ty:

To be Subjects of Her Majes Their Age and Term of Ap prenticeship. Penalty for Deficiency of Apprentices,

&c.

The cancelling and Death or Desertion of Apprentices, to be notified.

of Indentures,

according to the Certificate of Registry; (that is to say,) for every Ship of Eighty Tons and under Two hundred Tons, One Apprentice at the least; for every Ship of Two hundred Tons and under Four hundred Tons, Two Apprentices at the least; for every Ship of Four hundred Tons and under Five hundred Tons, Three Apprentices at the least; for every Ship of Five hundred Tons and under Seven hundred Tons, Four Apprentices at the least; and every Ship of Seven hundred Tons and upwards, Five Apprentices at the least; all of whom, at the Period of their being bound respectively, shall be Subjects of Her Majesty, and above Twelve and under Seventeen Years of Age, and be duly bound for the Term of Four Years at the least; and if any such Master or Owner shall neglect to have on board his Ship the Number of Apprentices as hereby required, together with their respective registered Indentures, Assignments, and Register Tickets, he shall for every such Offence forfeit and pay the Sum of Ten Pounds in respect of each Apprentice, Indenture, Assignment, or Register Ticket so wanting or deficient. XXXVIII. And be it enacted, That in case any Indentures of Apprenticeship of any Description shall be cancelled, or any Apprentice, Parish or otherwise, shall die on shore or desert, or by reason of the Vessel of the Master not having made a Voyage for Six Months shall not be reported in either of the said Lists, such Cancellation, Death, Desertion, or Non-employment shall forthwith be notified in Writing by the Master of the Apprentice to the said Registrar, if the Ship on board which the Apprentice was bound to serve shall belong to the Port of London, or otherwise to the Collector or Comptroller of the Port to which the said Ship shall belong; and for every Default the said Master shall be liable to a Penalty. Penalty of Ten Pounds; and the Collector or Comptroller, if the Notification be made to him, shall transmit the same to the said Registrar within One Week from the Receipt thereof; and no cancelling of any Indenture of Apprenticeship of any Description shall be valid or effectual without the mutual Consent of the Parties, or without the Consent or in the Absence of the Registrar of Seamen in London, or of the Collector or Comptroller of Customs of the Port in which such CancelJation shall take place, or, in case of Bindings by the Overseers, without the additional Consent of the Guardians of the Union or Parish whose Consent was given to the said Binding, to be testified by a Copy of a Minute of the Board forwarded by the Clerk to the said Guardians.

XXXIX. And be it enacted, That the said Registrar, in London, and the Collector and Comptroller of the Customs at each other Port, shall, in a Book to be kept for that Purpose, cause to be entered from Time to Time all such Indentures and Assignments of Parish Apprentices as aforesaid, specifying therein the Dates thereof, the Names and Ages of the Apprentices, the Parishes or Places from whence they are sent, the Names and Residences of their Masters to whom

they

Consents necessary in cantures.

celling Inden

Indentures and of Parish Apprentices to be

Assignments

registered.

Apprentices to

appear pers n

ally when In

dentures or Assignments registered.

In lentures and Assign

Apprentices to be registered.

they are bound or assigned, and the Names, Ports, and Burden of the respective Ships to which such Masters belong, and shall make and subscribe on each Indenture and Assignment an Endorsement, purporting that the same hath been duly registered pursuant to this Act; and such Registrar, Collectors, and Comptrollers respectively shall require the personal Attendance of every such Apprentice at the Time of registering his Indenture or Assignment thereof; and every such Collector and Comptroller shall also, at the End of each Week, transmit a List of the Indentures and Assignments and Cancellations so registered by him within the Week, containing all the Particulars aforesaid, to the said Registrar.

