Gazette. faid prefident for the time being shall have voice, and shall vote and act as a member of fuch general court, or courts of committees; and in cafe of an equality of votes, the said president shall have and exercise a casting vote. VIII. And be it further enacted and declared, That there Four general courts yearly; fhall be four general courts at leaft held every year; that is to fay, on the faid twenty fourth day of June, on the twenty ninth day of September, on the twenty fifth day of December, and on the twenty fifth day of March, or within five days before or after either of the faid days refpectively, of which ten days notice Notice in the thall be given in the London Gazette; and the faid prefident and affiftants, or committees, thall have power to call a general court, at any other time or times, as the affairs of the faid corporation Courts may be fhall require; and are alfo impowered and required to call a called at other general court, at the request of any thirteen of the members of the faid corporation, fignifying the fame, by writing under their hands; provided that ten days notice at least be given in the giving notice. London Gazette, of the time and place of the meeting of every fuch general court fo to be called as aforefaid. times, Prefident and 5 affiftants to meet weekly, IX. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the faid prefident, with any five or more of the said afmake a court; fistants, or committees, for the time being, fhall make a full court of affiftants, or committees; and fhall meet, from time to time, upon Wednesdays weekly, in or near the city of London, or at fuch other time and place as they fhall think fit to appoint; and fuch court of affiftants, or committees; fhall have power, when affembled, as aforefaid, in the name of the faid corporation, and on their account, to apply the monies arifing, and to be received, by virtue of this act, and vefted in the faid corporation, for the relief and fupport of such seamen, and their widows and children, as are before described; and fhall be intitled to the benefits and provifions of this act, in the manner herein directed, and in case there fhall be any furplus thereof, or any fum or fums of money fhall be contributed and given for the purposes of this act, by any well difpofed perfons, to lay out the fame in parliamentary fecurities, or to difpofe of the fame in the purchase of fuch lands, tenements, and hereditaments, as are hereby before allowed, and with and under their common feal, to enter into any covenants or contracts for the purposes aforesaid, as to appoint of they fhall think fit for the better affecting and carrying on the charity hereby intended; and to appoint and choose, and at their pleasure to remove, difplace, and fupply any officers, fervants, and other perfon or perfons to be employed for the purposes herein mentioned and intended, or other affairs of the faid corporation (other than and except fuch officers and perfons as are directed to be appointed and chofen at a general court or affembly of the faid corporation) and to direct and appoint fuch falaries, perquifites, or other rewards, for their labour or fervice therein, as they fhall approve or think proper; and to do, manage, and tranfact, and determine, all fuch other matters and things, as fhall to them, or the greater part of them, appear necessary ficers, &c. Exception. and and convenient for the affecting or carrying on the purposes hereby intended. X. And be it further enacted and declared, That the manage- Committees to ment, transactions, and accompts of the faid prefident and affift- be fubject to ants, or committees, fhall be, from time to time, and at all times the by-laws. hereafter, fubject and liable to fuch audit and inspection, allowance, difallowance, and controul of all or fuch of the members 1 or governors of the said hereby erected corporation, as by any by-laws ordinances of the fame corporation fhall be for that purpose constituted and appointed. XI. And it is hereby further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That there fhall be a receiver of the hereby erected corporation, who shall be chosen by the faid prefident and governors, or the greater part of them affembled in a general court, as aforefaid; and fhall and may be allowed fuch falary as to them shall seem proper, and be at their will and pleasure displaced and removed from his ftation or employment, and another fit and able perfon thereunto appointed and chofen in his room. Receiver. court. XII. Provided alfo, and be it declared and enacted, That if Vacancies to there be any vacancy or vacancies of any perfon or perfons, be filled up at chofen at a general court, as aforefaid, happening by death or a general removal, fuch vacancy or vacancies fhall be filled up at a general court or affembly to be held of the faid prefident and governors, after ten days notice at least to be given thereof in the London Gazette, of fuch election. a governor, XIII. And to the intent that there never may be wanting a competent number of members or governors of the faid hereby erected corporation; therefore for perpetuating the fucceffion thereof, and for fupplying and filling up the places of prefident and affiftants, or committees, be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That it fhall and may be lawful to and for the faid prefident and governors, or