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BY THE KING - 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 nineteenth day of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, 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 stoops 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, master's 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 ship's cooks, and ships' corporals captains of the mast, captains of the after-guard, yeomen of signals, coxswains of the pinnace, sail-makers' 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 ma 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 of any ship or ships of war or privateers belonging to the enemy, shall be entitled to share to 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 he under the command of such flag officers 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 order the ships or vessels are, shall receive it 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 Commission Commissioners for executing the office of Loral 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 he 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 captors or seizors ; and also, upon application, the said Accountant-General, or examining officer, shall give, or cause it 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 to 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 regulation 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 to 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 nineteenth March one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four. Given at Our Court at St. James's this third day of February, in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty six, and in the sixth year of Our reign. GOD SAVE THE KING. 3 Feb 1836 BY THE KING - A PROCLAMATION. WILLIAM R. WHEREAS it has been represented unto Us by Our Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral, that considerable. doubts have arisen on the interpretation of those clauses of Our Royal Proclamations, dated the nineteenth of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, and third of February one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, which direct that the said Proclamations shall take effect from the periods at which notice thereof shall have been received in the several Courts of Vice Admiralty ; and that in many instances the distribution of bounty for captured Slaves is actually detailed in consequence of such doubts; and it has been humbly submitted to Us, by Our said Commissioners that in order to obviate the same, it is expedient to assign a precise and uniform date at which each of the said Proclamations of one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, and one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, are respectively to take effect. We do, therefore, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, think fit to issue this Our Royal Proclamation, hereby directing, that distribution be made by the scale authorized in Our said Proclamation, dated the nineteenth of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, with regard to the proceeds of all captures made within its scope, which shall have been, or shall be condemned in the High Court of Admiralty, in any Vice-Admiralty Court, or any Court of mixed Commission, from and after the first day of August one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, inclusive; and hereby further directing that distribution be made according to the Scale authorized by Our Proclamation, dated the third of February one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, in regard to the proceeds of all captures made within its scope, which shall have been, or shall be condemned in any such Courts as aforesaid, from and after the first day of July one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, inclusive; save and except, that in cases of distributions already made, the proceedings therein are not to be subject to revision, as being in any way vitiated by this Our Royal Proclamation. Given at Our Court at Brighton, this thirtieth day of November, in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, and in the seventh year of Our reign.-GOD SAVE THE KING. 13 Nov 1836 Prize Lists - Supernumeraries Admiralty, 28 August 1850 The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty are pleased to direct, that the Commanding Officers of Her Majesty's Ships and Vessels shall insert on their respective Muster Books and Prize Lists the words - "doing duty by order," - against the names of each Supernumerary borne for victuals only, but actually ordered to do duty, by competent authority ; and unless such notation shall appear against the name of the Supernumerary on the Muster Book, thereby showing the class in which he is placed according to the Prize Proclamation for the time being, he will not be permitted to share in any higher class than that appropriated to Supernumeraries. By command of their Lordships, To all Commanders-in-Chief, Captains, Commanders and Commanding Officers, of Her Majesty's Ships and Vessels. ^ back to top ^ |
