350 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 18J7. 



appointments, is so inadequate to 

 the necessary expenses of their 

 outfit, that it has been the custom 

 to grant to flag-officers, ai)pointed 

 Commanders in Chief on certain 

 foreign stations, an imprest of one 

 thousand pounds by way of outtit; 

 but we think it better tliat, in lieu 

 of this occasional indulgence, every 

 flag-officer appointed to the chief 

 counnand of a foreign station, 

 should be entitled to receive an 

 advance of six months' pay, which 

 would obviate the necessity of the 

 occasional imprests we have hi- 

 therto been obliged to grant. 



The pay of the other classes has 

 been computed, not with ti)e view 

 to any considerable increase, but 

 at a sum calculated upon the aver- 

 ages of the present rates. 



It will at first sight appear, that 

 the pay proposed for captains and 

 commanders is considerably more 

 than the average of the several 

 rates now established : but upon 

 this we have to obser\e, that tlie 

 difference is not so great as it 

 appears to be : — 



Firstly, becausethelowerrates of 

 pay are attached to ships of the 

 smallest size in each rate, which 

 are gradually disappearing from 

 the navy, so that the majority of 

 officers now employed receive the 

 higher rates of payj and, secondly, 

 because captains of flag ships are 

 at present entitled to a considera- 

 ble addition of pay, which comes 

 highest in the lowest rates, and in 

 peace affects a greater proportional 

 number than in war. The value 

 of this addition we have calculated 

 in the amovmt of net pay before 

 proposed, and these circumstances 

 render the real inci ease of ex})ense 

 on this head less than it appears. 



We have proposed that the pay 



of first lieutenants of line of battle 

 ships shall be increased from 119/. 

 3d. per armum, which they now 

 receive in common with all other 

 lieutenants, to 15o/.. per annum, 

 provided they shall be of 7 years' 

 standing ; and we reconunend 

 that lieutenan ts commanding small 

 vessels shoufd be raised to tlie 

 same sum ; an d we trust that your 

 Royal Highness, considering the 

 important duties and high respon- 

 sibility of the senior lieutenants of 

 line of battle sliips, will be of 

 opinion that thi« increase is just 

 and expedient : and the increase 

 of IS/, per annum to lieutenants, 

 who may be subjected to the ex- 

 pense and responsibility of a sepa- 

 rate command, will not, we trust, 

 be considered too great. 



It is proper to add, that the 

 principle of making a distinction in 

 favour of first lieutenants of line 

 of battle ships, is not new to the 

 service : as at the first establish- 

 ment of half-pay, in 1693, this 

 advantage was extended only to 

 first lieutenants of 1st, '2d, and 

 3d rates, who had served as such 

 for a certain period. 



Though we have, for the reasons 

 before stated, reconmiended the 

 discontioviance of the flag pay to 

 captains, (having j)rovided an e(pii- 

 valent thereof), we do not pro- 

 pose to withdraw the allowance of 

 6d. per diem allowed to lieutenants 

 of flag ships, by his Majesty's 

 order in Council of the 2 1st Sep- 

 tember, 1790", haviHg made no 

 addition to the |)ay of tliis class of 

 officers, except in the single in- 

 stance before mentioned. 



We ha\e farther taken into 

 consideration the pay at present 

 granted to young gentlemen, mates 

 or midshipmen in his Majesty's 



service, 



