Navy Prize Money 1836

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Navy Prize Money - 1836

Return to an Address of the Honourable The House of Commons, dated 24 July 1838 ;� for,

Copy of the last Proclamation of Her Majesty, for Distribution of Prize Money in the Navy.

Copy of the Proclamation of His late Majesty, dated 3 February 1836, for the Distribution of Prize Money in the Navy.

A Proclamation.

William, R.

Whereas by Our Order in Council of this day's date, We were graciously pleased, for the reasons therein contained, to annul Our Royal Proclamation of the 19th day of March 1834, directing that distribution should be made of the net proceeds of Prizes captured from the enemy, of captures and seizures under the several Acts passed relating to the revenues of customs, and to trade and navigation, for the abolition of the slave trade, and for the capture and destruction of piratical vessels, and of the rewards conferred for the same, according to the scheme therein set forth, and it is expedient that provision should be made by Us for the future distribution of such proceeds or rewards, We do now make known to all our loving subjects, and to all others whom it may concern, by this Our Proclamation, by and with the advice and consent of Our Privy Council, that Our Royal will and pleasure is, and We do hereby direct, that the distribution of such proceeds and rewards shall be made in the following manner: viz.

That the flag-officer or officers shall have one-sixteenth part of the whole net proceeds arising from prizes captured from the enemy, and from all other captures and seizures as aforesaid, made by the ships and vessels under his or their command, and of the rewards conferred for the same, save and except as hereinafter provided and directed.

That the captain or captains, or commanders, of any of Our ships or sloops of war, who shall have been actually on board at the time of any such capture or seizure, shall have one-eighth part of the remainder divided equally among them, and, where there is no flag-officer, one-eighth part of the whole.

That the remainder shall be distributed into shares, according to the following scale: viz.

First class.�To the sea lieutenants, field-officers of marines (when embarked), captains of marines and land forces, master of the fleet, physician of the fleet (provided such physician of the fleet be actually on board at the time of such capture or seizure), and masters, ten shares each.

Second class.�To the lieutenants, and quartermasters of the marines, and lieutenants, ensigns, and quartermasters of land forces, secretaries to admirals, chaplains, surgeons, pursers, mates, second masters, gunners, boatswains, carpenters, and first engineers, six shares each.

Third class.�To the assistant-surgeons, midshipmen, masters' assistants, schoolmasters, junior engineers, clerks, masters at arms, admirals' and captains' coxswains, quartermasters, gunners' mates, boatswains' mates, captains of the forecastle, captains of the hold, coxswain of the launch, sail-makers, ropemakers, carpenters' mates, caulkers, armourers, captains of the main-top, captains of the fore-top, pilots, Serjeants of marines, three shares each.

Fourth class.�To the ships' cooks, and ships' corporal, captains of the mast, captains of the after-guard, yeomen of signals, coxswains of the pinnace, sailmakers' mates, coopers, caulkers' mates, armourers' mates, volunteers of first class, corporals of marines, two shares each.

Fifth class.�To the gunners' crew, seamen gunners, carpenters' crew, sailmakers' crew, coopers' crew, able and ordinary seamen, yeomen of store-rooms, stokers in steam-vessels, privates and fifers of marines above seven years' service, one share each.

Sixth class.�To the cook's mate, barber, purser's steward, captain's steward) ward or gun-room stewards, ward or gun-room cook, steward's mate, landsmen and boys of first class, young gentlemen's steward, young gentlemen's cook, privates and fifers of marines under seven years' service, two-thirds of a share each.

Seventh class.�Volunteers of the second class and boys of the second class, one-third of a share each.

And We do further order, that when land forces are embarked to serve as marines, they shall share according to their respective ranks as marines.

That when captains and commanders share together, the captains shall receive double the amount of the commanders.

That commanders doing the duty of first lieutenants shall share like other commanders.

That lieutenants commanding small vessels, when not in company with any captain or commander, shall share as captains.

That the clerk in charge in small vessels shall share as a purser, unless a ship or vessel bearing a purser be present, when he is to share only as clerk.

That in all cases in which supernumeraries, whether officers or men, shall be borne by order of the Lord High Admiral, or Our Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, or by other proper authority, they shall share with the respective ranks in which they may be acting; provided always, that no flag-officer or other person, not actually present at the capture or destruction of any pirate vessel, shall be entitled to share in any distribution of the proceeds or bounty in respect of the crews of such piratical ships, vessels or boats, and also that no flag-officer or other person, who shall not have been actually on board of any of Our ships or vessels of war, or at the actual taking, sinking, burning, or otherwise destroying any ship or ships of war or privateers belonging to the enemy, shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any head or bounty money, granted as a reward for the taking, sinking, burning, or otherwise destroying any such ship or vessel.

And We do hereby further direct, that the following regulations shall be observed with respect to the share before mentioned to be given to the flag officer or officers under whose command the capturing ship may be.

