CHAPTER IX.

ENTRY, RATING, AND INSTRUCTION OF MEN AND BOYS.

1.

All Boys (except Ships' Stewards' Boys) under the ago of 18, on entering the Navy, are to be required to sign an engagement to serve Her Majesty for a period of ten years continuous and general service from the age of 18, in addition to whatever period may be necessary until they attain that age. If above the age of 18 when entered, they are to be required to engage for ten years' continuous and general service from the date of their entry.

2.

No Boys are to be entered for Her Majesty's Service under 14 years of age, or below the following standard of height:-

	STATURE
AGES BETWEEN	FEET.	INCHES.
14 and 15	4	8
15 " 16	4	10
16 " 17	5	0
17 " 18	5	2
After 18	5	4

None are to be received who are not of robust frame, of perfectly sound and healthy constitution, free from any physical malformation, and intelligent, - a preference being given to those who can read and write.

They must bring with them a certificate of baptism, a declaration of birth, or other satisfactory proof of their being of the proper age, and also the consent in writing of their parents, or nearest friends, if they are orphans, to their entering the Navy. (Officers entering Boys are enjoined to take every precaution to ascertain that the written evidences they produce to prove their age, &c., are not falsified, or forged. Where any deception is detected, the Candidate is to be rejected: and no alteration of date of birth, as noted on first entry, is to be made on Ships' books, without the sanction of the Admiralty.) Previous to such entry being confirmed, the Commander-in-chief, or senior Officer present, is to appoint two Captains or Commanders, or one of each rank, and two Medical Officers, to inspect the Boys, and unless those Officers certify to the above particulars, and pronounce the candidates for entry to be in every respect fit for Her Majesty's Service, they are not to be received. Having passed the required examination, the engagement to serve in Her Majesty's Navy continuously for ten years from the age of 18, in addition to whatever period may be necessary until they attain that age (provided their services be so long required), is to be read and explained to them; they are then, in the presence of witnesses, if they voluntarily agree to its terms, to sign the engagement, and afterwards to be entered on the Ship's books.

3.

No Boy is to be entered in the Navy after 16 years of age who has not been at sea or accustomed to boats for a period of not less than twelve months, unless he is in all other respects a highly desirable lad for Her Majesty's Service, in which case the qualification as to his having been at sea may be dispensed with.

4.

Boys are not to be received from reformatories, or prisons, without the express sanction of the Admiralty having been previously obtained.

5.

Boys, on attaining the age of 17, are to be examined, and provided they can knot, splice, and handle a sail, and are of good character, they are to be advanced to the First Class; but in the event of a Boy being more than ordinarily active and well conducted, and, except as regards age, qualified as above, he may, after serving one year at sea, be promoted to the First Class at 16, - the special circumstances under which he was so rated, being noted on the Ship's books (without which he will not be allowed to receive the additional pay) and on his parchment certificate.

6.

All Boys of the Second Class, including those from the Training Ships and from the Greenwich Schools, may be employed as servants, (but only as personal servants to Officers of Ward Room rank) when required, according to the usage of the service. Officers in command, who are responsible that the boys of their Ships are so drilled and taught as to afford every one of them, except the Ship's Steward's Boy, the opportunity of becoming good and useful Seamen, must take care that the employment of Second-Class Boys as servants, does not, in any way, interfere with their systematic schooling, exercises aloft, instruction in gunnery, and other branches of duty appertaining to a Seaman in a Ship of war. Boys of the First Class are not to be employed in the capacity of servants cither to individuals or to messes.

7.

Ships on the Home Stations will be kept complete with Boys from the Guard Ships and Training Ships, and none are to be received into the service except by Officers specially authorized to raise them.

On Foreign Stations the vacancies will be filled up from those borne for disposal, and no fresh entries are to be made unless there should be no supernumeraries on the station. When it may be necessary to enter Boys abroad, a similar course of proceeding, as far as circumstances will admit, is to be followed with regard to their examination and entry, as laid down in the foregoing instructions for Boys entered at home, the agreement for continuous service being, in both cases, indispensable.

8.

On attaining the age of 18, but not in any case before, Boys who produce proof of having been at least two years at sea, are to be examined, and, if of good character and fair ability, they are to be rated 2nd-Class Ordinary Seamen, or Ordinary Seamen, according to their qualifications; but on no account is any person to be retained in the rating of Boy after the age of 20.

