STATE PAPERS. 



355 



which we think proper for the 

 present period, by whicli the corps 

 will consist of eiglity companies, 

 of wiiich eight will be artillery. 



This measure, wliich will give 

 great efficiency to the corps of 

 marines, and, to use the expres- 

 sion of the original promoters of 

 the marine aitillery, (loul)le its 

 utility b th ashore and afloat, will 

 be a very inconsiderable, if any, 

 expense to the public ; because 

 we have proposed to leduce an 

 equivalent number of ordinary 

 marines, and shall farther submit 

 some n^ductions in the numl-er of 

 officers attached to the artillery 

 companies : and in time of wai', 

 a farther diminution of expense 

 fioin what it would be under the 

 present system, will, if your Royal 

 Highness shall be pleased to adopt 

 our suggestions, arise fiom tiie 

 following circumstances :— 



'Ihe Hoyal Artillery, when em- 

 barked in bombs, had certain ad- 

 vantages granted to then , in con- 

 sideration, we presume, of their 

 being taken out of their natural 

 course of shoie service : these ad- 

 vantages the R'lyal Marine Artil- 

 lery have claimed, and hitherto 

 enjoyed, under, we think, an er- 

 roneous construction of his Ma- 

 jesty's Order in Council establish- 

 ing the pay and allowances of 

 these companies. 



It is evident that, however just 

 it was to grant such advantages 

 to the Royal Artillery, when re- 

 moved from their ordinary duties, 

 it was certainly unnecessary to 

 give them to the Marine Artillery, 

 whose natural course of service it 

 was to embark, and which in fact 

 was formed for this especial pur- 

 pose. We trust therefore that 

 your RoyiJ Higlmcss will see the 



expediency of correcting this er- 

 roi, at this favourite opportunity, 

 wlien it can be done without any 

 immediate injury to individuals, 

 because at present none of the 

 marine artillery are embarked, 

 nor, according to the original re- 

 gulations, would they iiave been 

 embarked, in time of peace ; while 

 we therefore propose to continue 

 the increased shore pay, and to 

 encourage the artillery and the 

 corps m general, by doubling the 

 numbers who will receive this 

 increased pay, we think we in»y 

 fairly propose to abolish the dis- 

 tant and contingent advantage of 

 the extra sea pay, to which in fact 

 we doubt that any other right has 

 hitherto existed, than an erroneous 

 construction of his Majesty's Or- 

 der in Council. 



We therefoi e propose, thatwhen 

 the royal marine artillery shall em- 

 bark, the sea pay of all ranks shall 

 bear to their pay ashore the same 

 proportion that the sea pay of the 

 marines in general bears to their 

 shore pay. 



For all these purposes herein 

 before-mentioned, we beg leave to 

 subjoin to this memoiial a table of 

 the rates of His Majesty's ships, 

 and the force and complements of 

 each rate, and also of the pays, 

 numbers, and ratings of all the 

 officers and men in the fleet, both 

 seamen and marines : and we 

 humbly recommend to your Royal 

 Highness, to be pleased to rccal 

 and annul the table now in force 

 under his Majesty's order in coun- 

 cil of the 31st December, 1806, 

 and to sanction and establish in 

 lieu thereof, the table hereunto 

 annexed, on which, for the sake 

 of perspicuity and convenience, 

 we have dlstinyuiah^J th« eeveral 



'i A% clabsea 



