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Regulations & Instructions - 1808
Relating to His majesty's service at sea.
Section I - Chapter I
The Officers in General of His Majesty's Navy.
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| Page 1 |
| Article I |
| Every Flag Officer is to repair to the Squadron in which he shall be ordered to hoist his Flag, and every Captain, Commander, and other Officer to the ship to which he shall be appointed, without delay, after receiving information of his being appointed, or ordered. |
Flag Officer is to repair to the Squadron and other Officers to their respective Ships on being informed of their appointment. |
| Page 2 |
| Article II |
| Every Officer, from the Time of his joining the Ship to which he shall be appointed, to that of his being discharged from it, is to be constant in his attendance on board, never going out of the ship (except on the Public Service) without having obtained permission from the Commanding Officer on board ; nor shall he remain out of the Ship during the Night, nor after setting of the Watch, without having express Permission to do so ; nor be absent from the Ship for more than Twenty-four Hours at one Time, without the Permission of the Commander-in-Chief, or the Senior Officer present. |
All Officers to be content in their attendance on board.
No Officer to remain out of the Ship during the night ; nor to be absent for more than Twenty-four hours at one time. |
| Article III |
| Every Flag Officer, Captain, Commander, and other Officer in the Fleet, from the time of his joining the Squadron or Ship to which he shall be appointed, to that of his being removed from it, shall wear the uniform established for Officers of his rank or Station ; except when he shall have leave from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, or the Commander in Chief, to be absent from his duty ; or, when he shall have express permission from his Commanding Officer to appear without it, which is never to be granted unless be may have leave to go to some considerable distance from the Port where the Ship, to which he belongs, shall be anchored. |
Every Flag Officer and other Officers in the Fleet shall wear their proper Uniforms.
Exceptions. |
| Article IV |
| Every Flag Officer, Captain and Commander, and every other Officer in his Station, is to conduct himself in the discharge of his duty, with the most perfect respect to his Superiors, and the most implicit obedience to their Orders ; and every Officer is, on all occasions, to shew to all other Offices every degree of respect and attention, which their respective situations may entitle them to expect. |
All officers to conduct themselves with respect to their Superiors, and with obedience to their orders. |
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| Article V |
| Every Flag Officer, Captain, and Commander, and every other Officer in the Fleet, is to obey every Order of his Superiors, and to discharge every part of his duty, with the utmost zeal and alacrity ; and he is not only to discharge the duties particularly attached to his own station; but he is also, as far as circumstances will admit, to assist all other Officers in whatever duties they may have to perform. He is, on all occasions, to promote the good of the public service, in all its branches ; and so to conduct himself, in every situation, as to be an example of morality, regularity, and good Order, to all who may be subject to his Command. |
General conduct to be observed by all Officers in the Fleet. |
| Article VI |
| Every Officer is to observe attentively the conduct of all the Officers under his Command, and of the Ship's Company in general ; urging them, individually and collectively, to a zealous and perfect performance of their duty ; commending all those whose good conduct shall merit commendation ; and censuring, punishing, or reporting to his Superior, as circumstances may require, those whose misconduct shall deserve it. |
Every Officer to observe the conduct of other Officers under his Command, & of the Ship�s Company. |
| Page 4 |
| Article VII |
| If an Officer shall observe any misconduct in his Superior, or shall suffer any personal oppression, injustice, or other ill treatment, he is not, on that account, to fail, in any degree, in the respect due to such Superior Officer ; but he is to represent such misconduct or ill treatment to the Captain of the Ship to which he belongs ; or to the Flag Officer commanding the Squadron in which he serves ; or to the Commander in Chief, as circumstances may require. |
Misconduct in a Superior Officer not to lessen the respect due to him.
To whom such misconduct shall be represented. |
| Article VIII |
| Every Officer is strictly enjoined to refrain from making any remarks or observations on the conduct or orders of any of his Superior Officers, which may tend to bring them into contempt and most carefully to avoid the saying or doing of any thing which, if seen or heard by, or reported to, the Ship's Company, may discourage them, or render them dissatisfied with their condition, or with the Service on which they shall then he employed, or with any Service on which they may be ordered. And if any Officer shall so far forget so essential a part of his duty as, either by his conduct or observations, to endeavour to lessen the respect due to his Superior or his Orders ; or to dishearten the Ship's Company, or any part of them, or to render them dissatisfied; every Officer, and every other Person who shall observe such conduct, or shall hear such observations, is strictly charged to report it immediately to the Captain of the Ship, or to the Commander in Chief, as circumstances may require ; and if any Officer, or other person, shall observe such conduct, or hear such observations, and shall not report them as herein directed, he shall be considered as accessary to the Offence,and shall be punished accordingly. But this injunction is not intended to prevent an Officer, who receives an Order, from making to the Officer from whom he receives it, a proper and respectful representation of any bad effects which he shall think may result to His Majesty's Service from its being obeyed : nor to prevent any Person from representing, either to the Officer by whom the Order was issued, or to his Superior, any injury, injustice, or oppression he may suffer, or may have reason to apprehend he shall suffer, by such Order being carried into execution : nor is it intended to prevent an Officer, or any Person whatever, from taking such measures, as the custom of the Service allows, to obtain redress for any injustice or injury done to him (as directed in the ". Article of these instructions) or protection from Tyranny or any oppression he may suffer by the conduct or orders of his Superiors. |
Every officer to refrain from making remarks or observations on the conduct of his superiors, which may bring them into contempt ; or such as may discourage the Ship�s Company.
Officers so forgetting their duty to be reported by any other Officer or Person observing such conduct.
Or the Officer or Person observing such conduct will be considered as accessory to the offence.
