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Eave was given by the Commons, Feb. 3. to bring in a bill to impower the comgoers, or governors, of the royal hofal for feamen, at Greenwich, after deing the neceffary expences thereof, to de for fuch feamen, worn out and bee decrepit in the service of their counI who fhall not be provided for within Asaid hospital; and to enable them to eive fuch penfions as fhall be granted

by the faid commiffioners, or go mors, in the most easy and convenient aner; and for preventing frauds and as attending the fame and a commit was appointed to prepare and bring it In obedience to an order for that pole, there was presented to the house, ch 4. an account of what money had received by the treasurer of that hofrom Christmas 1760 to Christmas and how the fame had been apdiftinguishing each year; an achewing the number of men, boys, herfes, who had been maintained and hed in the hofpital during that peand the report of the commiffioners the hospital, of what money had been rerved out of the rents and profits of the tes forfeited by the attainder of James Earl of Derwentwater, and Charles atcliffe, between Nov. 30. 1761 and 1.1762, and of their proceedings in ying on the building: which accounts report were ordered to lie on the taBy thefe accounts the houfe was fully acquainted with the prefent of the hofpital; and on the 17th of th Mr Grenville prefented the bill; appeared to be fo reasonable and ellary that it paffed through both houin common course, without any mate objection, and received the royal afun the 31ft.Of this act the folng is an abftra&t.

cable. Whereas by several acts of

ament, fundry eftates, rents, and of money, are granted towards fig the building of the royal hofpital eamen at Greenwich, and towards maintenance of the feamen in the faid ital worn out and become decrepit in ervice of their country; and where part of the faid eftates, &c. can be led towards the relief of any worn out crepit feamen who are not provided ithin the hospital; and whereas the es of the hofpital will probably be ent to provide for a confiderable VOL. XXVI.

number of poor feamen as outpenfioners, and it would tend to the increase and en couragement of feamen, if the governors were enabled, after defraying the expences of the hofpital, to provide for fuch feamen as outpenfioners of the hofpital: Therefore it is enacted, &c.

S. The governors of the faid hospital are impowered, after defraying the neceffary expences of the hospital, out of the eftates, &c. belonging to the hospital, to provide for fuch feamen worn out and become decrepit in the service of their country, who thall not be provided for within the hofpital.

2. All affignments or agreements whatfoever which fhall be made by any outpenfioner, in respect of any fum to become due on any outpenfion granted by the governors of the hofpital, fhall be abfolutely null.

3. The more effectually to enable fuch feamen to receive fuch outpenfions in the moft easy and convenient manner, and for preventing frauds and abufes attending the fame, the treasurer of the hospital is required, as often as there fhall be occafion, to make out two bills for every fuch outpenfion, which bills fhall be duplicates, and joined together with oblique lines, flourishes, or devices, in fuch manner as the treasurer fhall think proper; and fhall be made payable to fuch outpenfioner, by the receiver-general of the land-tax, collector of the customs, collector of the excile, or clerk of the cheque, refpectively, according to the apppointment in fuch bills; and the bills being numbered and dated, fhall be figned by the treasurer, or his firft clerk, attefted by the fteward or clerk of the cheque of the hofpital, and written or printed according to the following form. A. N° I.

SIR,

Greenwich Hospital.

to B. D. of in the county of

in that

PAY outpenfioner of Greenwich hofpital, upon producing the duplicate hereof, together with a certificate under the hands of the minifter and church-wardens, or, part of Britain called Scotland, under the hands of the minifter and two elders, of the parish where the faid B. D. refides, that the faid B. D. to the best of their knowledge and belief, is the perfon named in fuch bill, the fum of being on account of the outpension of the faid B. D. if the fame fhall be demanded within fix calendar months from the date hereof; otherwife you are to return this

K

By virtue of the act of the Third of King George the Third.

N. B. The perfonating or falfely affuming the name and character of any outpenfioner of Greenwich hofpital, in order to receive the outpenfion due to fuch outpenfioner, or procuring any other to do the fame, is made felony without benefit of clergy, by Third of King George the Third.

And as foon as the bills fhall be fo made out, the treasurer fhall cause them to be cut afunder, indentwife, through the oblique lines, &c.; and fhall caufe one of them to be tranfmitted to the perfon nominated therein, and the other to the revenue-officer on whom it is drawn; who is required, if the duplicate fhall be produced to him within fix months from its slate, to examine the fame, together with the certificate to be produced as aforefaid; and to inquire into the truth thereof by the oath of the producer; which oath he is impowered to adminifter; and upon be ing fatisfied of the truth of the certificate, to teftify the fame on the back of the bill; and fall immediately pay to fuch outpenfioner, without fee, the fum in the bill, taking his receipt on the back of it; which bill, upon being produced at the navy-office, fhall be repaid by the treasurer of the navy, to the revenue-officer: but in cafe payment of the bill be not demanded within fix months from its date, or if a proper certificate be not produced, the revenue officer fhall return it to the treafurer of Greenwich hofpital; who fhall cancel it.

