tails, is equivalent at leaft to fifty lafhes laid on by a drummer with a military cat. This arifes, not fo much from the expertnefs of one executioner, over another, in the mode of laying on his lafhes, as from the greater thickness, hardnefs, and feverity of the one inftrument of punishment than the other.

Keel-hauling is never ordered by a court-martial, and rarely inflicted by commanders. It was frequently reforted to in the fleet, as well as in the merchant fervice at the early periods after the revolution, and it appears to have been borrowed from the Dutch navy, where it is still practifed. It is executed by plunging the delinquent

repeat

repeatedly under the fhip's bottom on one fide, and hoifting him up at the other, after having paffed under the keel. The blocks or pullies by which he is fufpended, are faftened to the oppofite extremities of the main-yard, and a weight of lead or iron is hung upon his legs, to fink him to a competent depth. By this apparatus he is drawn close up to the yard-arm, and thence let fall fuddenly into the fea; where paffing under the fhip's bottom he is hoisted up on the oppofite fide of the ship. And this, after fufficient intervals of breathing, is repeated two or three times.

Ducking is a marine punishment, now feldom used, for uncleannefs, blafphemy, or fcandalous actions. The French inflict it on those who have been convicted of defertion, or exciting fedition. The criminal is placed aftride on a short thick batten, faftened to the end of a rope, which paffes through a block hanging at one of the yard arms. hus fixed, he is hoisted fuddenly up to the yard, and the rope being flackened at once, he is allowed to fall into the fea. This chaftifement is repeated several times, and by having double-headed fhot faftened to his feet during the punishment, he finks a confiderable depth before he is hoisted up again.

The punishment of mat-heading is frequently inflicted on young midshipmen, at the difcretion of the captain or commanding officer, for misconduct, neglect of duty, or trivial

offences.

EXECUTION OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. In carrying the fentences of naval courts-martial for corporal punishment into execution, the admiral, or commanding officer of the ships and veffels for the time being, iffues orders to the captain of the flag, or other particular fhip, to make the signal for the boats of the fquadron to affemble, manned and armed, on the day appointed to attend the punishment; and likewife directs the other captains to fend a lieutenant with a boat manned and armed from their refpective fhips to attend and assist. An order is at the fame time iffued, to the captain or commander of the ship to which the prifoner belongs, (accompanied with a copy of the fentence) directing him to caufe the punishment to be inflicted alongfide of the different hips, in the manner, and in fuch proportions, as therein specified. It is ufual to include in this order, directions to the captain to caufe the furgeon of the fhip to attend in the boat with the lieutenant, as well as one of his mates in the long boat with the prifoner, for the purpofe of judging of his ability to bear all his punishment; which the furgeon may put a stop to, when he conceives him unable to bear any more with fafety. The provost-marshal is ordered to attend, and read publicly the fentence of the courtmartial alongGide of each fhip.

OF

OF DEATH. When the king approves of a fentence of death, the warrant for execution is tranfmitted by the admiralty to the officer commanding the ships and veffels at the place for the time being, who iffues the neceffary orders, agreeably to the forms of the fervice; and in pursuance of them, preparations are made. When the fatal morning arrives, the signal of death is difplayed, the affemblage of boats, manned and armed, furrounds the fhip appointed for the execution. The crews of the refpective fhips are arranged on deck, and after hearing the articles of war fead, await in filence the awful moment. At length a gun is fired (the fignal to roufe attention), and at the fame inftant, the victim is run up by the neck to the yard

arm.

Military executions are attended with ftill more parade and folemnity. In no service or country is the ceremony so awful and impreffive. The fentence of death being approved by the king, the warrant is iffued under the fign manual; and on foreign flations the commander in chief issues his warrant to the fecond in command, and appoints the time and place for carrying the fentence of death into execution. General orders are in confequence iffued from the adjutant general's office, arranging the regiments and corps allotted for parade, guards, and execution parties. Five execution parties, each confifting of a ferjeant and twelve rank and file, are appointed, of whom the provostmarfhal takes the command on their arrival at the guard. All the guards of the garrifon and advanced pofts leave their centries at their respective stations, and repair themselves to the provostmarshal's guard, at the hour appointed, for the purpose of escorting the prifoner to the place of execution. All these guards, as well as the execution parties, under the immediate direction of the provoft-marfhal, are commanded by the field officer of the day. The feveral corps of the line, at the appointed hour and place, parade three deep, and are prepared to draw up fo as to form the three fides of a square. The execution parties in divifions, preceded by a band of mufic, and a corps of drummers, with the provoft-marfhal on horfeback at their head, march in ordinary time at the front of the prifoner. The mufic plays the dead march in Saul. The guards formed in divifions, march at the fame time in rear of the prifoner. The mainguard, commanded by the captain of the day, leads. The others follow in fucceffion, according to the rank of their regiments. The proceflion comes into the fquare from the rear by the right, and the mufic and drums of each corps play and beat to the flow march in Saul, as the proceffion paffes along its front. The execution parties march along the front of the whole line, and as far as the coffin placed in the centre, where the first three divifions halt, and wheel back on their right

pivots in line. The fourth and fifth divifions continue to advance until they can form oppofite to the first three, by wheeling back into line on their left pivots. The dreadful moment now approaches,-the mufic ceafes,-an awful filence enfuesthe warrant and fentence of death are audibly read,-the fignal is given, and the fire of the execution parties puts an immediate end to the prifoner's existence.

