PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



625 



as aforesaid, as an officer, soldier, sailor or marine, 

 either in land or sou service, lor or under or in aid of 

 any foreign prince. State, potentate, colony, province, 

 or part ot any province or people, or for, or under, or 

 in aid of any person or persons exercising or assuming 

 to exercise any powers of government us aforesaid, or 

 to go or to agree to go or embark from any part of His 

 Majesty's dominions, for the purpose or with intent to 

 be enlisted, entered, engaged or employed as aforesaid, 

 whether any enlisting money, pay, or reward shall have 

 been or shall be actually given or received, or not; in 

 any or cither of such cases even- person so offending 

 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon 

 being convicted thereof, upon any information or in- 

 dictment, shall be punishable by fine and imprison- 

 ment, or either of them, at the discretion of the Court 

 before which such offender shall be convicted." 

 And it is in and by the said act further enacted : 

 " That if any person, within any part of the United 

 Kingdom or^n any part of His Majesty's dominions 

 beyond the seas, shall without the leave and license of 

 His Majesty, for that purpose first had and obtained as 

 aforesaid, equip, furnish, fit out, or arm, or attempt or 

 endeavor to equip, furnish, fit out, or arm, or procure 

 to be equipped, furnished, fitted out, or armed, or shall 

 knowingly aid, assist, or be concerned in the equip- 

 ping, furnishing, fitting out, or arming of any ship or 

 vessel, with intent or in order that such ship or vessel 

 shall be employed in the service of any foreign prince, 

 State, or potentate, or of any foreign colony,~province, 

 or part of any province or people, or of any person or 

 persons exercising or assuming to exercise any pow- 

 ers of government in or over any foreign State, colony, 

 province, or part of any province or people, as a trans- 

 port or store ship, or with intent to cruise or commit 

 Hostilities against any prince, State, or potentate, or 

 against the subjects or citizens of any prince, State, or 

 potentate, or against the persons exercising or assum- 

 ing to exercise the powers of government in any 

 colony, province, or part of anv province or countrv, 

 or against the inhabitants of any foreign colony, prov- 

 ince, or part of any province or country, with whom 

 His Majesty shall not then be at war; or shall, within 

 the United Kingdom, or any of His Majesty's domin- 

 ions, or in any settlement, colony, territory, island, or 

 place belonging or subject to His Majesty /issue or de- 

 liver any commission for any ship or vessel to the intent 

 that such ship or vessel shall be employed as aforesaid, 

 every such person so offending shall be deemed guilty 

 of a misdemeanor, and shall upon conviction tliereof, 

 upon any information or indictment, be punished by 

 fine and imprisonment, or either of them, at the dis- 

 cretion of the Court in which such offender sjhall be 

 convicted; and every such ship or vessel, with the 

 tackle, apparel, and "furniture, together with all the 

 materials, arms, ammunition and stores which may 

 belong to or be on board of any such ship or vessel, 

 shall be forfeited ; and it shall be lawful for any officer 

 of His Majesty's Customs or Excise, or any officer of 

 His Majesty's navy, who is by law empowered to make 

 seizures, for any forfeiture incurred under any of the 

 laws of Customs or Excise, or the laws of trade and 

 navigation, to seize such ships and vessels aforesaid, 

 and in such places and in such manner in which the 

 officers of His Majesty's Customs or Excise and the 

 officers of His Majesty's navy are empowered respec- 

 tively to make seizures under" the laws of Customs and 

 Excise, or under the laws of trade and navigation ; and 

 that every ship and vessel, with the tackle, apparel, 

 and furniture, together with all the materials, arms, 

 ammunition, and stores which may belong to or be on 

 board of such ship or vessel, may be prosecuted and 

 condemned in the like manner, and in such courts as 

 ships or vessels mayfce prosecuted and condemned for 

 any breach of the laws made for the protection of the 

 revenues of Customs and Excise, or of the laws of 

 trade and navigation." 



