The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
III. "Provided, nevertheless, that neither the prize nor the bounty
shall ever be adjudged to any of our letters of marque, until after
the affair shall have been carried before one of the Colleges of the
Admiralty of this country, and the sentence shall have been there
pronounced in her favor.
IV. "The said Colleges of the Admiralty may not adjudge these rewards,
until after the Captain, Lieutenant, and Pilot of the privateer, as
well as those who shall have freighted her, their book-keepers, and
others authorised, shall have declared by a solemn oath, that the
vessel of war, or privateer, of which they have made themselves
masters, has been duly taken without any collusion directly or
indirectly with the English, or with any other known to them. In case
the freighters, who claim the adjudication of prizes and bounties, are
out of the country, absent, or hindered by some other obstacle, it
shall suffice, that the book-keepers, or some other authorised, take
the oath, but so far as it is of his knowledge for himself, and for
his freighters, conformably to the special procuration, which he shall
have for this effect; the freighters nevertheless shall be obliged to
take an oath beforehand before the magistrate of their residence, or
before other persons competent, whose testimonies they shall send.
V. "And for the better encouragement of the said ships, which shall
have armed as privateers, we ordain, that those who shall have been
wounded in a combat with the English ship, shall be maintained at the
expense of the State, without its costing anything to the proprietors
of the privateers, or those who shall be on board. We ordain also,
that those who shall be maimed in fighting an English ship, shall be
gratified on the part of the State, and without its costing anything
to the freighters, with the moiety of the recompense granted by the
Republic to those who serve on board vessels of war; they shall not,
however, have a right but to those rewards which are given once, and
not to those which shall be granted weekly, or monthly, or otherwise.
As to what respects the maintenance of the wounded, the account of it
shall be presented to the competent College of the Admiralty, to be
there examined and duly regulated, so that the maimed, to the end that
they may enjoy the moiety of the recompense proposed, may procure
themselves an act of the said College of the Admiralty, after having
furnished it the necessary proofs.
VI. "For the encouragement of the ships of war, as well as the
merchant vessels, which may be provided with commissions to make use
of, in case of need, to cause to the English ships all the prejudice
possible, we intend that the English ship of which they may make
themselves masters, of what nature or denomination soever it may be,
shall be given them entire, the tenth for the Admiral excepted,
without pretending, however, to any further recompense.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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