Any Officer may represent in a respectful manner the bad effects of any Order which he conceives may result to the Service ; or injury he may sustain from its being carried into execution. |
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| Article IX |
| If an Officer, or other Person, shall have occasion to represent the misconduct of any Officer, or shall have cause of complaint, he is to represent it to the Captain of the Ship to which he belongs ; but if the Captain shall not attend to his representation ; or if the Captain be the Officer whose misconduct he shall think it necessary to represent, or of whose ill Treatment he shall have cause to complain, he is to make his representation to the Commander in Chief, to the Senior Officer present, or to the Secretary of the Admiralty, as circumstances may require. |
Misconduct of an Officer to whom it shall be represented |
| Article X |
| Every Officer is strictly enjoined to avoid all unnecessary public expence ; and, as far as may depend upon him, to prevent it in others ; to be himself, and to oblige all Officers under his command to be, as economical as possible in the expenditure of Stores, and not to admit of their being converted to any other than their proper use ; except in such manner, and into such articles as are allowed on the establishment of the Navy ; and if an Officer shall discover any wasteful Expence of Timber, or other materials, appropriated to the repairing of the Ship, or any negligence or idleness in the Artificers employed on such repairs, he is immediately to report it to the Captain, or the Commanding Officer on board, that such steps may be taken as the degree of neglect, or of wasteful expence, shall require. |
Officers to avoid all unnecessary public expense.
To be economical in the expenditure of Sores.
Waste and negligence to be reported to the Commanding Officer. |
| Page 7 |
| Article XI |
| Every Officer is most strictly enjoined to be particularly correct in all the accounts, which he may have to render, of the purchase, receipt, expenditure, or return, of Stores or Provisions ; always representing them as being expended, or otherwise disposed of, precisely in the manner in which they were disposed of, and in no other. |
Officers to be correct in the accounts of Stores or Provisions. |
| Article XII |
| Every Officer is strictly enjoined to report to the Captain of the Ship, to which be belongs, or to the Commander in Chief, or to the Secretary of the Admiralty, as circumstances may require, any neglect, collusion, or fraud which he may discover in any Contractors, Agents, or other Persons concerned in supplying His Majesty's Ships with Stores or Provisions or in executing any works in the naval department either on board or onshore ; whether such Stores or Provisions be under his charge, or such works under his inspections, or under that of any other Officer. |
Officers to report any neglect, collusion or fraud on the part of contractors, Agents and others concerned in supplying His Majesty�s Ships with Stores and Provisions. |
| Article XIII |
| Every Officer is strictly forbidden to have any concern or interest in the purchasing of, or in Contracts made for the supplying of Provisions or Stores of any kind for the use of His Majesty's Ships ; or in Contracts made for the executing of any works in the Naval department; or to receive any emolument, fee, or gratuity whatever, either directly or indirectly, on account of such Contracts or purchases, from those who have an interest in such Contracts or purchases. |
Officer to have no concern nor interest in Contracts ; nor to receive any emolument, fee or gratuity on account of such contracts. |
| Page 8 |
| Article XIV |
| Every Flag Officer, before he strikes hiss Flag, and every Captain, Commander and other Officer, before he leaves the Ship to which he belongs, is to sign all Books, Accounts and Certificates, which may be necessary to enable the Officers of the Ship to pass their respective Accounts, or to receive their pay, provided he be satisfied that such Books, Accounts, or Certificates ought to be signed ; but every Officer is strictly enjoined to examine very carefully all Muster Books ; Accounts of the receipt, expenditure or other disposal of Stores or Provisions, and all other Books, Accounts, or Papers before he signs them ; and to sign such only as he shall believe to be correct. And every Officer is also enjoined not to sign any Certificate for any specific Service, without ascertaining that such Service has been actually performed ; nor any certificate of general conduct and character, but such as the general conduct of the person, to whom it is given, shall really deserve. |
Flag Officers and others to sign all Books, Accounts and Certificates, &c., provided they are satisfied such Books, Accounts, &c. ought to be signed.
In what cases they are not to sign Certificates. |
| Page 9 |
| Article XV |
| If an Officer shall, at any time, receive from his Superior an Order which may be contrary in any respect to any Article in these general Instructions, or to any particular Order he may have received from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, or from any Superior Officer, he is to represent in writing such contrariety to the Officer, from whom he shall have received the Order ; but if, after such representation, that Officer shall direct him to obey the Order he has given him, he is to obey it, and report the circumstances to his Commander in Chief, or to the Secretary of the Admiralty, as may be necessary. |
How Officers are to conduct themselves on receiving orders from their Superiors which may be contrary to their general instructions : or any particular order from the Admiralty or from a Superior Officer. |
| Article XVI |
| If Stores or Provisions of any description be lost, embezzled, or spoilt; or if any extraordinary public expence be incurred, by the misconduct or negligence of any Officer, the pay of that Officer shall be made answerable for the amount of such Provisions, Stores, or extraordinary expence ; and if the pay due to him shall not be equal to the amount thereof, his future pay, or half pay, shall be stopt, until the public shall be perfectly reimbursed for every expence which his misconduct or negligence may have occasioned. |
The pay of an Officer to be stopt, when by his misconduct or negligence Stores and Provisions be lost, embezzled or spoilt.
Also his future pay and half-pay. |
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| Article XVII |
| Every Officer is to be particularly careful, when he signs any Letters, Books, Certificates, &c. or when he draws Bills on His Majesty's Service, to insert after his name, the rank which he holds in the Service. |
The rank of every Officer signing Books, Accounts. &c. or drawing Bills, to be inserted after his name. |
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