XL. And be it enacted, That in every Case of a Person (other than such Parish ments of other Apprentice as aforesaid) binding himself Apprentice to the Sea Service the Indentures to be executed on such Occasion shall be in Duplicate, in the Form set forth in Schedule (I.) to this Act annexed, and a Counterpart shall be delivered to the said Registrar, if the Master shall be or reside within the Port of London, or if at any other Port, to the Collector or Comptroller of such Port; and the Indentures shall be registered in a Book to be kept for that Purpose by the said Registrar, Collectors, and Comptrollers respectively, in which Book shall be expressed the Dates of the several Indentures, the Names and Ages of the Apprentices, the Names and Residence of their Masters, and (if known) the Names, Port, and Burden of the several Ships on Board which they are respectively to serve; and such Registrar, Collectors, and Comptrollers respectively shall require the personal Appearance of every such Apprentice at the Time of registering his Indenture or the Assignment thereof, and shall endorse and subscribe upon each Indenture a Certificate purporting that the same hath been duly registered pursuant to this Act; and the said Collectors and Comptrollers shall also at the End of each Week transmit a List of the Indentures and Assignments registered by them within the Week, containing all the Particulars aforesaid, together with the said Counterparts, to the said Registrar, for the Purposes of this Act; and that it shall be lawful for the Master of such Apprentice, or in case of his Death his Executor or Administrator, with the Consent of the Apprentice if of the Age of Seventeen Years or upwards, and if under that Age with the Consent of his Parent or Guardian, to assign or transfer the Indenture of any such Apprentice to any other Master or Owner of any registered Ship; and all such Apprentices may during the Term for which they shall be bound be employed in any Ship of which the Master for the Time being of any such Apprentice may be the Master or Owner: Provided always, that every such to be register- Assignment shall be registered and endorsed by the said Registrar, or by the Collector or Comptroller of the Customs at the Port where the Master shall be, or to which his Ship shall belong; and the said Collector or Comptroller shall

As to Assign ment of Indentures of Apprentices.

Assignments

ed.

notify the same to the said Registrar, and transmit an exact Copy of the said Endorsement to the said Registrar.

XLI. And be it enacted, That no Apprentice bound or assigned pursuant to this Act, nor any Master or Owner in respect of such Apprentice, shall be liable to any Payment or Contribution to or towards any Hospital or Institution; and that all Agreements, attested Copies, Indentures, Assignments, Counterparts, and Tickets, made, signed, or executed in compliance with or under the Provisions of this Act, shall be wholly exempt from Stamp Duty.

XLII. And be it enacted, That if any Master or Owner to whom any Apprentice to the Sea Service shall be bound or assigned shall neglect to deliver a Counterpart, and cause the Indenture or the Assignment (as the Case may be) to be registered as required by this Act, so far as depends on such Master or Owner, within Ten Days after the Binding or Assignment, every such Master or Owner shall for every such Neglect forfeit and pay the Sum of Ten Pounds; and if any such Master or the Master of any Ship shall, after the Ship shall have proceeded on the Voyage upon which such Ship may be bound, permit any Apprentice to quit his Service or the Service of the Ship, except for the Purpose of entering into Her Majesty's Naval Service, every such Master shall for every such Offence forfeit and pay the Sum of Twenty Pounds.

XLIII. And be it enacted, That any Justice of the Peace residing at or near to any Port to which any Ship as aforesaid, having on Board thereof any Apprentice, shall at any Time arrive, shall have full Power and Authority to enquire into and examine, hear and determine, all Claims of Apprentices upon their Masters under their Indentures, and all Complaints of hard or ill Usage exercised by their respective Masters towards any such Apprentices, or of Misbehaviour on the Part of any such Apprentices, and to proceed thereupon as One or more Justice or Justices of the Peace is or are empowered by Law to do in other Cases between Masters and Apprentices; and if the Master of any Ship shall not send on shore, in the Charge of the Mate or other trustworthy Person, any Apprentice desirous of complaining to a Justice of the Peace, so soon as the Service of the Ship will permit, he shall for every such Default forfeit and pay the Sum of Ten Pounds.

XLIV. And whereas by an Act passed in the Ninth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth, for consolidating and amending the Statutes in England relative to Offences against the Person, a summary Jurisdiction is provided for the Punishment of Persons guilty of common Assaults and Batteries: And whereas it is expedient that the Provisions of the last-mentioned Act should extend to similar Offences committed on Board Ships belonging to Subjects of Her

Majesty:

Apprentices exempted from

Contributions.

Documents ex

empted from Duty.

Penalty on glecting to register, &c., Indentures,

Masters ne

and for suffer

in Appren their Service.

tices to quit

Justices to deplaints.

termine Com

Common Assauls may be punished by

summarily

Two Justices,

Majesty: Be it therefore enacted, That in the Case of any Assault or Battery committed on Board any Ship belonging to any Subject of Her Majesty, in any Part of the World, it shall be lawful for any Two Justices of the Peace in any Part of Her Majesty's Dominions, or the Territories under the Government of the East India Company, residing at or near any Port or Place at which the said Ship may arrive or touch, upon Complaint of the Party aggrieved, to hear and determine any such Complaint, and to proceed and make such Adjudication thereon as by the said Act any Two Justices are empowered to do in the Cases of Assaults and Batteries in England; and the Fine or Forfeiture to be imposed in any such Case shall be payable to the Seamen's Hospital Society: Provided always, that such Complaint shall be made and prosecuted within Three Months after such alleged Assault or Battery, or within Three Months after the Arrival of the Ship at her final Port of Destination in the United Kingdom, or within Three Months after the respective Parties shall be within the Jurisdiction of such Justices as aforesaid.