9.

In the event of there being no vacancies in the Ship's complement of Seamen, on First-Class Boys being advanced to the rating of Ordinary or Second-Class Ordinary, they are to be borne as supernumeraries for wages and victuals until vacancies occur, but the vacancies thereby occasioned in the number of First-Class Boys, are not to be filled up except, by supernumerary First-Class Boys, until the supernumerary Ordinary or Second-Class Ordinary Seamen are transferred to the complement; and no fresh entry of men is to take place on any account so long as there are supernumeraries so borne, or there are eligible First-Class Boys to fill the vacancies.

10.

Should there be no vacancies in the complement on Second-Class Boys becoming eligible for advancement, they are to be borne as supernumerary Boys of the First Class, for wages and victuals, until vacancies occur; the vacancies thereby occasioned in the number of Second-Class Boys may be filled up by fresh drafts, or, in urgent cases abroad, by fresh entries; but no fresh entries of First-Class Boys are to take place so long as there are supernumeraries so borne, or Second-Class Boys eligible for promotion.

11.

Commanders-in-chief and senior Officers will take care that the Ships under their orders do not permanently bear, as supernumeraries, in excess of their complements, men or boys advanced as mentioned in the preceding Articles 9 and 10; - but such men and boys borne in excess of the complement of the ship in which they are serving, are to be discharged to those Ships in the Squadron in which there may be vacancies for them, or removed into the Flag Ship; - and when all the Ships are complete, and there is no probability that the supernumerary Seamen will be required to meet the demands of the Station, they are, under the directions of the Commander-in-chief, to be sent to England for disposal, as opportunities offer by ships of war.

12.

The Captain is to cause all the men who are not fit to be rated able Seamen, to be instructed in steering, heaving the lead, knotting and splicing, rowing, and generally in other duties, such as bending and reefing sails, &c., to qualify them fully for the said rating; and such men as shall, on examination, prove themselves qualified to perform all the duties of Able Seamen are to be so rated.

The systematic instruction of the Ordinary Seamen of both classes is to be a part of the usual routine of every ship, whether at sea or in harbour; and senior Officers, on their inspections, will report for the information of the Admiralty, on the system pursued in this respect in each ship, and of its results as manifested by the degree of knowledge and expertness attained by the men.

On the first Thursday in every Quarter, or oftener if the Captain shall think it necessary, he is to require the respective Officers of divisions to prepare for his inspection a list of Ordinary Seamen of either class who may desire to be examined for a better rating, and the Officers are to inform the men that they are ready to take their names for the purpose. On receiving the lists of such men, the Captain is to cause them to be examined, taking care that the examination be such as to preclude any unqualified person being advanced to the rating of Able Seaman.

When the duties of the Ship will admit of it, the Captain is to cause all the Able and Ordinary Seamen to be instructed in the use of the palm and needle. All Seamen Petty Officers, and all Leading Seamen, are to be instructed in the mode of knotting and splicing wire rigging.

13.

Men who are thorough seamen, good helms-men and leads-men, able to assist in repairing sails, and practical riggers capable of doing duty as such in any part of the Ship, may be examined for the rating of Leading Seamen, and if found qualified, the Captain may rate them as such, as vacancies occur for that description of men in the complement.

14.

Petty Officers are, as far as possible, to be selected from the Leading Seamen; and in case of the eligible men being equal in point of character and qualifications, a preference is to be given to such as have entered for continuous service. Seamen, before being promoted to the rating of Petty Officer, are to be examined, and are only to be so rated on being pronounced duly qualified.

15.

The examinations touching the professional qualifications of Boys or Seamen for advancement, are to be conducted, under the directions of the Captain with whom they are serving, by the Commander or senior Lieutenant, Master, and Boatswain of the Ship; or, in small vessels, where such Officers are not borne, by others of corresponding positions. Seamen who have passed for Petty Officers are to be considered eligible for either class, or as Chief Petty Officers, at the discretion of their respective Captains; and men who have passed for the rating of Leading Seamen are to be considered qualified for the situation of Petty Officer without further examination.

16.

Foreigners are not to be entered for Her Majesty's Service in any capacity, except as Bandsmen, unless with the sanction of the Admiralty, if on the home station, or of the Commander-in-chief, if abroad; but under no circumstances are foreigners to be entered for continuous service.

17.

