The Captain or Commander of a Ship, upon her being fitted for sea, whether for Foreign or for Channel Service, or at any time on her being in want of slops or bedding, is to make timely application to the Store-keeper or Naval Officer at the port where the Ship is, for such quantities of each species of slop-clothing, as will complete the store, agreeably to the establishment of 11th June, 1799, and also such bedding as may be needful for the use of the Ship's company; and to get the same on board before he proceeds to sea, thereby to prevent, as much as possible, the purchasing of slops or bedding abroad, (which is never to be done but in cases of absolute necessity) or the Ship's company suffering for want of them.

Captain or Commander to make timely application for slop clothing.

But if through unforeseen accidents, after all due precautions have been taken, the necessities of the men shall require the buying of slop-clothes or bedding in foreign ports, the Captain is to see that they be as near the kind used in the Navy as can be procured, and at as moderate rates as possible, at which rates, with the addition of 15 per cent. they shall he issued to the Ship's company. And in order that the Purser's account in the Slop-office may be regularly and in due time charged with such purchased slops and bedding, the Captain is, by the first opportunity, to send to the Navy Board an invoice, expressing the time when, the place where, and the name of the person of whom the slops and bedding were purchased ; and also the quantities, species, and prices of the same, together with the Pursers receipt for the said slops and bedding, which receipt shall be written upon the back, or at the foot of the said invoices. But where there is a Store-keeper, or Naval Officer; neither the Captain nor Commander, nor any other person whatsoever, except only the Naval Officer or Store-keeper, is to purchase or contract for slops or bedding.

Precautions to be observed when slops or bedding shall be purchased in foreign ports.

The Parser is to have the charge of the slop clothes and bedding, for the faithful discharge of which trust he shall enter into bond to the Navy Board on taking up his warrant; and for his care and pains in issuing the same and managing the accounts thereof, he shall at the final settlement of this account, be paid one shilling in the pound on the amount of the slop clothes issued by him excepting those issued to supernumeraries for victuals only, discharged to other Ships, and those which shall appear to have been purchased by the Commander of the said Ship.

Purser to have charge of clop clothes, and be allowed one shilling on the amount of slop clothes issued.

When any new raised men, either volunteers or pressed appear on board any of His Majesty's Ships or Vessels, either as part of their complement, or as supernumeraries, examination is to be made how they are furnished with clothes and bedding, and the Captain is to cause such as appear in want thereof to be supplied according to their necessities, but not exceeding in the whole, to any one person, the amount of two month's wages. And be is to take care not to let the pressed men have any thing more than shall be absolutely necessary to keep them clean and protected from the weather.

New raised men to have slops if they require them, not exceeding the amount of two months wages.

None are to receive a second supply, until they shall have served full two months, and then not above the value of ten shillings, and every two months to the value of ten shillings more, if they shall want necessaries, to the end of the voyage.

None to receive a second supply until they shall have served two months.

When any men raised for His Majesty's service, and borne on board a Ship or Vessel for victuals only, are removed from her into any other Ship or Vessel, a list signed by the Commander is to be sent with them, containing the names, whether volunteers or pressed, and the times of their being respectively entered for His Majesty's service, from which times they are to be borne for wages upon the books of any Ship or Vessel in which they shall serve as part of her complement; and particular care is to be taken to set off upon such list the value of all slop clothes and bedding that may have been supplied to any of the men contained therein, upon pain of its being deducted from the wages of any Commander. who shall fail to have the same duly set off ; and the Commander of every Ship or Vessel, into which any such men are removed, is to take care that a list, agreeably to what is above prescribed, be received with them, and (whether he receives them as supernumeraries, or as part of his complement) he is carefully to note on his books from what Ship or Vessel they came, the times of their first entry into the service, and of their appearance on board his Ship, and to charge against their names the value of the slops and bedding set off upon the said list; but if any such supernumeraries shall be D. S. Q. ed. die, or desert, or be discharged from the service, whilst they are borne for victuals only, they shall then be considered as having been borne for wages as well as victuals, and their names be accordingly entered upon the pay books.

