ships and vessels of war, who may have such seamen on board as shall be found to merit promotion, do in all cases, as aforesaid, give a preference to those seamen who shall have served their limited time in the royal navy. And as an additional inducement to seamen to re-enter into the King's service, and to strive to render themselves worthy of being promoted to the stations of petty officers; and also for the encouragement of all mates, midshipmen, and petty officers, who may be appointed to serve on board any of his Majesty's ships of war-be it farther enacted, that from and after the passing of this act, the pay of all such mates, midshipmen, and petty officers, shall be regulated in the manner expressed by the table annexed in the schedule, No. 2, whereby all their wages, below a second rate, will be considerably increased.

VI. The choice seamen have been discou raged from entering as petty officers in small ships of war, where (they say) the wages even of a quarter-master, or gunner's mate, is but 24s. 6d. per month, clear, and their duty un

speakably harder than in a first rate, where those petty officers have 33s. 6d. per month, clear; but the encouragement given in this section, entirely removes that objection.

SECTION VII.

And for the better encouragement of married seamen, sea-faring men, and landmen, to enter themselves voluntarily into his Majesty's naval service, and to prevent their wives and families from being left in distressed circumstances, or becoming burthensome to their parishes, be it further enacted, that all such married seamen, sea-faring men, or landmen, who shall voluntarily offer themselves, and be received to serve on board any of his Majesty's ships or vessels of war, such married seamen, sea-faring men, or landmen, shall be allowed to remit to their wives or children, two months wages, at the end of every six months, as their pay becomes due, leaving only four months wages in arrears, instead of six months, when twelve months wages are due, as directed by an act passed in the 31st year of the reign of his late Majesty King George the Second, which empowers seamen serving in the royal navy, to remit their wages to their wives and families; and the money shall be remitted in the manner directed by the said act. And all such married seamen, sea-faring men, or landmen, who shall voluntarily enter to serve in the royal navy, as aforesaid, shall, as a further encouragement, be allowed two month's wages in advance, to be paid for the use of their wives or children, by the collector of the customs or excise, nearest their respective places of residence, when the husband has received three musters on board any of his Majesty's ships or vessels of war; and that upon producing a certificate thereof, agreeable to the form in the schedule, No. 3, together with an authenticated certificate under the hands of the minister, and one of the churchwardens or the overseers of the poor of the parish, where he and she were married, or they [the children]

children] were born; testifying that she is the lawful wife, or that they are the legitimate children, of the said seaman, sea-faring man, or landman, and their respective wives; and which minister, churchwarden, or overseer, are hereby required and directed to deliver such certificate so subscribed, without taking any fee or other reward for the same; and which certificate shall be the proper voucher for the said collector of the customs or excise, to the commissioners or treasurer of his Majesty's navy, who are hereby authorized and required, upon producing such certificate, to order and direct the payment of such wages accordingly; and any collector refusing or neglecting to pay as aforesaid, shall forfeit the sum of twenty pounds to any person or persons suing for the same, to be recovered by an action of debt, in any of his Majesty's courts of law.

SECTION VIII.

And whereas seamen and sea-faring persons, taking advantage of times of war, always insist upon very extravagant wages, by which the trade of this nation has laid under great difficulties, and the manning of the royal navy has been very much injured, and that such difficulties and impediments may henceforward be removed, be it enacted, and it is hereby enacted, that [from and after passing this act] no person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, shall by themselves, or by any other person or persons, directly or indirectly, by way of gift, loan, premium, deposit, or any other device or contrivance whatsoever, give or pay, or agree to give or pay, to any common seaman or sea-faring man, or any person employed, or to be employed as such, on board any merchant-ship or vessel; nor shall any seaman, mariner, or seafaring man, or other person, as aforesaid, on their behalf, directly or indirectly, take or receive more wages, pay, or hire, than after the rate of forty shillings per calendar month, upon any voyage where seamen are employed for any specific time; except where it is usual for seamen and sea-faring men to sail by the voyage, as in the coal and coasting-trade, which shall be regulated in manner following, to such seamen and sea-faring men as are British subjects—that is to say, no person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, as aforesaid, shall give or pay, or agree to give or pay, to any common seaman or sea-faring man, more wages than three pounds for a voyage, from any port in the Frith of Forth, or to or from the ports of Leith, Blythe, Hartley, Shields, Newcastle, Sunderland, Hull, or Lynn, to London, and back again. Nor shall any such person or persons, as aforesaid, give or pay to any seaman or sea-faring man, more than the sum of forty shillings for a voyage to or from the ports of Whitehaven to Dublin, and back again; or to or from any port on the coasts of Cumberland, Lancashire, North or South Wales, and back again; or to or from Dublin, and back