The approval of the Commander-in-chief or senior Officer present must be obtained for the entry of men to fill the following ratings:-

Master-at-Arms,

Seamen's Schoolmaster,

Ship's Steward.

18.

Officers may nominate their own Stewards and Cooks, and Servants when there are special ratings for them, -Surgeons, the Sick-berth Steward and Attendant, - and Paymasters, the Ship's Steward, Steward's Assistant, and Steward's Boy, - the whole, however, to be subject to the approval of the Officer in command of the Ship.

It is to be understood, that when there are Sick-berth Stewards and Attendants, Ship's Stewards, Stewards' Assistants or Boys, available in the Squadron, or at the Port, the nomination of persons for those ratings is to be made from them.

19.

To render men eligible to fill the undermentioned ratings, they must be found on examination to be duly qualified:-

Master-at-Arms,	Caulker,
Seamen's Schoolmaster,	Blacksmith,
Ship's Steward,	Armourer,
Ship's Corporal,	Plumber,
Sailmaker,	Cooper,
Ropemaker,	Painter,
Carpenter's Mate,	Tinsmith,
Shipwright,	Ship's Steward's Assistant.

i. For Master-at-Arms. - When first nominated, he is to undergo an examination by the Captain and Naval Instructor of the Flag Ship at Woolwich, Sheerness, Portsmouth, or Devonport. To qualify a man for this rating, he must produce certificates of servitude and good conduct for three years in the Navy, Army, or Police force, or in such other service or employment as may peculiarly fit him for the duties that will devolve upon him; he must be active, intelligent, and free from any physical inefficiency, - able to keep accounts correctly, and to write sufficiently well to keep a defaulters' book - and be not, under 30 years of age, nor above 40, on first appointment to the force. The Captain must be very careful not to select for this rating any unworthy or incompetent person; and, as a rule, the selection is to be made from those men who have served in the capacity of Ship's Corporal.

ii. For Seamen's Schoolmaster. - The Candidate is to be competent to teach reading and writing, and arithmetic, as far as the rule of three. He must not be under 21, nor more than 40 years of age; and he must produce certificates to show that he is of good character. He is to be examined, as to his fitness for the situation, by the Naval Instructor of the Flag Ship of the port where the Ship he is about to join may be, or by some other competent person to be named by the Port-Admiral, or by the senior Officer in any port abroad; and, if found qualified, the examiner is to give him a certificate to that effect, which is to be countersigned by the Captain of the Ship in which the examination takes place. Vacancies occurring abroad may be filled up from the Ship's Company, if a person properly qualified be found on board; if not, one may be taken from any other Ship, with the consent of his commanding Officer, and the approbation of the senior Officer present.

iii. For Ship's Steward. - When first nominated he is to undergo an examination by three Paymasters, in the presence of a Captain or Commander, as to his ability to read, write, and keep accounts; he must have served two years as Steward's Assistant, and be not under 21 years of age. Should there be no Ship's Steward's Assistant eligible, the two years' service in that capacity may be dispensed with under the sanction of the Commander-in-chief, to be applied for prior to the examination. Should the candidate be found duly qualified he is to receive a certificate to that effect in the form given in the Appendix, a duplicate of which is to be transmitted by the Paymaster with whom he is to serve to the Comptroller of the Victualling.

Ships' Stewards arc to be considered eligible for advancement from one class of Ship to another, under the following conditions:-
To a 5th or 6th rate, after serving three years in a sloop or smaller vessel.
To a 3rd or 4th rate, after serving three years in a 5th or 6th rate.
To a 1st or 2nd rate, after serving three years in a 3rd or 4th rate.

In the event of there being no Ship's Steward qualified by sea service for the rate of Ship to which the Paymaster belongs, that Officer may nominate a Steward from those qualified for lower rates of Ships; in this case, however, the nomination is to be subject to the approval of the Admiralty, if at home, or of the Commander-in chief, if abroad.

