Proclamation by the King

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A Proclamation, for encouraging Seamen to enter themselves on board His Majesty' s Ships of War.

GEORGE R.

Whereas, it is our Royal intention to give all due encouragement to all such Seamen who shall voluntarily enter themselves in our service, we have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to publish this, our Royal Proclamation; and we do hereby promise and declare, that all such able Seamen, not above the age of fifty, nor under the age of eighteen years, fit for our service, who shall, on or before the twenty-ninth day of February next, voluntarily enter themselves to serve in our Royal Navy, dither with the captains or lieutenants of our ships, or the chief officers on board such tenders as shall be employed for raising men for the service of our Navy, shall receive, as our Royal bounty, the sum of forty shillings, each man; and all such ordinary seamen, fit for our service, who shall so enter themselves, as aforesaid, shall receive the sum of twenty shillings, each man, as our Royal bounty: such respective sums to be paid them by the respective clerks of the Cheque, residing at the ports or places where the ships into which they shall be entered shall be, immediately after the third muster of such seamen.

And we do declare, that the qualifications of the Seamen so entering themselves, as aforesaid, shall be certified by the captain, master, and boatswain of the ship or vessel where they shall enter.

And, for prevention of any abuses, by any persons leaving the vessels to which they shall belong, and entering themselves on board any other ships or vessels, in order to obtain the said, bounty money, we do hereby declare and command, that such Seamen, belonging to any of our ships or vessels, as shall absent themselves from any of the said ships or vessels, to which they shall belong, and shall enter themselves on board any other of our said ships or vessels, in order to obtain the said bounty, shall not only lose the wages due to them in the ships or vessels they shall leave, but also be severely punished, according to their demerits.

Given at our Court, at St˙ James' s, the third day of January, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, in the sixteenth year of our reign.

GOD save the King.