PARDON. In courts-martial, as in other cafes, the benevolence of the English law has lodged in the hands of the fovereign the power of pardon, either total, or by remitting or mitigating the fentence, or by reprieving the prifoner. He may also, if he diffapproves the fentence, order the court to fit again, and revise their proceedings.

In former times the

AUDITORS OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. duty of revifing certain branches of public expenditure was confided to two officers appointed by patent, and called auditors of the impreft: but the commiflioners of public accounts having, in their twelfth report, dated the 8th of June, 1784, reprefented that no folid advantage was derived to the public from their establishment, as it was then conftituted; and having urged the propriety and neceflity of introducing into this office, regulations Emilar to those they had recommended for other offices, an act was paffed in the following year (25 Geo. III. c. 52.), which, after a preamble, ftating the importance of providing a more effectual method for examining the public accounts of the kingdom, proceeds to vacate the patents of lord Sondes, and lord viscount Mountftuart, the two auditors of the imprefts (on a compenfation of 7000l. each per annum being made to them for their intereft in the fame) abolishes the receipt of all fees, gratuities and perquifites; and dire&s certain fixed annual falaries to be paid to the officers and clerks employed in the department for auditing the public accounts. The act then enables his majesty to appoint five commiffioners for auditing the public accounts (two of them to be the comptrollers of army accounts for the time being), and to grant fixed falaries to each, not exceeding, on the whole, 4000l. clear of all deductions. Such commiffioners to hold their offices during good behaviour. It then vefts the appointment of the officers and clerks, and the power of allowing fums for ftationary, coals, and coatingencies, in the board of treasury, and limits the expence to 6oool. The rest of the act contains directions for the whole proceeding in auditing the accounts, gives the power of examining upon oath, and makes written vouchers neceffary for every article in the accounts. By virtue of the powers in this act, his majesty iffued a commiffion under the great feal in June 1785, appointing the two comptrollers of army accounts, and three other gentlemen, to be commiflioners for auditing the public accounts. To the

comptrollers, in addition to their exifting falaries, which with fees exceeded 700l. an annual fum of 50el. was given, and to the other three commiffioners 1000l. each. The office is in Somerfet Houfe. In 1805, Mr. Pitt, finding that thefe commillioners could not fulfil their duties to the full extent, took meafures for appointing a new fet of commiffioners with further powers, and an establishment of clerks and affiftants, fufficient, as it was expected, to complete the neceffary and important task confided to them. The death of that minifter prevented his completing the plan, but it was purfued and extended by his fuc

ceflors.

PATRIOTIC FUND. Some account has already been given of the modes devifed by the public care, and royal and individual munificence, for the relief of those who are wounded, or become helpless in the public cause, and for the benefit of their widows and orphans. Still it has ever been found, that, on extraordinary occafions, the number of claimants in various degrees of affinity with the fufferers, exceeded the powers of relief which could be made confiftent with the just distribution of public money. It had therefore become customary, when any hard-fought battle, or fudden calamity involved great numbers in diftrefs, to open fubfcriptions, the amount of which was diftributed by a committee, for the benefit of those who were wounded, made widows or orphans, or otherwise reduced to diftrefs by the calamities attending the fea or land fervice. Thefe fubfcriptions were generally, but not always, commenced in confequence of fome diftinguifhed engagement, but other occafions produced fimilar efforts of public benevolence; as the finking of the Royal George in 1782, and the fubfcription for fupplying the army in Holland with warm clothing in 1794. Great fums were frequently collected by thefe patriotic exertions, but still they did not answer every purpofe. Their deflination was limited to the exprefs object for which the fubfcription was propofed, and hence it happened that many meritorious fervices, and grievous calamities were unrewarded and unrelieved, becaufe the actions from which they arofe were not fufficiently grand to claim general attention; nor did thefe fubfcriptions afford the means of rewarding, or expreffing approbation of bravery and merit, in any other mode than the fupport of thofe whom the fate of war had reduced to mifery.

Experience of thefe inconveniences, and a defire to eftablifh at once a fund which should be permanently beneficial, and the amount of which might be expended in every mode of relief and reward which the gratitude and juftice of the country might require, impelled the merchants of London, at the beginning of the war in 1803, to propose a subscription on a new

plan.