And it is in and by the said act further enacted : 

 " That if any person in any part of the United King- 

 dom of Great Britain and Ireland, or in any part of 

 His Majesty's dominions bevond the seas, without 

 40 



leave and license of His Majesty, for that purpose first 

 had and obtained us ufbresaid, 'shall, by adding to the 

 number ot the guns of such vessel, or l.v changing 

 "ii board for other guns, or by Uie addition of 

 any equipment for war, increase or augment, or pro- 

 cure to be increased or augmented, or shall be know- 

 ingly concerned in increasing or augmenting the war- 

 like force of any ship or vessel of war or cruiser, or 

 other armed vessel, which at the time of her arrival in 

 any part of the United Kingdom, or any of His Majrs- 

 ty's dominions, was a ship of war, cruiser, or anned 

 vessel in the service of any foreign prince, State, or 

 potentate, or of any person or persons exercising or 

 assuming to exercise any powers of government in or 

 over any colony, province, or part of any province or 

 people belonging to the subjects of any" such prince, 

 State, or potentate, or to the inhabitants of any colony, 

 province, or part of any province or country under the 

 control of any person or persons so exercising or as- 

 suming to exercise the powers of government, every 

 such person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a 

 disdemeanpr, and shall, upon being convicted thereof, 

 upon any information or indictment, be punished by 

 fine and imprisonment, or either of them, at the dis- 

 cretion of the Court before which such offender shall 

 be convicted." 



Now, in order that none of our subjects may un- 

 warily render themselves liable to the penalties im- 

 posed by the said statute, we do hereby strictly com- 

 mand, that no person or persons whatsoever do 

 commit any act, matter or thing whatsoever, contrary 

 to the provisions of the said statute, upon pain of the 

 several penalties by the said statute imposed, and of 

 our high displeasure. 



And we do hereby further warn all our loving sub- 

 jects, and all persons whatsoever entitled to our pro- 

 tection, that if any of them shall presume, in con- 

 tempt of this Royal Proclamation, and of our high 

 displeasure, to do any acts in derogation of their duty 

 as subjects of a neutral sovereign, in the said contest, 

 or in violation or contravention of the law of nations 

 in that behalf as, for example and more especially, by 

 entering into the military service of either of the'said 

 contending parties as commissioned or non-commis- 

 sioned officers or soldiers ; or by serving as officers, 

 sailors, or marines on board any ship or vessel of war 

 or transport of or in the service of either of the said 

 contending parties ; or by serving as officers, sailors, 

 or marines on board any privateer bearing letters of 

 marque of or from either of the said contending par- 

 ties ; or by engaging to go or going to any place be- 

 yond the seas with intent to enlist or engage in any 

 such service, or bv procuring or attempting to pro- 

 cure, within Her Majesty's dominions, at home or 

 abroad, others to do so ; or by fitting out, arming, or 

 equipping, any ship or vessel to be employed as a 

 ship-of-war, or privateer, or transport, by either of 

 the said contending parties; or by break'ing, or en- 

 deavoring to break, any blockade lawfully and actually 

 established by or on behalf of either of the said con- 

 tending parties ; or by carrying officers, soldiers, 

 despatches, arms, military stores or materials, or any 

 article or articles considered and deemed to be contra- 

 band of war according to the law of modern usage of 

 nations, for the use or service of either of the said con- 

 tending parties, all persons so offending will incur and 

 be liable to the several penalties and penal conse- 

 quences by the said statute, or by the law of nations, 

 in that behalf imposed or denounced. 



And we do hereby declare that all our subjects and 

 persons entitled to* our protection who may miscon- 

 duct themselves in the premises will do so at their 

 peril and o_f their own wrong, and that they will in no 

 wise obtain any protection from us against any 

 liability or penal consequences, but will, on the 

 contrary, incur our high displeasure by sucb mis- 

 conduct. 



Given at our Court at the Wbite Lodge, Richmond 

 Park, this 13th day of May, in the year of our 

 Lord 1661, and in the 24th year of our reign. 

 GOD save the QUEEN. 