List to be send of men raised for His Majesty�s service when removed from one Ship to another ; directions respecting such lists.

Whenever it shall be found necessary to lend slop clothes or bedding from one of His Majesty's Ships or Vessels to another, the Purser who is to lend the same shall previously have an order from his Captain or Commander duly dated, and expressing the station of the Ship at the time of the transaction, and upon the delivery of the slops or bedding he is to procure from the Purser who receives them two receipts, duplicates of each other, containing the quantity and price of every particular species, and likewise his Commander's order for demanding the same, one of which receipts he shall, by the first possible opportunity transmit to the Navy Board, and he is himself to keep the other, to be produced at the time of passing his account together with the Captain's or Commander's order for the loan, without which order and receipt he will not be allowed credit in his account for such loan.

Directions for lending slop clothes and bedding from one of His Majesty�s Ships to another.

Every Commander of His Majesty�s Ships or Vessels is to transmit to the Navy Board, at the end of every six months, or as soon after as opportunity shall offer, an account of all slop clothes and bedding that have been received, issued, lent, or returned into store in that half year, with the prices of the several species set against the same, agreeably to the form (No. 22) signed by himself, the Master and Purser ; and he shall cause copies of the said accounts to be entered in two separate books, each of which copies shall be signed as before-mentioned, and one of the said books shall remain with the Captain or Commander, and the other with the Purser, to be produced severally by them at the passing of their respective accounts; and at the bottom of each copy of such account so entered, mention shall be made by what conveyance the original half yearly account was sent to the Navy Office ; and all Commanders are to take notice that, if any mistake shall happen to the prejudice of the Crown, from their failing to comply herewith, the loss occasioned thereby is to be made good out of their wages.

Captain or Commander to transmit to Navy Board every six months an account of all slop clothes and bedding that have been issued, lent, returned, &c.

Copies of the accounts to be entered in two separate books.

Any mistake happening to the prejudice of the Crown, the loss to be made good out of the wages of the Commander.

When any one dies on board, his clothes and other effects in the Ship may he sold by auction, and the produce thereof shall be charged against the buyers on the muster and pay books, and a distinct account kept of the same in the slop-book, expressing the name of the person that died, the particulars of the effects, the rates at which they were sold, and the names of the buyers, with their numbers on the books, to the end that the Pay-master may deduct and detain the money for the use of the Executors or Administrators of the deceased. The Purser shall make out and sign a bill of the clothes or other effects so sold, according to the form (No. 23), which being also signed by the Captain, is by him to be transmitted to the Navy-Office, with the ticket for the wages of the deceased; and the Purser, for his care and pains in the business, shall be allowed one shilling in the pound, to be deducted from the amount of such clothes bill on the pay books of the Ship.

Directions to be observed with regard to the clothes and effects of persons dying on board.

Purser to make out and sign the bill of sale.

No Seamen shall be permitted to bid for deceased Officers� clothes that are above their wear, nor be suffered to bid for any effects beyond their real value, according to the judgment of the Master or Purser, who shall be present; nor to purchase more than the wages due to them can answer, agreeably to the allowance of slop clothes.

Seamen not to bid for deceased Officers clothes ; other restrictions.

All slop clothes, dead men's clothes, and bedding are to be issued out to the men publicly upon deck in the presence of the Officers and Ship's company. The Captain is not to suffer anyone. to be supplied with them, who is not really in want; so he is to oblige those who are ragged or in want of apparel or bedding, to receive such necessaries as they want not exceeding the quantity mentioned in the 4th and 5th Articles.

All slop clothes, dead men�s clothes and bedding to be issued to the men publicly on deck.

