STATE PAPERS. 



343 



principle of uniformity as fai* as 

 the nature of the case would al- 

 low ; and though the experience of 

 what has occurred on former oc- 

 casions dissuades us from attempt- 

 ing to establish, by the approba- 

 tion and sanction of your Royal 

 Highness in council, minute de- 

 tails of the forms, lines, and scant- 

 _ lings of his Majesty's ships, we 

 have the satisfaction of stating 

 that a system of gradual assimila- 

 tion is in progress, and that we 

 hope to see it every day become of 

 more extensive operation, and 

 more practical utility; and we beg 

 leave hiimblyto assure your Royal 

 Highness, that no efforts shuU be 

 spared, on our parts, to prevent, 

 for the future, any unnecessary 

 deviation from the establishments 

 of rigging and armament, and to 

 reduce the variations which exist 

 to as few classes as possible. 



We now proceed to submit to 

 your Royal Highness some obser- 

 vations on the present mode of 

 calculating the sea pay of the offi- 

 cers and men of the fleet. 

 { The pay of all classes in the 

 service is liable to certaih perma- 

 nent deductions ; and the pay of 

 commissioned and warrant officers 

 receives a very considerable addi- 

 tion, under the name of compen- 

 sation ; so that the rates of pay 

 stated in the pay table would give 

 a very erroneous idea of the actual 

 pay of the several classes. 



But the present system is also 

 liable to other and more serious 

 objections ; for these deductions, 

 from causes which are iiow become 

 ohselete, affect the different classes 

 very irregularly. 



TUus, the deduction from the 

 pay of a post captain, commanding 

 a' ship whose complement may ha 

 21 5 men, Is U. 3'/. per mensem. 



while that from the pay of all cap- 

 tains of smaller post ships, and 

 of all commanders, is 4s, 9d. ;' 

 while the deduction from the still 

 inferior pay of lieutenants and 

 masters is as much as from 6s. to 

 7s. 9d. per mensem ; and while 

 the deductions from a gunner or 

 boatswain of a first rate are 5s. 9(1. 

 those from the carpenter are 65. 



The addition, by way of com- 

 pensation, has an equally irregular 

 effect. 



The nominal pay of post cap- 

 tains is the same for all ships of 

 the same rate ; and yet in the 

 third rate, for instance, for which 

 the pay in the par-table is 231. 2s. 

 per mensem ; there are, in fact, 

 six rates of pav, nanielv : — 

 £. ». d. ' • £. t. d. 



^^ ^ '^\ per r^- ^ ^ 

 43 15 9 > ' ^ 45 10 O 



47 5 9 [ "^^"'""- 148 3 3 

 It is obvious that this system of 

 alternate deduction and addition, 

 must occasion great tiouble ami 

 perplexity in the mode of keeping 

 the accounts ; and it will be evi- 

 dent to your Royal Highness, how 

 inconvenient this confusion must 

 be, to all branches of the public 

 sei-vice concerned with this matter ) 

 which is increased by the circum- 

 stance that the officers who are en- 

 titled to di'aw for theii^ pay by bill, 

 caa only draw for their personal 

 pay, from wliich th6 several de- 

 ductions are previously to be made; 

 \V'e have therefore hun;bly to 

 recommend to your Royal High- 

 ness, that the pay of all officers 

 and men be established, and stated 

 in the pay-table, at a rate of net 

 pay, including ail additions, and 

 excluiive of all deductions. 



The effect of this, as it regards 

 all classes, will be slated in a ge- 

 neral pay table^ hereunto annexed ; 



but 



