2. Duration of Act.

3. Public Act.

4. Alteration of Act.

executing the office of Lord High Admiral for the time being,
as Patron of the said Society, and the Secretary of the Admiralty
for the time being, as President of the said Society, shall deem
it expedient at any time or times to reduce or vary the same;
in which case it shall be lawful for the Lord High Admiral, or the 5
said First Commissioner, and the said Secretary, and they are hereby
authorized and empowered to vary or reduce at any time and from
time to time, by writing under their respective hands, as the exigen-
cies of the case may seem to them requisite, the amount of the
Annuity now or hereafter payable by the said Society to Widows or 10
other claimants, provided that the amount of the Annuities be not
thereby rendered less than Two-thirds of the amount which is now
paid, and also to vary and increase the rate of Premium which now is
or shall be paid to the said Society for or in respect of any Annuity,
so that the amount of the Premium shall not exceed the rate esta- 15
blished by the said Order in Council: Provided always, That nothing
in this Act contained shall render it obligatory on any person to
commence or continue the payment of the full or reduced amount of
any such premiums of insurance as aforesaid.

And be it Enacted, That this Act shall commence and take effect 20 from the passing thereof, and shall continue in force until the Thirtyfirst day of July One thousand eight hundred and Forty-seven, and from thence to the End of the then next Session of Parliament.

And be it Enacted, That this Act shall be a Public Act, and shall be judicially taken notice of as such.

And be it Enacted, That this Act may be amended or repealed by any Act to be passed in the present Session of Parliament.

To amend the Laws relating to the Business of the Civil
Departments of the Navy, and to make other Regula-
tions for more effectually carrying on the Duties of the
said Departments.

[Note. The Words printed in Italics are proposed to be inserted in the Committee.]

5

c. 40.

HEREAS by an Act made in the second year of the reign Preamble: of his late Majesty King WILLIAM the Fourth, intituled, 2 & 3 W. 4, "An Act to amend the Laws relating to the Business of the Civil Departments of the Navy, and to make other Regulations for the more effectually carrying on the Duties of the said Departments," all the Duties thereof then vested in the principal Officers and Commissioners of his Majesty's Navy, and the Commissioners for Victualling his Majesty's Navy, and for the care of Sick and Wounded Seamen, were transferred to the Commissioners for executing the 10 office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:

And whereas Her Majesty, by Her Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal, bearing date the was pleased to constitute and appoint certain persons therein named to be such Commissioners 15 as last aforesaid:

And whereas it is deemed expedient, and for the better regulation of Her Majesty's Naval Service, that the said Commissioners for executing the said office of Lord High Admiral should be reduced

233.

to

2.

Accounts of Receipt and Expenditure for Navy, Army, Commissariat and

Ordnance Services, to be annually transmitted

to the Treasury.

3.

No Imprests to be charged in the said Accounts.

4. Commissioners of

Audit to have

access to books, orders and papers.

5.

CLAUSE (A.) Objections to be made from time to time, and

of March One thousand eight hundred and Forty-six, in accordance with the provisions of the before-recited Act,

And be it Enacted, That on or before the Thirtieth day of November in each year an Account of the Receipt and Expenditure of the sums granted for Naval Services for the year ended on the Thirty- 5 first day of March preceding, and on or before the Thirtieth day of April in each year, similar Accounts of the Receipt and Expenditure of the sums granted for Army, Commissariat and Ordnance Services for the year ended on the Thirty-first day of March of the preceding year, classed under the several heads of Service, as expressed in the 10 Appropriation Act or Acts for the year, shall be transmitted by each department charged with the preparation of the said Accounts, to the Commissioners for auditing the Public Accounts, who shall examine the said Accounts, and certify thereon as to the correctness of the sums therein charged, as compared with the books and vouchers 15 of the several departments; and the said Commissioners are hereby required to transmit copies of the said Accounts, so examined and certified, to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury: Provided always, That if the Commissioners for auditing the Public Accounts shall discover any inaccuracies in the said Accounts 20 of Receipt and Expenditure, they shall, if required so to do by the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, return the said Accounts, accompanied by statements of the errors discovered therein, to the respective departments concerned for correction, and amended Accounts shall be prepared and sent to the Commissioners 25 of Audit by the said departments in lieu of the Accounts returned for correction, and the said Commissioners shall transmit copies of such amended Accounts, examined and certified as aforesaid, to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury.

And be it Enacted, That no sum shall be charged in the said Ac- 30 counts which may be of the nature of an imprest or advance of the expenditure or application of which an Account is to be subsequently rendered.

And be it Enacted, That the Commissioners for auditing the Public Accounts shall be allowed access to all books, orders and other papers 35 to which they may desire to make reference in the progress of their examination of the account-books and vouchers of the several departments intrusted with the detailed application of the sums granted for Navy, Army, Commissariat and Ordnance Services.

And be it Enacted, That if, during the progress of the exami- 40 nation by the Audit Office of the books and vouchers of the said departments, any objections shall arise to any item to be introduced

into