again. And all contracts, agreements, bonds, notes, writings, instruments, and securities, of what nature or kind soever, for the paying or receiving more, or greater wages, pay, or hire, than as aforesaid, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, if made and entered into [from and after the passing of this act], are hereby declared to be, and shall be absolutely void to all intents and purposes whatsover. And if any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, shall give or pay, or agree to give or pay, to any seamen or other person, any more or greater wages or hire, than as aforesaid, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, such person or persons, or bodies politic or corporate, shall forfeit the sum of fifty pounds, for every such offence committed in violation of the true intent and meaning of this act, to be recovered by any person suing for the same, by action of debt-bill, plaint, or information, in any of his Majesty's courts of record at Westminster, or in the courts of exchequer, in that part of Great Britain called Scotland. And any master of a ship or vessel, so offending, on legal proof thereof, before any one of his Majesty's justices of the peace, shall be subject to a forfeiture of 50l. to be recovered as aforesaid; and each, and every seaman, or sea-faring man, so offending, shall forfeit ten pounds, or suffer three months imprisonment, upon being legally convicted of the said offence. And in order the more effectually to prevent any abuse or evasion of the foregoing provisions," be it farther enacted, that merchants, owners or masters of any ship or vessel, or other persons on their behalf, shall not, after the passing of this act, agree with, or engage any seaman, or sea faring man, to serve him or them, or any of them, at sea, by the month, voyage or otherwise, but by a written or printed agreement, specifying the wages such seaman or sea-faring man is to receive; to which there shall be at least one credible witness, whose occupation and place of abode shall be inserted in the said agreement, and that no masters or owners of any ship or vessels, shall be bound to pay, nor shall any seaman be entitled to sue for any wages earned in the merchant's service, but under such agreement. Provided always that nothing

herein contained, shall extend, or be construed to extend, to such seamen, as may have actually completed the term which they are required by this act to serve in the royal navy, and shall produce a certificate of such service, agreeable to the form annexed in the schedule No. 4.

VIII. I. A precedent for limiting seamen's wages, may be found in an act of Parliament, made in the 14th year of the reign of his late Majesty King George the IId. chap. xxxviii. see. 4, where it is enacted, That no more than

thirty-five shillings per month, shall be given to seamen, either by individuals or bodies corporate. Were there no precedent of that kind, the propriety and the expediency of such regulation are obvious.

2. A late

2. A late author, who published a plan for preserving the maritime commerce and power of this nation in time of war, says, "That the consumers of all sorts of goods and merchandizes throughout the kingdom during last war, lost many millions, which, upon due inquiry,

will appear to be chiefly occasioned by the exorbitant wages paid to the seamen, &c. and the stagnation of our navigation, through a scarcity of such people, and the tardy operation and returns upon commerce."

SECTION IX.