If a vacancy should occur for a Ship's Steward on a foreign station, and there should be none available at the time, the Commander-in-chief will select the most competent person for the appointment. If the Ship should be on detached service, the most competent person, in the opinion of the Paymaster, is, with the Captain's approval, to be appointed, until the pleasure of the Commander-in-chief shall be known.

iv. For Ship's Corporal. - When first nominated, he is to undergo an examination by the Captain and Naval Instructor of the Flag Ship at Woolwich, Sheerness, Portsmouth, or Devonport. To qualify a man for this rating, he must produce certificates of servitude and good conduct for one year at least in the Navy, Army, or Police force, or in such other service or employment as may peculiarly fit him for the duties that will devolve upon him; he must be able to read and write, and keep accounts correctly, and be not under 25 years of age, nor above 35. The Captain must be careful not to select for this rating any but active, intelligent, steady, and perfectly efficient men.

v. For Sailmaker. - The Candidate must he examined by the Master Sailmaker, or his Assistant, in the Dock-yard where the Ship is fitting out, and on passing he is to receive a certificate to that effect.

Application for the order for examination is to be made to the Superintendent of the Dock-yard, through the Commander-in-chief.

vi. For Ropemaker. - The Candidate must be examined by the Master Ropemaker, or his Assistant, in the Dock-yard where the Ship is fitting out, as above directed.

vii. For Carpenter's Mate or Shipwright. - The Candidate must be examined by a Foreman of Shipwrights, in the Dock-yard whore the Ship is fitting out, as above directed.

viii. For Caulker. - The Candidate must be examined by a Foreman of Caulkers, in the Dockyard where the Ship is fitting out, as above directed.

ix. For Blacksmith. - The Candidate must be examined by a Foreman of Blacksmiths, in the Dockyard where the Ship is fitting out, as above directed.

x. For Plumber, Painter, or Tinsmith. - The Candidate must be examined by a Foreman of those trades, in the Dock-yard where the Ship is fitting out, as above directed.

xi. For Cooper. - The candidate must be examined by the Master Cooper, in the Victualling-yard at the port where the Ship is fitting out. Application for the order for examination is to be made to the Superintendent of the Victualling-yard, through the Commander-in-chief.

xii. For Armourer. - The Candidate must be examined at the Gun-Wharf at the port where the Ship is fitting out. Application for the order for examination is to be made to the Military Storekeeper, through the Commander-in-chief.

The Candidate will be called upon, - 1st. To take to pieces all the parts of a rifle musket, and also of a revolving pistol; to clean each part, and put them together in a complete state. 2ndly. To fill up, temper, and fit a main-spring, or any other part of a lock.

After the Candidate has passed the above examination, if found qualified, he will be instructed in fitting side and breech nails, soldering on back sights, fitting bayonets, and sword bayonets, clipping banners, and re-instating and re-fitting all the parts of a revolver.

xiii. For Ship's Steward's Assistant. - Candidates for this rating are to be selected, whenever circumstances will admit, from the most intelligent of the Steward's Boys, with good character. A notification of the appointment, stating the name and age of the person selected is to be made by the Paymaster to the Comptroller of Victualling. Ship's Steward's Assistants are not to be under 19 years of age, and previous to such rating being conferred, the candidate is to be examined by a Paymaster as to his knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and, in the event of his being found qualified, he is to receive a certificate to that effect, - a duplicate of which certificate is to be forwarded to the Comptroller of Victualling with the notification of appointment.

When the Ship is at a port where there is no Civil establishment, Sailmakers and Ropemakers are to be examined by the Commander or senior Lieutenant, Master, and Boatswain of the Ship; Carpenter's Mates, Shipwrights, Caulkers, Blacksmiths, Painters, Plumbers, Tinsmiths, and Coopers, by the Commander or senior Lieutenant, Master, and Carpenter of the Ship; - and Armourers by the Commander or senior Lieutenant, Master, and Gunner of the Ship, - the whole under the direction of their respective Captains.

Sailmakers, Ropemakers, Carpenter's Mates, Shipwrights, Caulkers, Blacksmiths, Painters, Plumbers, Tinsmiths, Coopers, and Armourers, having once passed the required examination, may be entered by the Captains in whose Ships they are to serve without further reference. (Men who have heretofore held any of the ratings specified, are to he considered duly qualified, whether they produce certificates of examination or not. Vacancies in Ships absent, for Masters-at-Arms and Ship's Corporals, may be filled by men who pass a preliminary examination, but they must pass on the first opportunity that offers before the Officers mentioned in clauses i and iv, or they are not to be retained in those ratings. None but the best men of the force will be selected for promotion. No candidate will be eligible for promotion until after two years' service in each grade.)

20.

