116 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



the increase of emolument to pay- 

 captains of marines, and some 

 new naval regulations. The ho- 

 nourable baronet, perhaps, did not 

 know, that the persons selected 

 for such situations, were generally 

 men who were unfit for other ser- 

 vice. Their duties were by no 

 means burthensome. Jt was not 

 required that a pay-captain of ma- 

 rines should serve afloat, or even 

 aboard, except when courts mar- 

 tial took place. With respect to 

 the deductions from the pay of 

 marine officers, Mr. Ward showed 

 that they were, in every respect, 

 on the same footing with those 

 in the army. — Sir C. Pole ex- 

 pressed his satisfaction on this last 

 point by Mr. Ward's explana- 

 tion ; but he still held the same 

 opinion with regard to the situa- 

 tion of the pay-captains. They 

 had a regular ledger account with 

 every man and boy in the marine 

 service, for which they had no re- 

 muneration, although the captains 

 of marine artillery, for only pay- 

 ing their own companies, had two 

 shillings per day additional pay. 

 Besides, those old officers, in any 

 other branch of the service, would 

 have been entitled to majorities, 

 and many of them would have now 

 been old field officers. 



Mr. Welleslcy Pole said, it was 

 the intention of the present board 

 of admiralty to affi>rd to the ma- 

 rine corps every practicable and 

 reasonable indulgence. With re- 

 spect to the situation of the pay- 

 captains, he referred the honour- 

 able baronet to a petition present- 



ed by those very officers to the 

 admiralty, when he himself was at 

 that board, praying for this very 

 allowance, which the honourable 

 baronet now sought to obtain for 

 them. The answer then given to 

 their petition, was, that their birth 

 was a prett}' good one ; and that it 

 was very desirable that it should 

 continue to exist. But, if they 

 did not like it, with full pay, and 

 an exemi)tion from all other duty, 

 they might take their turns of ser- 

 vice. Ever since, they had been 

 pretty well satisfied to remain as 

 they were. With respect to the 

 compassionate list, for which there 

 was a bill now in progress, it was 

 only for such widows and orphans 

 as were not entitled to any pro- 

 vision otherwise; nor was it ever 

 thought of before the establish- 

 ment of the present admiralty 

 board. And it was his intention, 

 in the committee on that bill, to 

 place the widows of marine officers 

 on the same footing in this respect, 

 with those of the officers of the 

 navy and avvay. 



Sir Charles Pole denied any re- 

 collection of such an application 

 as that which had been alluded to 

 by Mr. Wellesley Pole. At all 

 events, he was perfectly certain 

 that during the whole time he was 

 at the admiralty, he never did give 

 an offensive answer to any applica- 

 tion, made either by an individual, 

 or by any description of persons. 

 The bill then went through the 

 committee, and was afterwards, 

 through the usual stages, passed 

 into a law. 



CHAP. 



