Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

[2]

I.

You are to keep the said Warrant in your
own Custody, and execute the same personally,
and never to entrust it into the Charge of any
other.

II.

You are not to press any Landmen, but only
Seamen and Seafaring Men, or such as are de-
scribed in the Press-Warrant; and of those, only
such as are able and fit for His Majesty's Service,
and not to take up Boys or infirm Persons, in
order to magnify the Numbers upon your
Accounts, and to bring an unnecessary Charge
upon His Majesty.

III.

You are not to press any Boatswains, Car-
penters, or First Mates belonging to Merchant
Shipes of Fifty Tons or upwards; nor any
Masters of small Vessels.

IV.

You are not to press any Men, whose Names
are inserted in a Protection signed by Us, though
not exactly described, provided they are actually
[3] in the ship, or on the Service for which they are
protected. But if there be more Seamen in a
Ship than the Protection is granted for, you are
to press those who are supernumerary; but not
those who are duly protected, and within the
allowed Number.

V.

You are not to press any Men, who are pro-
tected under the Hands of three or more of the
Commissioners of the Navy, or Victualling, or
of the principal Officers, of the Ordinance, and
the Seal of those respective Offices, provided
they are employed in the actual Service of those
Offices.

VI.

You are to observe, that Protections are intended to protect only those Seamen who are actually in the Ship, or working in the Boat near to the Ship, and in the Service of the Ship; but if any Men go ashore with the Protection, it shall not only be of no Use to protect Men from being pres'd ashore, but those who are in the Ship shall be liable to be pres'd during the Absence of the Protection. B

[4]

VII.

You are not to press any Men being of the
Age of Fifty-five Years, or upwards; nor any
Youth not having attained the full Age of
Eighteen Years; not any Foreigner; nor any
Landman, of what Age soever he shall be, who
shall use the Sea, until he has served two full
Years, to be computed from the Time of his first
going to Sea; not any Person, who (not having
before used the Sea) shall bind himself Apprentice
to serve at Sea, until he has served for the full
Space of Three Years, to be computed from the
Time of his binding himself Apprentice; all
such Persons, as are under the abovesaid Descrip-
tions, being exempted from being pressed by Act
of Parliament. But if you shall find that Pro-
tections have been obtained from Us by Surprize
for any Persons, pretending to be under some one
of the above-mentioned Cases, who are not really
under the Circumstances for which they were pro-
tected; you are to press the Persons who shall
appear to you, to have imposed upon Us, and
to send their Protections up to our Secretary;
but you are not to meddle with the other Seamen
who are regularly protected.

VIII.

You are not to press any Harpooner, Line- manager, Boat-steerer, or Seamen, who shall be in, [5] or belong to any Ship or Vessel in the Greenland
Fishery Trade, from the said Service; and if any
such Harpooner, Line-manager, Boat-steerer, or
Seamen, shall, during the Time of the Year that
he or they are not employed in the said Fishery,
give Security to the Satisfaction of the Commis-
sioners of the Customs, that he or they will
proceed in the said Ship or Vessel to Greenland,
or Davis's Streights, on the Whale Fishery, the
next season, they may sail in the Colliery-Trade
without being liable to be pres'd.

IX.

And wheras the Watermen belonging to each
Insurance Office, not exceeding Thirty to each
Office, are free by Law from being pres'd, or
compelled to go to Sea, their Names and Places
of Abode being first registered in this Office, you
are to have Regard thereto.

X.

When you go on Board any Merchant Ship or
Vessel, in order to get Seamen from her, you are
first to call the Crew upon the Deck, and let them
know, that if any of them will declare themselves
willing to serve His Majesty, and go along with
you, they shall receive Two Months Wages Ad-
vance, before the Ship they are to serve in pro-
ceeds to Sea; but that otherwise, if they refuse to
[6] go without your pressing them, they will be ex-
cluded from that Advantage. And when you
take Men from Merchant Ships, you are to see
that they bring their Chests and Bedding along
with them.