That a captain, commander, or commanding officer of a ship or vessel, shall be deemed to be under the command of a flag when he shall have actually received some order from, or be acting in execution of some order issued by a flag-officer, and, in the event of his being directed to join a flag-officer on any station, he shall be deemed to be under the command of such flag-officer from the time when he arrives within the limits of the station, which circumstance is to be always carefully noted in the log-book, and shall be considered to continue under the command of the flag-officer of such station, until he shall have received some order directly from, or be acting in execution of some order issued by, some other flag-officer duly authorized, or by the Lord High Admiral, or Our Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral for the time being.

That when ships or vessels under the command of several flags, which belong to separate stations, shall happen to be joint captors, each flag-officer under whose orders the ships or vessels are, shall receive a proportion of the flag share, according to the number of capturing ships or vessels belonging to each flag respectively.

Captains or commanders, or commanding officers, of such ships-or vessels as shall be under orders from the Lord High Admiral, or Our Commissioners for executing the office-of Lord High Admiral, being joint captors with other ships or vessels under a flag or flags, the flag-officer is only to - have his proportion of the flag share according to the number of ships belonging to his squadron.

That if a flag-officer be sent to command in the ports of the United Kingdom, he shall have no share in the prizes captured from the enemy, nor in the other captures or seizures as aforesaid, made by ships or vessels which have sailed, or shall sail, from that port by order of the Lord High Admiral, or Our Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, nor in the rewards conferred for the same.

That when more flag-officers than one shall be serving together, the one-sixteenth part of the net proceeds of prizes captured from the enemy, and of the other captures or seizures as aforesaid, made by any ships or vessels of the fleet or squadron, and of the rewards conferred for the same, shall be divided in the following proportions : namely,

If there be but two flag-officers, the chief shall have two-third parts of the said one-sixteenth, and the other shall have the remaining third part ; but, if the number of flag-officers be more than two, the chief shall have only one-half, and the other half shall be equally divided amongst the junior flag-officers.

That commodores of the first class, and captains of the fleet, shall be esteemed as flag-officers.

And We further direct, that the captains and commanders of Our ships and vessels of war, shall, on making any capture or seizure, transmit, as soon as may be, or cause to be transmitted, to the Secretary of the Admiralty, a true and perfect list of all the officers, seamen, marines, and soldiers, and others who were actually on board Our ships and vessels of war under their command at the time of the said capture or seizure, and also of those who were absent on duty at such time; which list shall contain the quality of the service of each person on board, together with the description of the men, taken from the description-books of the capturing ships or vessels, and their several ratings, and be subscribed by the captain or commanding officer, and three or more of the chief officers on board.

And that when such lists shall have been duly examined with the muster books of such ships and vessels, and lists annexed thereto, in order to see that such lists agree with such muster-books and annexed lists, as to the names, qualities, or ratings of the officers, seamen, marines, soldiers, and others belonging to such ships and vessels, and, upon request, the Accountant-general of Our navy, or examining officer, shall forthwith grant a certificate, signed by such officer, of the truth of any lists so transmitted to the agents nominated or appointed by the captor or seizors; and also, upon application, the said Accountant-general or examining officer shall give, or cause to be given, to the said agents, all such lists from the muster-books of any such ships and vessels, and annexed lists, as the said agents shall find requisite for their direction in making distribution to the parties entitled to share in the produce of such captures and seizures, and the rewards conferred for the same, and shall be otherwise aiding and assisting to the said agents in all such matters as shall be necessary.

And We further direct, that in case any difficulty shall arise in respect to any of the regulations hereby proposed, and not herein provided for, or not sufficiently provided for, the same shall be referred to Our Lord High Admiral, or Our Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral for the time being, and their directions thereupon shall be considered as final, and have the same force and effect as if specially provided for in Our Royal Proclamation.

Provided always, that the distribution hereinbefore made, or directed to be made, shall not be construed to affect any captures or seizures made before the day of the date of this Our Royal Proclamation, nor any captures or seizures which shall be made after that day, and which shall be condemned or adjudged in any of Our Courts of Vice Admiralty, before notice of this Our Royal Proclamation shall have been received by the Court of Vice Admiralty in which such condemnation or adjudication shall pass; and We hereby further direct, that the proceeds of all such captures and seizures, made before the date of this Our Royal Proclamation, or which shall be made after that day, and which shall be condemned or adjudged in any of Our Courts of Vice-Admiralty, antecedent to the notice of this Our Royal Proclamation having been received in such courts, together with all rewards aforesaid, shall continue to be distributed in the proportions and manner directed in and by Our said Royal Proclamation dated 19 March 1834.

Given at Our Court at St. James's, this 3d day of February, in the year of Our Lord 1836, and in the sixth year of Our reign.

GOD save the KING.