the greater part of them that shall be prefent in fuch general court or affembly, to be held as aforefaid (fo that not less than thirteen governors be Thirteen gothen present) to elect and choose some other fit and able perfon vernors to be or perfons to be a member or governor, or members or governers, present at the election of of the faid hereby erected corporation, in the room or place of such of the perfons above-named, or to be, from time to time, elected members or governors, as aforefaid, who fhall happen to depart this life, or shall refufe to accept of being, or to continue, and remain to be, a member or governor as aforefaid. XIV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, and at the That it fhall and may be lawful for the faid prefident and gover-laws. making by. nors, in a general court affembled as aforefaid (fo that not lefs than thirteen governors be then present) to make, ordain, and conftitute, fuch and fo many by-laws, conftitutions, and ordinances, as to them, or the greater part of them, then and there prefent, fhall feem neceffary and convenient for the establishing the faid hereby erected corporation, and the officers, fervants, and perfons by them, in and about the affairs of the faid corporation, to be employed; and for the better applying the mo ney ney hereby to be raifed and received, and providing for the per- XV. Provided alfo, and it is hereby declared, That in cafe Prefident not attending, the prefident shall at any time not attend, then it fhall be lawful another to be to and for the faid alfiftants, or committees, at a court of asdeputed. fiftants or committees, and the faid governors, at a general court, to depute and appoint any other perfon a member or governor of the faid corporation, to prefide, vote, and act as prefident in his abfence, and to do all and every act or acts, thing or things, as well at the faid general court, as at the court of alfiftants or committees, or otherwife, as he the faid prefident is hereby impowered, authorized or required to do. XVI. And, for the encouragement of fuch as shall be benePerfons giving factors to fo good a defign, be it enacted by the authority aforegol. to be go- faid, That if any perfon charitably difpofed, fhall at one or vernors. monti.. more payments, pay into the hands of the receiver of the faid hofpital for the time being, or fuch perfon as fhall be deputed for that purpose, the full fum of fifty pounds, to and for the good ufes and purposes in this act mentioned, fuch perfon shall be, and is hereby declared to be, from the time of fuch payment of fuch fifty pounds as aforefaid, a governor of the said hereby erected corporation. XVII. And for the effecting the good ends and purposes aforefaid, be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That every feaand masters of veffels, &c. man, or other perfon whatfoever, who fhall ferve, or be emto pay 6d. per ployed by any perfon or perfons whatsoever, in any merchant · Thip, or other private fhip or veffel belonging, or to belong to any of the fubjects of his Majefty, his heirs or fucceffors, in that part of Great Britain called England; and every master or owner, navigating or working in his own fhip or veffel, whether employed on the high fea, or coafts of the fame, or in any port, bay, Apprentices or creek (other than fuch apprentices, under the age of eighteen excepted, &c. years, as are exempted from payment of fix pence per month to the faid royal hofpital at Greenwich, by an act made in the second year of the reign of her late majesty Queen Anne, for the increase of feamen, and better encouragement of navigation, and fecurity of the coal trade; and fuch perfon or perfons as fhall be employed in any boat, upon any of the coafts of that part of Great Britain called England, in taking of fish, which are brought fresh on fhore; and every perfon and perfons employed in boats or veffels, veffels, that trade only from place to place within any river of that part of Great Britain called England, or in any open boats upon the coafts of the fame; and pilots employed on board any ship or veffel) fhall, from and after the twenty ninth day of September, one thousand seven hundred and forty feven, pay, and there fhall be allowed and paid by every fuch mafter, owner, feaman, or other perfon employed, or that fhall be employed, fix pence per month of lawful money of Great Britain, and proportionably for a leffer time, during the time he or they shall be employed in, or belong to, the faid fhip or veffel, for the ufes and purposes aforefaid. Masters to XVIII. And it is hereby declared and enacted, That the mafter, owner, or commander of every fuch merchant or private keep 6d. per fhip or veffel, is hereby impowered and required to deduct and month, out of détain out of the wages, fhares, or other profits, payable or ac- feamens pay; cruing to fuch feaman, or other perfon employed in his ship or veffel, the faid duty of fix pence per month (other than for fuch apprentices, and other perfons, as are before excepted) and shall pay the fame to fuch officer or officers as fhall on that behalf be and pay the appointed by the said prefident and governors, or the trustees to fame to the be appointed at any of the out-ports, and their fucceffors, for receiver. the collecting, recovering, and receiving the faid duty of fix pence per month refpectively, if fuch feaman, or other