SERVICE, UNITED STATES MARINE HOSPITAL. 



179 



The Society record shows that at a regular 

 meeting held at the Bunch of Grapes tavern, 

 Boston, October 12, 1790, Captain Mackey pre- 

 siding, it was " Votul, That a committee be ap- 

 pointed to consider what spot of ground may be 

 tho most convenient for the erecting a marine 

 hospital, the kind of building that will be the 

 most convenient, and its expense, also to make 

 a calculation of the annual income that will 

 arise from a small tax on seamen for the sup- 

 port of the said hospital, and report at the next 

 meeting." The committee consisted of Captain 

 Mackey, Mr. Tudor, Mr. Russell, Mr. Hodgdon, 

 Dr. Dexter, Dr. Scollay, and Captain Deblois. 

 At the annual meeting of the Society, held 

 at the Bunch of Grapes tavern November 2, 

 1790, the committee reported, "That from a 

 variety of considerations they are of the opin- 

 ion that some spot of the heights of Charles- 

 town east of the town is the most eligible sit- 

 uation for such a building " ; and it was then 

 voted, " That the committee be further in- 

 structed to draw a petition to Congress setting 

 forth the utility of a marine hospital, and point- 

 ing out the means of supporting one." On 

 January 4, 1791, the petition was approved by 

 the Society and ordered to be sent forward. 

 This petition is not now extant, but we learn 

 that it was presented in the House January 

 27, 1791, and that it prayed the establishment 

 of three marine hospitals in the United States 

 for the care and support of aged and disabled 

 seamen, one for the Southern, one for the Mid- 

 dle, and one for the Eastern States. The peti- 

 tion was tabled, but finally referred to the 

 Secretary of the Treasury. A short time pre- 

 viously the Commonwealth of Virginia had 

 passed an act authorizing the sale to the United 

 States of the marine hospital at Washington, 

 Va. ; and on April 17, 1792, the Speaker laid 

 before the House the letter of the Secretary of 

 the Treasury, accompanying his report on sun- 

 dry papers referred to him, concerning a marine 

 hospital at the town of Washington, and on the 

 memorial of the Marine Society of Boston on 

 the subject of marine hospitals, which was read 

 and ordered to be referred to Mr. Ames, Mr. 

 Sterret, and Mr. Parker. (House Journal.) 

 On April 28, 1792, Mr. Ames reported, but his 

 report was tabled. On November 19, 1792, the 

 House took action on the subject by appointing 

 a committee " to prepare and bring in a bill or 

 bills for the relief of sick and infirm seamen." 

 Mr. Laurence, Mr. Good hue, Mr. Benjamin 

 Bourne, and Mr. Barnwell were the committee. 

 It was further " ordered that the report of the 

 Secretary of the Treasury which was made on 

 the 17th of April last, together with the report ot 

 the committee thereon, ... be referred to the 

 same committee." On January 21 ,1798, Mr. 

 Williamson reported a bill, which was read 

 and ordered to be committed to the Commit- 

 tee of the Whole. No further action was taken 

 at this time, but at the next session an act 

 was passed providing for the aid of seamen 

 in foreign countries, and two agents were ap- 



pohrtcd, to reside in Great Britain and 

 tin- nth. riii tin- \W-t Indfo. The President 

 in his message of December 7, 1794, informed 

 Congress that tho agent for Great Britain hud 

 declined the appointment, and the duty of car- 

 rying out the law had devolved on the United 

 States Minister. On February 28, 1797, a com- 

 mittee appointed to inquire into the opera- 

 tion of the act for the relief and protection 

 of American seamen, reported that " the com- 

 mittee find that numbers of seamen, as well 

 foreigners as natives, arrive at the different 

 ports of the United States in euch a disabled 

 situation that they either become a great bur- 

 den to the public hospitals, where any such are 

 established, or are left to perish for want of 

 proper attention. They are of the opinion that 

 a sufficient fund might be raised for the sup- 

 port and relief of sick and disabled Ameri- 

 can seamen, as well in foreign ports as in the 

 United States, either by an additional tonnage 

 duty on all vessels entering the ports of the 

 United States, or by a charge on the wages of 

 all seamen shipped within the United States, 

 proportioned to the length of the voyage, to be 

 paid or secured by the master and deducted 

 from the wages of his crew." The committee 

 recommended the passage of the following res- 

 olutions: "Resolved, That provision ought to be 

 made by law for collecting the sum of cents 

 per month from the wages of every seaman 

 sailing from any port of the United States, 

 to be appropriated 1. To the temporary sup- 

 port and relief of sick or disabled seamen of 

 the United States ; 2. To the foundation of 

 hospitals for the relief of such sick and dis- 

 abled seamen (when a sufficient fund shall be 

 collected)." But the law was not passed until 

 July of the following year. This law provided 

 for the collection of twenty cents per month 

 from the wages of all seamen, and that any 

 surplus remaining after defraying the expenses 

 should be invested in stock of the United States ; 

 and the President was authorized to receive 

 donations of land or buildings, and when ne- 

 cessary to erect hospitals. The President was 

 further empowered to appoint directors of the 

 marine hospitals, under whose direction the 

 fund assigned to each port was to be expended, 

 and persons so appointed were allowed no 

 compensation except actual expenses. An ad- 

 ditional act passed March 2, 1799, authorized 

 the money collected within any one State to be 

 expended within such State, except the States 

 of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Isl- 

 and, and Connecticut (which it was evidently 

 intended to consolidate for the support of the 

 hospital at Charlestown), and authorized the 

 Secretary of the Navy to deduct from the pay 

 of tho officers, seamen, and marines of the 

 navy the hospital tax of twenty cents per 

 month, and declared them entitled to the same 

 benefits and advantages of tho hospital fund as 

 merchant seamen. It appears that the law did 

 not go into into effect immediately, for Secre- 

 tary Oliver Wolcott wrote to General Benja- 