The certificates of the qualifications of men for the special ratings mentioned in the preceding Article, are to be attached to their certificates of character for future reference if necessary.

21.

The Captain of any one of Her Majesty's Ships may advance any Stoker serving under his command to the rating of Leading Stoker, when there is a vacancy in the complement for such rating; care being taken that no individual be selected for the situation who is not of steady conduct, and, on examination by the Commander or senior Lieutenant, and Chief Engineer, found duly qualified. Should there be no Stoker in the Ship qualified for advancement, or disposable Leading Stoker present, the Captain may enter a man from the shore to fill the vacancy, on his passing the examination referred to.

22.

To render a man eligible for the rating of Stoker, he must, on his first entry as such, be examined, under the direction of the Captain, by the Commander or senior Lieutenant, and Chief Engineer of the Ship, and pronounced duly qualified for the situation. Newly-raised men who volunteer as Stokers, but who are not found to be sufficiently experienced for that rating, may, if in every other respect desirable men for the service, be entered as Stokers of the Second Class, until qualified for the rating of Stoker.

Second-Class Stokers will not be included in the established complements of Her Majesty's Ships; but when men are entered as such, under the circumstances above mentioned, they are to be borne in lieu of so many Stokers out of the number allowed. Men are not to be reduced to the rating of Second-Class Stoker for punishment.

23.

The rating of Ship's Cook is not to be conferred on any man who has not proved himself to be thoroughly competent to perform the duties of that station. If, from the absence of a properly qualified person, it be necessary to place a Petty Officer or Seaman of the complement to act in that rating, such Petty Officer or Seaman is to revert to his original position on paying off, or on ceasing to perform the duties of Ship's Cook; and no man is to be borne at the Home Ports for disposal in that capacity without the authority of the Admiralty.

24.

Petty Officers, Seamen, Stokers, and Artificers belonging to, or on joining, the Navy, who are of good character, and considered to be desirable men to retain, may, with the approval of their respective Captains, and after being pronounced constitutionally sound and healthy by the examining Medical Officers, be entered for continuous and general service, provided they are not over 40 years of age: - but the undermentioned are not to be entered for continuous service; namely,-

Pensioners of all descriptions, except short service Pensioners,	Butchers,
	Barbers,
Seamen's Schoolmasters,	Tailors,
Ships' Stewards,	All denominations of Cooks, Stewards, and Servants,
Ships' Cooks,
Sick-berth Stewards and Attendants,	Ships' Stewards' Assistants,
	Shoemakers,
Musicians,	Lamp Trimmers, and
Bandsmen,	Kroomen.

The limitation with regard to age may be dispensed with in the case of men who are re-engaged for continuous service within three months after the termination of their former engagements, but in all other respects they must be duly qualified.

25.

Men who enter for continuous and general service are to sign an agreement to that effect, according to the form in the Appendix, which agreement is to be transmitted to the Accountant-General of the Navy, who will assign to each individual his continuous service number. These men are to be distinguished in all public documents by the letters C.S., and their number, being placed, in red ink, against their names. In the Record and Description Books, as well as in all Pay Lists, Tickets, and Certificates, the date of the man's entry for continuous service, and for what period, together with his distinguishing number, must be carefully inserted.

26.

When a man volunteers, and is accepted, for a further period of continuous service, his former number, date of entry, and for what period, are to be noted, in red ink, at the end of the form of his new engagement.

27.

Men who enter for continuous and general service consist of two classes; namely:-
1st Class. - Of Men who enter the Navy for the first time under the continuous-service system;-
2nd Class. - Of Men who having served for a period as non-continuous service Men, subsequently volunteer for continuous service.

The 1st Class are to be permitted to enter for ten years' service, and to complete their time for pension by two separate entries of five years each.

The 2nd Class are to be entered under the following clauses:

i.	For ten years.
ii.	Men who have entered for the usual period for which a Ship is commissioned, are to be permitted, during any part of the said commission, and before the Ship is paid off, to volunteer for such periods of continuous service as may be necessary to complete a total of not less than ten years' service, reckoning from the date of their entry in the said Ship; provided that the term of continuous service for which they so volunteer be not less than for seven years longer.
iii.	Men who have completed ten years' service under either of the foregoing conditions, may complete their time for pension as follows;
iv.	By one entry of five years, and a re-entry for such periods as may be necessary to complete time for pension,
v.	By a re-entry for such periods, short of five years, as may be necessary to complete time for pension.