XLV. And be it enacted, That no Apprentice to the Sea Service shall be at liberty to enter into the Naval Service of Her Majesty during the Period of his Apprenticeship without the Consent of his Master; but if, nevertheless, he shall voluntarily enter into such Naval Service of Her Majesty, and shall be allowed by his Master to continue therein, such Master, in case he shall give Notice to the Secretary of the Admiralty of his Consent to his Apprentice remaining in Her Majesty's said Service during the Residue of the Term of his Apprenticeship, shall, upon the Production of the Indenture and Assignment (if any), if duly registered, and having the Registered Ticket attached, be entitled to receive to his own Use any Balance of Wages and Prize Money that may become due and payable to any such Apprentice until the Expiration of his Apprenticeship.

XLVI. And whereas great Mischiefs have arisen from Masters of Merchant Ships leaving Seamen in Foreign Parts, who have been thus reduced to Distress, and thereby tempted to become Pirates or otherwise misconduct themselves, and it is expedient to amend and enlarge the Law in this Behalf; be it therefore enacted, That if any Master of a Ship belonging to any Subject of Her Majesty shall discharge any Person belonging to his Ship or Crew at any of Her Majesty's Colonies or Plantations, without the previous Sanction in Writing (to be endorsed on the Agreement) of the Governor or other Officer holding the chief Authority there, or of the Secretary or other Officer duly appointed by the Government there in that Behalf, or in the Absence of such Functionaries then of the Chief Officer of Customs resident at or near such Port or Place, or shall discharge any such Person at any other Place abroad without the like previous Sanction, to be so endorsed on the Agreement by Her Majesty's Minister, Consul, or Vice Consul there, or in the Absence of any such Functionary then of Two respectable Merchants

Merchants resident there, such Master shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor; or if any Master of any such Ship shall abandon or leave behind at any such Colony or Plantation any Person belonging to his Ship or Crew, on the Plea or Pretence of Unfitness or Inability to proceed upon the Voyage, or of Desertion or Disappearance from the Ship, without a previous Certificate in Writing (to be endorsed on the Agreement) of the Governor, Secretary, or other Officer as aforesaid, or in the Absence of such Functionary then of the Chief Officer of Customs resident at or near such Port or Place, certifying such Unfitness, Inability, Desertion, or Disappearance, or shall abandon or leave behind any Person belonging to his Ship or Crew at any other Place abroad, on shore or at sea, upon such Plea or Pretence, without the like previous Certificate of Her Majesty's Minister, Consul, or Vice Consul there, or in the Absence of any such Functionary then of Two respectable Merchants, if there be any such at or within a reasonable Distance from the Place where the Ship shall then be, such Master shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor; or if any Master of any such Ship, in case any Person belonging to his Ship or Crew shall desert from the said Ship at any Place abroad, shall neglect to notify the same in Writing to one of such Functionaries as aforesaid, if there be any such resident at or near the Place, and in their Absence, if it be out of Her Majesty's Dominions, then to Two respectable Merchants, if there be such at or near the Place, within Twenty-four Hours of such Desertion, such Master shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor; and the said Functionaries are hereby authorized and required, and the said Merchants are authorized, to examine into the Grounds of such proposed Discharge, or into the Plea or Pretence of such Unfitness, Inability, Desertion, or Disappearance as aforesaid, in a summary Way, upon Oath (which Oath they are hereby respectively authorized to administer), and to grant or refuse such Sanction or Certificate according to the Circumstances, and as it shall appear to them to be just.

XLVII. And be it enacted, That if the Master of any Ship belonging to any of Her Majesty's Subjects, or the Mate or other Officer of such Ship, shall wrongfully force on shore and leave behind, or shall otherwise wilfully and wrongfully leave behind on shore or at sea, in or out of Her Majesty's Dominions, any Person belonging to his Ship or Crew, before the Completion of the Voyage for which such Person was engaged, or the Return of the Ship to the United Kingdom, such Master, Mate, or other Officer shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor; and every Misdemeanor mentioned or created by this Act shall and may be prosecuted by Information at the Suit of Her Majesty's Attorney General, or by Indictment or other legal Proceeding in any Court having Criminal Jurisdiction in Her Majesty's Dominions at home or abroad; and the Offence may be laid and charged in the said Information, Indictinent, or other legal Proceeding to have been committed in the County or Place where the Offender shall happen to be, who, being convicted thereof,

Forcing Sea&c., a Misdemeanor.

men on shore,

Where Misde

meanors may be prosecuted.