The Captain or Commander is to take care to note upon his muster books, pay books, advance lists, pay lists, and sick tickets, the value of the slop clothes, bedding, and dead men's clothes every man shall have been supplied with, and likewise to keep a separate slop-book according to the form (No. 24) and before the payment of the Ship, or on his removal, he is to send the said slop-book to the Navy Board, signed with his own hand, and also by the senior Lieutenant, Master and Purser.

Captain or Commander to note on the muster books &c. the value of slop clothes &c. any man may have been supplied with and to keep a separate slop-book.

Upon the discharge of any man by pay-ticket, the Captain is to take care that there be noted on the ticket, in words, the value of the slop clothes, bedding, and dead men's clothes, he has been supplied with.

Value of slop clothes to be noted on the pay tickets of men discharged.

Upon the death or removal of a Purser, the Officers who survey the provisions and victualling stores shall also take a separate survey and account of the remains of slop clothes and bedding, and certify the same under their hands in the form (No. 25) to be produced with the other papers necessary for passing the Purser's accounts, and also a copy thereof shall be entered in the slop-book, and signed by the Officers who took the survey.

Survey of slop clothes and bedding to be taken on the death or removal of the Purser.

At the end of the voyage, and before the payment of the Ship, the Purser shall return into store such of the slops and bedding as remain unissued, and forthwith render a just account of all the slops and bedding that have from time to time been committed to his charge; and for this purpose he shall, as soon after the payment of the Ship as possible, deliver into the Ticket-office, lists of the names of all persons to whom slops and bedding have been issued ; with the value of the same set against each came respectively ; that is to say, he shall deliver distinct and separate lists in the form (No. 26) for the precise time between each payment of the Ship, and likewise he shall deliver into the Slop-office, a voluntary charge and an account current on the back thereof, on a proper stamp, in the form (No. 27) to be attested by him upon oath, as mentioned in the said form. But he shall not be allowed credit for slop clothes or bedding returned as unserviceable, unless he produces a condemnation of them upon survey, certified under the hands of the senior Lieutenant, Master and Boatswain, and therein shall be expressed, the time when, and the place where, the slops were taken onboard, and also the cause of their damage, together with an affidavit that the whole of the said returns are the same he actually received from His Majesty's Stores or Ships, or on His Majesty's account, and that there was no neglect on his part in not having timely issued those which appear to be condemned as unserviceable ; nor shall he be allowed credit for any unserviceable slops thrown over-board, but to cause them to be carefully packed up and preserved, that they may be returned into store, and he is not to receive his wages nor tobacco money, nor is he to obtain a bill for the balance of his final victualling account, without a certificate from the Storekeeper of slops, that he has delivered into the Slop-office the said accounts of slops and beds, and that the same has been settled.

Directions to the Purser how to proceed with regard to slop clothes and bedding at the end of the voyage and before the payment of the Ship.

When a Purser belonging to a Ship in Commission passes his account to a particular time he shall, in the manner prescribed in the preceding article, deliver in a voluntary charge and an account current, together with a survey of all such slop clothes and bedding as remain in his charge on that day, to be taken by the senior Lieutenant, Master, and Boatswain, in consequence of an order from the Captain or Commander, and to be accompanied by the Purser's affidavit (No. 28).

A Purser passing his accounts to a particular time shall deliver in accounts as described in the preceding article.

When soldiers are serving on board any Ship in lieu of marines, the Purser is to obtain a bill for any slops that may have been issued to them, from the Commander of the detachment on the Agent of the regiment, made payable to the Storekeeper and Accountant for Slops or his order, accompanied by a list of the soldiers, and the value of the slops supplied to each ; this list to be signed by the Commander of the Ship, the Commanding Officer of the detachment, and the Purser ; which he is, together with the bill, to transmit to the Navy Board ; and although soldiers never pay for beds, if any have been issued to them, a separate list signed as above shall be transmitted, in order to clear the Purser, and to remain as a document in the Slop-office.

How the Purser is to proceed when Soldiers are serving on board in lieu of marines.