1 Oct 1850

By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, &c.

Her Majesty having been graciously pleased, with the view of improving the condition of the Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines, of the Fleet, to direct that the following alterations should be made in the Scale of Victualling and Pay of the Royal Navy, viz.:-

1st. The Allowance of Salt Meat to be increased from three-quarters of a pound to a pound, per man per day.

2nd The allowance of Sugar to be likewise increased; and Mustard and Pepper to be substituted as a certain portion of Oatmeal and Vinegar.

3rd. The allowance of Spirits to be reduced, and a compensation in money to be granted for such reduction, a shown in the annexed Scale.

4th. The Pay of the Navy to be recast at a daily Rate, and the compensation above-mentioned to be blended with and form a part of the Pay.

5th The Calendar to be substituted for the Lunar Month in the payment of Wages.

You are hereby required and directed to cause the said new Scale of Victualling and Pay, together with the Regulations attached thereto, to be promulgated and carried into effect, accordingly, on board Her Majesty's Ships under your commend, on and after the 1st of January next.

In the event of any of the Ships of your Squadron being on a distant part of the Station, and unable therefore to commence the new Scale of Pay and Provisions on the 1st of January next, the same is to be postponed till the 1st of April following.

The necessary supply of the new Rate Books will be forwarded to you by the Storekeeper-General.

Given under our hands, this 1st day of October, 1850,

F. T. Baring, M. F. F. Berkeley, A. Milne, J. W. D. Dundas, H. Stewart, W. Cowper.

By Command of their Lordships,

J. Parker

To all Commanders-in-Chief, Captains, Commanders, and Commanding Officers of Her Majesty�s Ships and Vessels.

Table showing the allowance of Grog and Compensation Money :

There shall be allowed to every person serving in Her Majesty�s Navy, the following daily quantities of Provisions, viz.:-

When fresh meat and vegetables cannot be issued there shall be allowed in lieu thereof :-

And weekly, whether fresh, or salt, or preserved meat be issued :-

There shall also be allowed weekly, vinegar not exceeding � pint per man, for occasional use only, when actually required, but not to be expended unnecessarily, nor considered as subject to be paid for when not used.

Suet and raisins, or suet and currants, shall be substituted for � part of the before-mentioned proportion of flour, � of the said fourth part in suet, and the other half in raisins or currants, at the following rates, viz.:-

In case it should be found necessary to issue substitutes for any of the foregoing species of provisions :-

The following scheme shows the proportion of provisions for each man for 28 days, when not on fresh meat victualling:

Regulations relating to the issue of the Allowance of Grog and Provisions

1. The allowance of grog is to be served out at dinner time only, the evening serving being discontinued ; and all sale, loan, barter, or transfer of grog, is strictly prohibited.
2. No raw spirits are to be issued to any one, unless by the special directions of the Captain.
3. In case of persisting drunkenness, the Captains or Commanding Officers of Her Majesty�s ships, are authorised to charge against pay of the person so offending, a sum not exceeding the amount of compensation money shown in the preceding table ; such mulct, or abatement, to be charged against the party on the ship�s books, and to be reported in the quarterly returns of punishment.
4. No grog is to be allowed to Naval Cadets, or Boys of the 2nd Class.
5. The allowance of grog to Midshipmen, Master�s Assistants, Clerk�s Assistants, and boys of the 1st Class, is to be issued only by the special written directions of the Captain, and when not issued is to be paid for as savings.
6. If any man should not wish to take up his allowance of grog, he will be paid the savings price for it ; or he may, if he prefer it, be allowed to take up, in lieu, � oz. Of tea, and an 1 oz. Of sugar, in addition to the established allowance of these articles.
7. The saving price on tea is to be in future 1s. a pound, and that on sugar 3d. a pound.
8. In cases where salt meat shall have lost more than half its weight in boiling the Captain, or Commanding Officer, is, on satisfying himself of the correctness of the fact, to authorize the Paymaster to issue an additional portion of raw salt meat, equal to half the original allowance.
9. The fat or skimmings of the coppers, which may not be required for the use by the ship, is to be saved, and put into casks, and to be delivered into the charge of the Paymaster of the ship, who is to return it into store at any of her Majesty's depots ; but in the event of his not being able to comply with this regulation, he is to obtain a written order from his Captain to dispose of the same at the most favourable prices for the Government, taking credit for the same in his account, and debiting himself with the proceeds of sale.
10. On the delivery of the above fat or skimmings into the charge of the Paymaster, he is to apply to the Captain for authority to pay to the Cook of the ship, one half of the value of the fat (out of which sum one fourth is to be divided among the Cook's Mates, the remaining three-fourths to belong to the Cook) ; the other half is to be appropriated to the use and for the benefit of the Ship's Company, in the manner which may be deemed most advisable by the Captain.
11. The savings price of the fat for carrying out the above arrangement is to be 1/- per cwt.

A Schedule of Victualling for Troops when Embarked.

(Sanctioned by Her Majesty's Order in Council of the 24th Sept., 1850.)

But when fresh meat and vegetables are not issued, there shall be issued in lieu thereof, viz.:-

And weekly, whether fresh, or salt, or preserved meat be issued:-

N.B. The oatmeal and vinegar are intended only for occasional use.

Suet and raisins, or suet and currants, shall be substituted for a � part of the proportion of flour ; � of the said fourth part in suet, and the other half in raisins or currants at the following rates, viz.:- � lb. suet, or 1 lb. of raisins, or � lb. of currants, to be considered to be equal to 1 lb. of flour.

Table of Pay for Petty Officers, Seamen, and Boys, including Compensation for the Reduction in Spirits.

The allotments in force under the existing scale are not to be altered ; but all fresh allotments made after the 1st January next, are to be according to the new scale

Clerks, who have passed their examination for Paymasters and Pursers, may, from 1 January 1851, draw their bills for their full pay quarterly, instead of half-yearly as heretofore.

Shipment of Spirits Duty Free Discontinued

Circular No. 71,
Admiralty 18 Nov 1850.

With reference to their Lordships' Circular Order of the 1st of last month, No. 70, authorizing a diminution to be made in the quantity of Spirits served out as a daily Ration in the Royal Navy, and with the view of further carrying out their Lordships' intentions, as expressed in the said Circular, both as regards Officers and Men ; they are pleased to notify, that they will not, for the future, recommend to the Treasury to remit the duty on spirits which may be shipped for the use of Officers on board Her Majesty's Ships.

By Command of their Lordships,
John Parker.

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