A. D. 1696. cSi 



An acl of parliament for the increafe and encouragement of feamen 

 [7, 8 Gul. Ill, f. 21] direded that 30,000 men, confifting of mariners, 

 watermen, fifhermen, lightermen, bargemen, keelmen, or other feafaring 

 men, between the ages of eighteen and fifty, fhould have their names 

 and places of refidence regiftered, and receive a bounty, or retaining 

 fee, of 40/ annually, for which they fliould at all times be in readinefs 

 to man the royal navy. For their encouragement they were to have 

 twice as much prize-money as unregiftered feamen of equal rank ; they 

 only were to be appointed to warrant offices in the navy ; and they on- 

 ly were to have admiffion, when maimed or fuperannuated, to the new 

 hofpital at Greenwich ; which admidion was alfo extended to the wi- 

 dows and children of regiilered feamen flain in the fervice. A deduc- 

 tion of 6d per month is ordered to be made from the pay of all feamen, 

 whether in merchant fhips or in the navy, for the fupport of Greenwich 

 hofpital *. 



The parliament, in order to prevent frauds and abufes in the planta- 

 tion trade, enacted, that all veflels trading to or from our Afian, Afri- 

 can, or American, plantations or fetclements, fhould be Engliili, Irifh, 

 or plantation, built ; and that their cargoes fliould be either Englifh, 

 Irifh, or plantation, property, and regiflered as fuch, &c. And whereas 

 our North- American colonies were of late become of much greater im- 

 portance to England than formerly, it was therein alfo flirther enacted, 

 ' that no charter-proprietors of lands on the continent of America 

 ' fhould fell or otherwife difpofe of their lands to any but natural-born 

 ' fubjeds, without the king's licence in council for that purpofe.' [7, 8 

 GuL III, C.22.'] 



This was undoubtedly a mofi: necellary and reafonable provifo, fmcc 

 it might happen, in unfavourable conjundures, that a great charter- 

 proprietor (fuch, for inftance, as thofe of Carolina, fince made a regal 

 colony, Maryland, or Pennfylvania, &c.) might alienate the fame to 

 fome foreign rival nation, there being till now no exprefs law to the 

 contrary. Moreover, in order to keep the proprietary governments in 

 America the more under due fubjedion to the crown and kingdom of 

 England, they being now become very confiderable, it was hereby 

 enacted, that all governors nominated by fuch proprietors fliould be al- 

 lowed and approved of by the crown, and take the like oaths as are 



* This law was further enforced by an a<El, 8, fo iinportant a matter as having a competent i.ucn- 



9 Gul. Ill, c. 12 ; and the duty or ftoppage for bcr of feamen continually in readinefs for the navy, 



Greenwich hofpital was confirmed by an a£t, lo without having recourfe to the barbarous and un- 



Anna;, for bettering, coUefting, and recovering, conftitutional practice of preffing. May Heaven 



duties, &c. and by an aft, i8 Geo. II, c. 31. infpiie fome worthy patriot with fpirit, genius. 



This regiller aft was (unhappily in our humble and zeal, equal to this feemingly, or fuppofed, 



opinion) repealed in the ninth year of (^een arduous talk. And alfo may the iailors of mcr- 



Anne. Though many fciie.iits have fince been chant (hips, as well as thofe of king's Hiips, tiicii 



laid before the public, yet fo many objeftions have be entitled to admifllon into Greenwich hofpital. 



been ftarted, that no law has yet been framed for A. 



4R 2 