XI.

When you have taken as many Seamen out
of a Merchant Ship or Vessel, homeward-bound,
as shall be proper, you are to put on board her
and equal and sufficient Number of good Seamen
in their Room, under the Care of a discreet Offi-
cer, to whom you are to give Directions to assist
in navigating her safely to the Place of her un-
lading, or any nearer Port that the Master shall
desire, and not to quit her sooner, upon any Pre-
tence whatsoever. And as you are strictly forbid
yourself, so are you strictly to charge the said
Officer and Seamen not to demand any Money,
or other Gratification whatsoever upon that Ac-
count, as you and they will answer it at your Pe-
rils : And you are also strictly charged, when you
go on board Merchant Ships to get Men from
them, not to do any Thing that my either expose
them to Danger, or delay them longer than is
absolutely necessary for His Majesty's Service,
from proceeding to their intended Ports.

XII.

You are to give Tickets of Leave to the Men
you put on board Merchant Ships, for such
[7] Time as you shall judge reasonable for their
Return ; and if you send them into the River
Thames, or to any of the Out-Ports, where there
is a Clerk of the Cheque or Naval Officer, you
are to draw out a List of their Names, and sign
a Certificate a the Foot thereof in the following
Form;

I do hereby certify, that the Persons above-
named, belonging to His Majesty's Ship the      
were this day put on board the        Merchant
Ship in lieu of press'd Men; and are to return to
       in order to repair on board their Ship, or
the                Tender ; and I desire you will
pay them Conduct-Money to that Place. Given
under my Hand on board the            Tender,
the          Day of                     
To the Clerk of the Cheque,                 or Naval Officer at                         

Which Lift and Certificate you are to seal up,
and send it by the Chief of the Men whose
Names are contained therein, to the said Clerk
of the Cheque or Naval Officer ; who, upon Re-
ceipt thereof, is directed to pay to each Man the
usual Conduct-Money, taking their Receipts for
a Voucher; and to indorse on the Backs of their
Tickets of Leave, the Time when, and the Sums
Paid to enable them to return to the Ship.
C XIII.

[8]

XIII.

If you send Men in Merchant Ships to any
Out-Port, where there is no Clerk of the Cheque
or Naval Officer, and you judge it best for them
to travel from thence to the Ship they belong to,
or to return on board the Tender, at some other
Port ; you are to send a like Lift and Certificate,
sealed up, to the Collector of the Customs at the
Port the Men go to, who will thereupon pay them
Conduct-Money, and take their Receipts for the
same, upon the Back of your Certificate ; but if
you would have the Men remain at the Port you
send them to, till you call for them with the
Tender, you must then draw out your Certificate
In the following Manner, viz.

I do hereby certify, that the Persons above-
named, belonging to His Majesty's Ship the      
were this Day put on board the            Mer-
chant Ship, bound to                 in lieu of
Seamen press'd from her, and are directed to re-
main at that Place till I call for them; I there-
fore desire you will supply them with Six-pence a
Day each for their Subsistance, so long as they
remain there. Given under my Hand on board
the        Tender, the        Day of          
To the Collector of His                   
   Majesty's Customs at                     
[9] Upon which they will be subsisted by the Col-
lector, and their Receipts taken by him as afore-
said, for what Money he supplies them with; and
you are to take Care to call for the said Men as
soon as possible.

XIV.

If your station is in or about London, you
are to attend the Regulating Captains, when
such are appointed, and to observe all such Orders
as you shall receive from them, signified under
their Hands. You are to bring all such Men as
you procure, whether Voluntiers or Pres'd, be-
fore the said Regulating Captains, who are to
examine them, and see if they are fit for His
Majesty's Service.

XV.

You are to apply from Time to Time, to the
Captain of the Ship you belong to, for Money,
as you shall have such Occasion, to enable you to
carry on this service.

XVI.

