In 1815 a very elaborate act[20] was called forth by the return of Napoleon from Elba, entitled "an act for the encouragement of seamen and the more effectual manning of his majesty's navy during the present war." It provided that the flag officers, commanders and crew should have sole right in all prizes taken by public armed vessels declared lawful prize before courts of admiralty or vice admiralty to be divided in proportions from time to time decreed by orders in council. Hired armed vessels were subject to the same rules. Captures made with aid of allies were to be divided equally with the ally. Land captures made by the navy were also the sole property of the captors after proper adjudication, but joint captures by land and naval forces were to be subject to special order in council. Desertion, forfeited shared of prize money. Recaptures were to be returned to the original owner on the payment of one-eighth salvage if the captor was a public vessel and one-sixth if a private vessel, except that if the recaptured vessel had been fitted out by the enemy as a war ship it should not be returned to the original owner but should be declared good prize for the benefit of the captors. Head money or bounty of five pounds per man on board every enemy ship at the beginning of an engagement was to be paid all vessels capturing, sinking or destroying a war ship or privateer of the enemy. Ransom of captured vessels was forbidden except in case of necessity. All money given as bounty or salvage was to be subject to the same rules of division as prize money. Letters of Marque were to be granted on proper security for good behavior and the privateers were to be sole proprietors of all captures after proper adjudication. The force of this act only extended to the pending war. During the middle of the nineteenth century England was engaged in an active campaign to suppress the slave trade. As a result proclamations were constantly issued decreeing the division of the proceeds of vessels captured in this trade. The same rules were followed as in the case of prizes of war, the whole of the captures being given to the captor after adjudication. Such proclamations were issued in 1834,[21] 1846,[22] 1849[23] and were authorized by a statute passed in 1839[24] and amended in 1842.[25]