perfon, fhall have or be intitled to any fuch wages, fhares, or profits. XIX. And be it further enacted, That it fhall and may be lawful for the faid prefident and governors, and their fucceffors, be appointed at a full court of affiftants, or committees, to appoint fuch perfon for the port of or perfons as they fhall think fit, to be receiver or receivers of London; the faid duty at the port of London; and alfo depute and appoint Receivers to the collectors, or other officers of the cuftoms of his Majefty, and out-ports. his heirs or fucceffors, in the several out-ports of that part of Great Britain called England, or fuch other perfons as they shall think fit, to collect and receive the fame (except in fuch out-ports where separate trustees shall be appointed by virtue of this act;) which faid receivers, as alfo the faid collectors and officers of the customs (if so appointed) are hereby impowered and required to collect, receive, and pay over the faid duty, according to fuch inftructions and directions as fhall be, from time to time, fent to them in writing by the said prefident and governors, and their fucceffors: and for the care and pains therein of the faid collect- Salaries to be ors, and other officers of the customs, and others to be appoint- appointed ed to collect, recover, and receive the faid duty, it fhall and may them. be lawful for the said prefident and governors, and their fucceffors, at fuch court of affiftants, or committees, to make fuch alJowance to them, out of the faid duties, as they shall judge reafonable. XX. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, Mafters to That every mafter, commander, or owner of any merchant thip, keep a muster. or any other private fhip or veffel, navigating the fame, or fuch roil; other person who shall have the care thereof, fhall keep a book by way of a mufter roll; in which fhall be entered his own chriftian christian and furname, and the chriftian and furnames of all the officers, feamen, or other perfons employed in fuch fhip or veffel, with the ufual place of their abode when on fhore; and over against each name, the time when, and place where, fuch feaman, or other perfon, entered into the service of fuch fhip or veffel; and in what thip or veffel he performed his last voyage; a duplicate whereof shall be signed by the faid mafter, commandduplicates to er, owner, or other perfon having the care of fuch fhip or vessel, the collectors. and fhall be delivered before the departure of fuch ship or veffel, to the receiver or collector of the faid duties, at the respective Mufter-roll to port to which fuch fhip or veffel doth belong; and fuch mafter, be kept during commander, owner, or other perfon having the care of fuch fhip the voyage; or veffel, fhall continue to keep fuch book by way of mufter-roll, and deliver during the whole courfe of the voyage, and fhall, from time to time, enter therein, when and where any fuch mafter, officers, feamen, or other perfon fhall be discharged from, or fhall leave or desert such ship or veffel, and when and where any other officers or men shall be shipt on board, describing them in the like manner as the perfons who first entered on board are before directed to be defcribed; and when and where any of them received any hurt or damage, or were killed, flain, or drowned, in Duplicate to cafe there fhall be any fuch; a duplicate of which continuation be delivered to of the mufter-roll fhall be likewife figned by the said master, the collector. commander, or other perfon having the care of the ship or veffel, tranfmitted to and fhall be delivered at the return of fuch fhip or veffel to the receiver or collector of the faid duties, at the respective port to which fuch ship or veffel does belong; and true copies of the Copies to be faid duplicates fhall be made by fuch receiver or collector, which filed, and the fhall be filed and kept by him; and the original duplicates fhall originals be transmitted by fuch receiver or collector to the prefident and the governors; governors aforefaid, to be, by fuch officer as fhall be appointed for that purpose, filed and kept: and in cafe fuch master, commander, or other perfon, fhall neglect to keep fuch book or mufterroll, or shall neglect or refufe to deliver fuch duplicates as aforefaid, and in cafe fuch receiver or collector fhall neglect to make, keep, and file fuch copies thereof, or neglect or refuse to tranfmit the duplicates which fhall be delivered to him as aforefaid, to the faid prefident and governors; they fhall feverally and rePenalty zol. fpectively forfeit and pay, for every fuch offence or offences, the fum of twenty pounds of lawful money of Great Britain. fummon mafters, XXI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, Collectors to That it fhall and may be lawful to and for the faid collectors and receivers, for the better discovery of what shall be due from the perfons ferving on board, or belonging to any merchant ship, or other private fhip or veffel aforefaid, by warrant under his or their hand or hands, to fummon all fuch mafters and commanders, or (in their abfence) fuch owner or owners of fuch ship and veffel, to be and appear at the office of the faid collectors or receivers refpectively (fo as the perfons fo fummoned be not obliged to travel above ten miles for the making fuch appearance;) which faid collectors and receivers are hereby impower ed |