And be it further enacted, that respecting all such seamen as may have served the full term required by this act, a certificate shall be given to each and every of them, without fee or reward, on the day of their discharge, agreeable to the form specified in the schedule to this act, No. 4, expressing the time, and the names of the ships wherein they have served, as likewise a description of the person to whom such certificate is given, which shall be the protection of such seaman from being farther required to serve in the royal navy, at all times, and in all places. Or if, upon paying off any one or more of his Majesty's ships or vessels of war, those seamen or sea-faring persons, who have not served the full time required by this act, upon their being so paid off, shall also have certificates, agreeable to the form No. 4, aforesaid, which shall be considered upon future occasions, as such a part of the term required by this act; and when completed by their future service in his Majesty's navy, in the manner prescribed hereby, they shall be entitled to all the benefits this act proposes, in the same degree as if they had served the whole term without intermission, which shall be certi'fied as aforesaid, when such service ends. And to all persons producing such certificates, provided that they answer to the age and description therein expressed, it shall be lawful for any merchant, owner, or other person or persons, to give to such seamen, &c. whatsoever wages the parties shall agree upon, any thing contained in this act to the contrary notwithstanding.

SECTION X.

And whereas some old seamen, through age and infirmities, may be in distress, and so unable to gain a subsistence, as to become burthensome to parishes; be it further enacted, that all able seamen who are under forty-four years of age when they enter to serve in the royal navy, shall be entitled to receive and enjoy the following pensions, at fifty years of age; and all above forty-three years old when they enter, shall receive the pensions, as hereafter allotted, in four years from the day of being entitled to their first discharge; viz. five pounds per annum, for all above fifty years of age, who have served three years as able seamen ; six pounds per annum, for all above fifty years of age, who have served four years as able seamen; seven pounds per annum, to all above fifty years of age, who have served five years as able seamen; and eight pounds per annum, to all above fifty years of age,

who

who have served six years as able seamen, in any ship or vessel of war, belonging to the royal fleet; and which shall be paid to them, or their lawful attornies, even though they should be pensioners of the chest at Chatham, in two half-yearly payments, by the treasurer of his Majesty's navy for the time being, as they become due, viz. one payment on the 2d of January, and the other payment on the 1st of July, and shall be recalled on the usual recall days, once in every month. But the said attornies shall be required to produce, at the same time, a certificate signed by the minister and overseer of the poor of the parish where they reside, that such seaman is living, and such certificate shall be agreeable to the form in the schedule, No. 5. And as the vacancies fall out in the royal hospital at Greenwich, they shall be filled up with such old seamen as may be pensioners upon this establishment; and in that case, when they are so appointed, the pension given under this act shall cease, as to them, from the day of their being received into the said royal hospital at Greenwich.

X. The pensions mentioned in this section are intended for able seamen, ordinary seamen, and landmen, indiscriminately; but by way of preventing old and infirm seamen from entering into the service, merely for the sake of obtaining the pension, it is proposed, that

all above forty-three years old when they enter, shall not be entitled to the pension, un four years after the day of being entitied to their discharge, having fully completed the service hereby prescribed.

SECTION XI.

And whereas, not only the strength, but the safety of this nation, may upon some future exigency depend upon furnishing and supplying the royal navy expeditiously with a competent number of seamen, and sea-faring persons, for a general, or particular service; and whereas the great encouragements and advantages held out to them by this act, are meant to be confined to such seamen and sea-faring men only, as shall enter with alacrity into the royal navy, when their services shall be required, be it enacted, that from, and after, the passing of this act, and upon commencement of, or arming for, war, it shall and may be lawful for his Majesty in council, to publish a proclamation, requiring seamen, and sea-faring men, immediately to enter into the royal fleet; and with which proclamation shall be published, as an encouragement or incentive, section xii. and xiii., xxvii. and xxviii. of this act. And copies of the said proclamation, &c. shall be forthwith sent to the minister or churchwardens, and to the civil chiefmagistrate of every city, borough, town-corporate, or district, in Great Britain, who shall cause the same to be immediately affixed against the church, or chapel door, or most conspicuous place or places, within such cities, boroughs, towns-corporate, or districts ; and the lords commissioners of the admiralty, shall dispatch proper

officers,