4. If the revenue-officer fhall not have in his hands public money fufficient to anfwer fuch bill, and fhall refufe or delay immediate payment, he fhall indorse on the bill the day of its being fo tendered, and the cause of non-payment, and fhall appoint thereon fome future day, within two months, for payment, and immediately deliver it back to the perfon prefenting the fame and if, upon complaint to the commisioners of the land-tax, cu

ftoms, excife, or navy, respectivel appear, that fuch revenue-officer neceffarily delayed payment, or rectly or indirectly, received a gratuity on account of the pa fuch bill, any three of the faid fioners may convict and fine fuch under their refpective direction fum not exceeding 50l. to be according to the laws of customs and paid to the informer.

5. All fuch bills paid by the of the navy fhall be allowed i counts with the treasurer of G hospital.

6. From and after the paffin act, whofoever knowingly fhall or falsely affume the name or ch any fuch outpenfioner, or fhall p ny other perfon to do the fame, to receive fuch outpenfion, every fender, being lawfully convicted deemed guilty of felony, and death as a felon, without benefi gy

From the preceding abstract e must see, that this act is one of humane and necessary regulati ever was made in any country, great care has been taken to pre feaman from being cheated by a ufurers, out of any part of the tance allowed by his country, for ing him in his last and most help of life. But there is one incon which I must take notice of, beca perfuaded that the fame humane nerous fpirit which dictated this la very foon provide fome remedy. law, as it ftands at prefent, an fioner muft perfonally appear be revenue-collector to whom his b rected, in order to prefent his de and to be examined. Now, this cafes will be inconvenient and e to the poor men, and in fome c poffible. When a worn out and feaman has got himself fixed upo ftablishment as an outpenfioner of wich hofpital, he will probably retire into fome remote place in th try, on account of the cheapness of or on account of his having fome fr relation there, to whom he may fome fervice, and who for that ferv be willing to give him board and at an extraordinary low rate, per nothing. This place may be miles, or more, from any county town, or any town where a revent

rides; confequently, fuppofing his paid but once a year, he must travel twenty miles, or more, at perhaps twice, before he can To every fuch outpenfioner t always be expenfive, and exnconvenient; but to many it abfolutely imposible; fo that they est laft to be unavoidably deprif their penfion, without any fault or of their own, and that at a time they have most occafion for the chapport of their grateful country, toy, when they are become fo and feeble as not to be able to a mile from their own door, and hape in a place where they have no any relief from the parish. dife in this aft for making void guments, &c. made by any out, was extremely right; becaufe bad fuch a general and uncondipower, many of them would bethe prey of ufurers and extortioners; the cafe of the outpenfioners of college, before that excellent law de, for declaring void all fuch feto be granted by them; which will g memorial upon record to the the gentleman who was the prodit [xvii. 439.]. But still I must that the inconvenience I have menmay, without any danger, be preby adding a claufe for impowerGreenwich outpenfioner to indorse -bill, after he has received it, impowering the revenue-collector to the indorfee, after being duly ed, upon his producing the certifiore mentioned, and alfo another cerfrom the fame minister and church or elders, declaring that the efoner had indorfed his bill to fuch who bad in their prefence paid, or fatisfaction accounted to him for value thereof, or who would, to of their knowledge and belief, and faithfully return the money as foon as poffible, after he had

Wit.

a certificate would prevent its be ble for any ufurer to take any undvantage of a penfioner's having a to indorfe his penfion-bill, after he eceived it; and as there are in every tome people who have frequently ration to go to the county-town, or next port-town, fome of them would do him the favour to take his bill with them in order to receive pay

ment. This would enable every penfioner refiding in any part of G. Britain, to receive his money, without any ufurious deduction, and without trouble or expence, which I am perfuaded was designed by the gentlemen who were the promoters of this charitable law and I hope the commiffioners of Greenwich hofpital have a power, when they put any feamen upon the outpenfion, to do what the commiffioners of the Chelsea hofpital are now by the aforefaid law obliged to do, that is to fay, to pay every man fomething in advance, when he is admitted upon the outpenfion, and always afterwards to pay him at least half a year in advance; for if they are not paid in advance, they must neceffarily fall into the hands of ulurers, who will make them pay at a most extravagant rate for the risk of their happening to die before the enfuing half-year is expired.

