CHAPTER XXV.

PROVISIONS.

1.

There shall be allowed to the Officers, Crew, and Supernumeraries borne for victuals on the books of Her Majesty's Ships, and also to Troops, Women, and Children on passage, the following quantities of provisions:-

* When Fresh Milk is not procurable, each Child is to have daily of Preserved Milk sufficient to make a pint of Milk.

† When Fresh Meat cannot be obtained, Salt Pork, with Peas, and Salt Beef, with Flour, &c, are to be issued alternately.

N.B.- Preserved Provisions and Rice will not be supplied as an article of ration for Troops, Women or Children, unless specially ordered, except on voyages to or from the Cape of Good Hope, or any Port to the eastward of it, when such provisions are to be issued to Troops in lieu of the Salt Meat ration on one day in each week; when Fresh Provisions are not procurable, in the following proportions, viz:-

Preserved Meat (Beef or Mutton alternately)	3/4 lb.	per man.
Rice	8 oz.
Mixed Vegetables	1 oz.
The ration for women to be the same as for men, and that for children one-half.

2.

When the Admiralty, a Commander-in-chief, or a senior Officer present, shall judge it expedient to direct that the aforesaid allowance of provisions be diminished in any particular, care shall be taken that the short allowance be made to every individual on board, without exception, and payment for the quantities short allowed to the several messes made at such scale, and under such regulations as the Admiralty may, from time to time, establish.

3.

If any person on full allowance of spirit should not wish to take it up, he may receive in lieu thereof one quarter of an ounce of tea and one ounce of sugar; and if any Supernumerary, at two-thirds allowance, should not wish to take up his spirit, he may receive in lieu one-sixth of an ounce of tea and two-thirds of an ounce of sugar.

Troops on passage, and Kroomen employed in Her Majesty's Ships on the coast of Africa, are to be included in this regulation.

4.

Spirit is not to be issued to Midshipmen, Masters' Assistants, Assistant Clerks, or Boys of the first class, except under the special directions of the Captain; and such quantities as may be withheld are to be paid for as savings, unless they should prefer to take up tea and sugar in lieu under the foregoing regulation.

Not any allowance of spirit, either in kind or in money, nor any substitution for the same, is to be made to Naval Cadets or Boys of the Second Class.

Not any rations of spirit, nor other articles in lieu are to be issued to prisoners on passage, nor any payment made to them on account thereof.

Boys, not belonging to the Navy, on passage, are not to be allowed spirit, if under 17 years of age; nor without the Captain's special directions, if above that age.

5.

When it may be considered beneficial, in the opinion of the Captain and the Surgeon, to issue an extra allowance of spirit to Engineers and Stokers, the Captain will direct such proportions of lemon-juice and sugar to be supplied and mixed therewith as may be considered advisable.

In all other cases wherein an extra issue of spirit shall be directed to be made, the Captain's order for the same, stating the number of persons and rate at which they are to be supplied, together with the Surgeon's recommendation specifying the reasons for the extra issue, inserted thereon, is to be produced in Office with the Paymaster's Victualling Account.

Extra issues of spirit are only to be made on the written order of the Captain, but no more than half-a-gill per diem for each person is ever to be supplied as an extra issue.

6.

The Captain may, at his discretion, direct half-an-ounce of chocolate and half-an-ounce of sugar, in addition to the daily allowance, to be issued, either in the middle or morning watches, to such portion of the Ship's Company as may be much exposed during severe weather, or when, from circumstances of sickness, or climate, or for other causes, he may consider it desirable.

7.

Children on passage above 10 years of age, are to he victualled as adults, the boys as men, with the exception of spirit, which is to be under the regulations contained in Article 3, and the girls as women.

8.

Notwithstanding the foregoing Scale of Provisions for each individual borne and victualled on board Her Majesty's Ships, the Officer in command of each such Ship is hereby authorized to stop, from any person serving on board, by way of punishment, the allowance of spirit above granted, for such limited time, and under such circumstances only, as the Admiralty may, from time to time, direct; and all portions of spirit to the extent of thirty days, thus stopped, are to be deemed forfeited by the person so punished, and the credit value of the same is to be paid over for the benefit of the sick mess of the Ship in which he is serving; - if stopped beyond thirty days, the individual is to be paid for it from the expiration of that time.

9.

When Troops are embarked for passage, their Commanding Officers are also authorized to direct that punishment stoppages of spirit may be made from them for offences committed, but in these cases the Paymaster is to debit himself with the quantity withheld in his victualling statement, instead of paying the value thereof to the sick mess, as directed in the foregoing Article.

10.

In aggravated cases of misconduct, the Officers in command of Her Majesty's Ships are authorized, under such regulations as the Admiralty may establish, to put the delinquents, while in confinement, on half allowance of provisions, or on a diet of bread and water; but in all such cases the provisions withheld, with the exception of spirits, shall be paid for as savings.

11.

Lemon-juice and sugar arc to be supplied to any of the Crew at such times, and at such rate, not exceeding half-an-ounce of each per individual per day, as the Captain may direct, on the requisition of the Surgeon.

When Troops are embarked on board the Ship, the lemon-juice and sugar obtained for their use are to be issued to them at the discretion of the Army Surgeon, subject, to the Captain's approval, and also to the limitation above referred to.

If, however, there should not be an Army Surgeon on board, the issue of lemon-juice and sugar to the troops is, under the Captain's approval, to be regulated by the Surgeon of the Ship.

12.

For further directions relative to provisions, and the mode of victualling persons borne on the books of Her Majesty's Ships, and also with respect to the gratuitous issues of bedding, clothing, &c., the respective Flag Officers and Officers in command, are to be governed by the Instructions which the Admiralty may, from time to time, establish for the guidance of the Paymasters of the Navy.