In each and all of the foregoing cases men are to be entitled to pensions after twenty years' total service, from the age of 18, provided they have completed a period of ten years' service, under clauses i and ii.

28.

Officers are enjoined to explain to all men, entering or re-entering for continuous and general service, the advantages, as regards time for pension, accorded to men who engage and serve for a continuous period of ten years.

29.

Continuous service Petty Officers arc to carry their ratings and denominations as chief, first, and second-class Petty Officers from ship to ship, it being left open to the Captains of the Ships they may join to alter the specific rating to that best suited to their abilities; but such alteration in the rating is not to place the individual in a worse position, as regards pay and emoluments, than that which he had previously held.

Unless under the circumstances before mentioned, every man is to perform the duty appertaining to his rating - but in the case of Gunners' -Mates, the exception specified in the latter part of Article 13, at page 96, is to be attended to.

30.

While, on the one hand, every encouragement is to be given to young, active, and desirable men to enter for continuous and general service, the Captains and other Officers in command are, on the other hand, to be extremely careful that the personal advantages of the system are not extended to men of indifferent character, or to those who, in the opinion of the examining Medical Officers, are constitutionally unfit.

31.

Continuous service men and boys are never, on the Home Station, and as seldom as possible abroad, to be rated as Cooks, Stewards, Ship's Steward's Boys, or in any other capacity for which their engagements for continuous service may disqualify them. Whenever it may be absolutely necessary on a Foreign Station to place continuous service men in ratings which, by the regulations, they are prohibited from holding, such men are to be allowed only temporarily to do the duty so assigned to them, and the Captain is to use his best endeavours to procure non-continuous service men for the situations in which he has been obliged to place continuous service men to act. Continuous service men who may be thus temporarily rated, will be allowed to count the time so served as part of their continuous service.

At the end of each quarter a return is to be made of all continuous service men who may be serving in irregular ratings, with a statement of the date of their entry in such ratings, and the reasons in each case of the ratings having been given.

32.

Vacancies in the complement for Petty Officers, Seamen, Artificers, and Stokers, are, as far as possible, to be filled up, under the direction of the Commander-in-chief or senior Officer present, from the disposable men at the port; failing in completing his Ship from this source, the Captain is to use his utmost endeavours to get her manned, and keep her complement complete, by fresh entries; always conferring with the Commander-in-chief or senior Officer as to the measures adopted by him in this respect, so as to avoid the inconvenience that would arise from a number of men of any particular class or rating being collected or detained at the ports as supernumeraries beyond what the probable requirements of the service might render advisable.

33.

The Captains of Her Majesty's Ships are not, in places where the Masters cannot fill up their vacancies, to receive any Seaman from a Merchant Vessel, so as to leave such Vessel in distress or too weak handed to continue her voyage; neither are they to send on board a Merchant Vessel to ask men to enter for the Ship they command.

34.

On all occasions of Seamen being received from Merchant Vessels, the Commanding Officer of the Ship in which they enter, is to report to the Commander-in-chief for the information of the Admiralty,-

i.	The Official Number, Name, and Tonnage of the Ship; the Names of her Owners and Master; and the voyage on which she is employed.
ii.	The regular number of her crew as shown by agreement, specifying such as may be belonging to the Royal Naval Reserve Force.
iii.	The names of the men, and their ages, who volunteered for Her Majesty's Service, and whether they had previously served in the Navy.
iv.	The cause of their leaving the Ship; whether the Master made any objection to their leaving, and if so, on what grounds; and whether men could be obtained at the place to fill up the crew; and if so, at what rate of wages.
v.	Whether the men on joining Her Majesty's Service received their arrears of pay and clothing, and the amount of their pay, per month, to be stated.