I have faid every penfioner refiding in any part of G. Britain: for if any one fhould go to refide in Ireland or America, they could not by this law receive any penfion; and yet this may, I think, and ought to be fome way provided for. We have always many brave Irish and American feamen ferving in the royal navy, especially in time of war: they are equally British fubjects; and whilft they are in the fervice, they contribute to the fupport of Greenwich hofpital equally with those that are born in G Britain; confequently they have an equal title to every benefit that may arife from the fervice. Î make not the leaft doubt but that many of them will hereafter be put upon the outpenfion-establishment; and if they fhould, fome of them may chufe to retire to their native country, in order to pafs the rest of their days among their friends and relations; it would be cruel to debar a poor old feaman of this fatisfaction; therefore I hope fomne method will be contrived for enabling fuch men to receive their penfion in Ireland, or even in Ame rica. I fhall grant, that the whole expence of fupporting our navy, as well as that of fupporting Greenwich hofpital, is raifed by the parliament of G. Britain; and therefore it may be faid, that if any Irifh or American feamen fhould be put upon the outpenfion-eftablishment, they ought to be obliged to live in G. Britain. But that is a partial and an unjust way of reafoning. What is it that enables Britain to raise this expence? It is the great addition made to our general balance of K 2

trade,

trade, by the trade of Ireland and America. If they were entirely detached from us; if we had no remittances from thence, nor any benefit by means of the exports from thence to this, or to foreign countries, I much fufpect, that G. Britain alone would now be a very fmall gainer, if not a lofer, upon the general balance of its trade; in which cafe we could neither fupport fuch a navy nor fuch an army as we do at prefent. Therefore no difference ought in this refpect to be made between a British and an Irish or American feaman. And I must add, that every feaman in the merchant-fervice of Ireland is, by the act 10o Ann. obliged to contribute his 6 d. amonth to the fupport of Greenwichr hofpital, as well as every feaman in the merchant-fervice of G. Britain.

A committee was appointed, Feb. 23. to prepare an estimate of the charge of the pay and cloathing of the militia of England for one year, beginning March 25. 1763. Next day the committee were impowered to include in the estimate the amount of twenty-eight days fubfiftence for the commiffion-officers of the faid militia under the rank of captain. Lord Strange prefented this eftimate March 8. It was read, and ordered to lie on the table; and next day, after being recommended in the ufual manner by the King, it was referred to the fupply-committee, where it produced the refolution which was agreed to on the 10th [xxv. 491. art. 18]. A bill was immediately ordered on this refolution; which was prefented by Mr Ald. Dickenfon on the 14th, had fome amendments made to it in the committee, and after paffing through both houses, received the royal aflent on the 24th.

This act was in many refpects the fame with that for the fame purpofe of the preceding feffion [xxv. 253.]; notice fhall therefore be taken only of the chief alterations made. When the act 1762 was paffed, most of our militia were embodied, and in actual fervice, confequently paid as regular troops; and therefore 20,000 l. was all that was reported by the committee to be neceflary for defraying the charge of pay and cloathing of that part of the militia that remained unembodied: but when the act 1763 was paffed, the whole of our militia was unembo died, and likely to continue fo for that year; therefore the committee report ed 150,ccol. to be necefiary for defraying the charge of their pay and

cloathing; which makes a very difference in the preamble of acts. By the act 1762, there paid 5 d. a-month for each pri and drummer for contingent exp the act 1763 it is to be 6 d. whereof is to go towards an hoff the former act the lieutenants ar were to have no pay; by the la are to have, the lieutenants 38 enfigns 3 s. a-day, for every day abfent from home, on account cife; and this without injuring to their half-pay, in cafe any of intitled thereunto. Laftly, by act there is an alteration made ance of an inftruction to a com the whole house, to whom the recommitted, to receive a clauf more convenient appointing the places for training and exercising litia in 176 these times and p ing now to be appointed by the tenant, on or before the 30th or, on his neglect, by three or puty-lieutenants.

There is one claufe which I to find continued in this new that by which it is enacted, tha pay has not yet been iffued, no be iffued until his Majefty's liet &c. fhall have certified to the and receiver-general, that three the number of private men have rolled, and that three fifths of t portion of officers have accepte commiffions, and entered their q tions. The continuance of this a proof, that in fome counties t tia has not as yet been raised, n ftanding the penalty that is by th ral militia-act of the preceding be inflicted on them for that [xxv. 255.]. This penalty will due fome time next fummer, and the law will be frily carried into tion, and the penalty duly exacted. in fome degree leffen the fum nece defraying the charge of pay and ing for the next year's militia; the make not the leaft doubt but the ment will make a flrict inquiry i matter, and apply the whole pro thofe penalties to that fervice.

On the 16th of March, while litia-bill was paffing, an account monies remaining in exchequer, fums granted the preceding feilion unembodied militia for 1762, order, laid before the houfe, and