You are to keep a daily and exact Account of
your Disbursements, in the Form hereunto annex-
ed, expressing therein, in the most particular Man-
[10] ner, every Article of Expence; and to send a
Copy thereof twice a Week, or oftener, if requi-
red, to your Captain, with a Lif of the Men pro-
cured by you, that he may be the better enabled
to cheque and attest your Accounts when the
Service is over; and you are to be careful to use
good Husbandry in your Disbursements, for no-
thing will be allowed on your Accounts, that
shall appear unreasonable or unnecessary.

XVII.

While you are employed on this Service
ashore, you are allowed to bear yourself, and
those employed under you, on Lists, and to make
the following Allowances, viz.

	s.	d.
To yourself,- - -	2	6	}per diem
To a Mate or Midshipman, }	I	0	}per diem
And to each Seaman,-- }	I	0	}per diem

But this Allowance is not to be expected, when
you or they are borne for Victuals on board any
Ship or Tender; nor is any farther Expence
to be brought to Accoutn for personal At-
tendance.

[11]

XVIII.

If the Nature of the Service shall require your
making any Disbursements under the Head of
incident or contingent Charges, such as Horse-
hire, Boat-hire, Lodging, Beat of Drum, Drunk
for Refreshment only, Intelligence, Postage of
Letters, or any other such-like Expences, you
are to be as particular therein as possibly may
be, expressing, distinctly and separately, the
Charge of each Article; and in the Charge of
Horse-hire and Boat-hire, you are constantly
and exactly to mention the Places, to and from
which the same were made use of.

XIX.

And whereas we have ordered, that such Sea-
men as enter in or about London for the Ships
at Portsmouth, shall be allowed the Carriage of
their Chests and Bedding; if the Ship you be-
long to is fitting out at Portsmouth, you are to
pay to such Men as shall enter voluntarily with
you, and shall be desirous to travel thither by
Land, Two Shillings and Sixpence each, in Part
of their Conduct-money, upon their producing to
you the Waggoner's Certificate, that they have
put their Cloaths and Bedding into his Wag-
D [12] gon, in order to their being carried to that Place,
and delivered to such Officer as the Captain of
the Ship shall send to them; to whom you are
to transmit, by the first Post, a Lift of the Men
to whom you pay the said Money, that he may
send an Officer accordingly for the said Cloaths
and Bedding, and bring them on board. But
you are to let the Men know, that if the Carriage
exceeds One Hundred Weight, the Charge of
the Overplus will be deducted out of their two
Months Wages Advance.

XX.

If the Ship you belong to is fitting out at
Chatham, Sheerness, or is at the Nore, you are
to pay such Men as shall enter voluntarily in or
about London, and are desirous to travel to the
Ship at their own Charge, Two Shillings and
Sixpence in full of their Conduct-money, upon
their producing to you a Certificate from the
Master of the Vessel appointed to receive their
Cloaths and Bedding, of their having delivered
the same to him; and you are to acquaint the
Captain or chief Officer on board of your Pro-
ceedings, as is mentioned in the aforegoing
Article.

[13]

XXI.

You are to send daily Accounts to our Secre-
tary, of the Number of Men you procure, in
the Form hereunto annexed: But if there are
Regulating Captains, and you are employed in
or about London, you are to send the said daily
Accounts to them.

XXII.

When this Service is over, you are to make
up your Accounts of Disbursements, and to
make Affidavit thereto in the following Form,
viz.

This Deponent          maketh Oath, That he
hath disbursed the Sum of        in procuring
and subsisting the          Men named in the
foregoing Account, between the        and the
       and that the Sum charged against each
Particular, is the same for which it was
Expended, and not otherwise.

[14]

XXIII.

You are to present the said Account so made
up and sworn to, to the Captain of the Ship you
belong to, in order to his examining the same,
and correcting it if necessary, and certifying
thereto, so far as he shall judge the same reason-
able and fit to be allowed.

[decorative figure]