(On these points the Commanding Officer is to be guided by the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, section 215, in which it is enacted as follows: - "Whenever any Seaman, without having previously committed an act amounting to and treated by the Master as desertion, leaves his Ship in order to enter the Naval Service of Her Majesty and is received into such Service, the Master shall deliver to him his Clothes and Effects on board such Ship, and shall pay the proportionate amount of his wages down to the time of such entry, subject to all just deductions, as follows: - (that is to say,) the Master of the said Ship shall pay the same to the Officer authorized to receive such Seaman into Her Majesty's Service, either in money or by Bill drawn upon the Owner and payable at sight to the Order of the Accountant-General of the Navy; and the receipt of such Officer shall be a discharge for the Money or Bill so given; and such Bill shall be exempt from Stamp Duty; and if such wages are paid in money, such money shall be credited in the Muster Book of the Ship to the account of the said Seaman: and if such wages arc paid by Bill, such Bill shall be noted in the said Muster Book and shall be sent to the said Accountant-General, who shall present the same or cause the same to be presented for payment, and shall credit the produce thereof to the account of the said Seaman; and such money or produce (as the case may be) shall not be paid to the said Seaman until the time at which he would have been entitled to receive the same if he had remained in the service of the Ship which he had so quitted as aforesaid, and if any such Bill is not duly paid when presented, the said Accountant-General, or the Seaman on whose behalf the same is given, may sue thereon or may recover the wages due by all or any of the means by which wages due to Merchant Seamen are recoverable; and if upon any Seaman leaving his Ship in the manner and for the purpose aforesaid, the Master fails to deliver his Clothes and Effects, or to pay his wages as hereinbefore required, he shall, in addition to his liability to pay and deliver the same, incur a penalty not exceeding Twenty Pounds; provided that no Officer who receives any such Bill as aforesaid, shall be subject to any liability in respect thereof, except for the safe custody thereof, until sent to the said Accountant-General as aforesaid."

If the Seaman be in debt, on account of advance at the time of quitting the Merchant Ship, the Commanding Officer is to be governed by the 216th section of the Act referred to, charging the amount against the wages of such Seaman in the Ship's Books, pending the decision of the Admiralty.)

The names of the men volunteering are to be endorsed on the Ship's Articles.

35.

The Captains of Her Majesty's Ships are to be cautious in receiving men from Foreign Vessels, who may represent themselves, or be reported, as deserters from Her Majesty's Navy. If any British Seaman serving in a Foreign Vessel shall arrive on board one of Her Majesty's Ships, and demand the right to enter into Her Majesty's Service, and shall when he entered on board such Foreign Vessel have stated that he was a British Seaman, he is entitled to be received and protected, notwithstanding any contract or agreement he might have entered into with the Commander of such Foreign Vessel; but Her Majesty's Officers are not authorized to send on board a Foreign Ship to take from her any British Seaman against the will of the Foreign Commander; nor, in the case of a British Seaman having found his way on board one of Her Majesty's Ships, and having been received into the service, are they authorized to insist on the payment of wages or delivery of clothes to such Seaman against the will of the Foreign Commander, - he (the Foreign Commander) having full right to take on the spot his own view of the forfeiture he deems the Seaman to have incurred (according to the law of the nation to which the Vessel belongs) in consequence of his breach of contract by leaving her; and if the Foreign Commander act unjustifiably in that respect, he can be sued for reparation on his return to such country; but Her Majesty's Officers have no right to interfere with him regarding it, nor indeed to go on board the Foreign Ship against the will of the Commander for any such purpose. While affording the authorized protection to any acknowledged British Seaman arriving on board Her Majesty's Ships, anxious to return to his allegiance to his Sovereign, the Officers in command of such Ships are to be most careful not to molest or interfere with any Foreign Vessels or authorities, so as to give the slightest ground for offence or complaint on any of the points hereinbefore alluded to.

36.

When men offer themselves as volunteers the Surgeon is to examine them before they are entered, to satisfy himself that they have no hurts or diseases which may render them unfit to serve in Her Majesty's Navy. Newly-raised men also who may be received from a Rendezvous or Receiving Ship are to be examined by the Surgeon, and if any of them are found unfit for the service, the same is to be represented immediately to the Commander-in-chief, in order that they may be surveyed.

37.

Men and Boys rejected by the Surgeon under any of the disqualifications enumerated in Article 34 of that Officer's Instructions, are not to be entered in the Ship.

38.

Newly-raised men who have passed the Surgeons of the respective rendezvous, are not to be rejected on the opinion of the Surgeon of the Flag or other Ship only; but they are, in all cases of supposed unfitness, to be surveyed at a Naval Hospital, and their cases are to be reported on, separately, by the Superintendent and two of the Principal Medical Officers of the Hospital.

39.

If any men received in the Ship shall be reported by the Surgeon to be fit for the Service, but to have come from situations which might possibly subject them to the risk of conveying contagious diseases, although no such diseases did actually exist in the situations from which they came, the Captain is to give orders for their being well washed, and for their clothes being thoroughly cleaned and fumigated, before the men are allowed to mix with the Ship's Company. But if the Captain shall be informed, before he receives men on board, that any contagious disease has made its appearance in the place from which they came, he is to report the same to the Commander-in-chief, and to cause them to be kept separate from the rest of the crew until, in the opinion of the Surgeon, they are safe from disease.

40.

When an Officer is sent from one port to another to raise men or boys, (which is never to be done without the sanction of the Admiralty), he is to be borne on the books of the Flag Ship at the port to which he is sent, and the men and boys whom he raises are to be received there also, and borne as supernumeraries waiting passage to the Ship for which they are entered. Officers thus employed, and borne on the Flag Ship's books, will not be allowed any charges for lodging and subsistence on shore. If there should be no Flag Ship at the port, the Officer and the volunteers are to be borne, as above, in any Ship that may be present.

Officers entering or raising men or boys are to admit only such as are fit for the service, but without any regard whatever to their religious creed. No man above 50 years of age is to be received in any capacity, except by the express authority of the Admiralty.

41.

If a man wishes to re-enter the Service, and should have lost his parchment certificate, the Captain is on no account to supply him with another until he has applied for, and received from the Accountant-General, a statement of the man's former services and character, and the application for this information is to be made in the form given in the Appendix.

42.

In order to prevent, as far as possible, improper entries in the Navy, the Captain, whenever Seamen or Boys are entered from the shore (or the Officer in charge of a naval rendezvous, before receiving such men or boys as volunteers), is to put to them the following questions:-

1st. Have you ever served in the Army, Marines, Ordnance, Militia, or in Her Majesty's Indian Military Forces?
§ If the Seaman or Boy volunteering to enter, should state that he has so served, he is to be required to state also the particulars of his former service, and the cause of his discharge, and to produce the certificate of his discharge, if he has it with him.

2nd. Do you now belong to the Militia, or to any Regiment or Corps in Her Majesty's Army, or to the Naval Coast Volunteers, or to any established Naval reserve force?
§ In putting the second question to the Seaman or Boy, and before his answer is received, the Officer is distinctly to apprise him, that if he belongs to the Militia and denies the fact, he is liable to forfeit one penny a day of his pay for eighteen months, if attested; and to fourteen days' imprisonment if not attested. If he belongs to the Coast Volunteers, or to any established Naval reserve force, his certificate is to be transmitted to the Captain of the district to which he is attached; and, in the event of his having been enrolled less than three months, the bounty which he may have received must be charged against him. Previous to the entry into the Navy of a man belonging to the Militia, reference must be made to the Adjutant of the Regiment, for the Commanding Officer's sanction.

3rd. Have you ever been rejected as unfit for Her Majesty's Service?

4th. Are you an Apprentice under indentures ?
§ This question need only be put to young men and boys. Apprentices under indentures are not to be entered; and if received under a false statement, they are, on proof of their being apprentices, to be delivered up to their Masters when claimed, but they are to be discharged without pay documents.

A record of the foregoing questions having been put, and of the answers thereto, must be kept by the Captain or receiving Officer in case of future reference being necessary.

NOTE. - By the 16th section of the Act 16th and 17th Victoria, chapter 69, every person who upon entering or offering himself to enter !he Navy, shall make any false statement, with intent to deceive any Officer authorized to enter Seamen or others for the Navy, is deemed a rogue and vagabond, and liable to punishment accordingly.

43.

The newly-raised men are to be at once properly clad, and informed of the regulations about clothing, and that they are responsible to the Officers of their Divisions for the condition of their kits. Each man, on coming on board, is to be supplied with bedding, hammocks, clews, and lashing, - to be shown his mess-place and sleeping berth, and where he is to stow his bag and hammock. The usages of a lower-deck, the customs and routine of the service, and the pay, pensions, and badges to which seamen are entitled, must be explained to him. He is to be told to apply to the Officer of his Division in the event of his requiring advice or information; and that if he should have a complaint to make, he must represent it to the Officer of the Watch, and, if necessary, through him to the Captain of the Ship.

44.

When men under continuous service engagements desert, are apprehended, and re-entered, they are still to be considered as continuous service men, and their engagements are to remain in force; but the commencement of the same is to date from their re-entry only.