found unfit for service, the fact must be reported to the commander of the station, who will order a survey by three commissioned officers, of which at least one must be a medical officer, and in case they should find him unfit for service, they will particularly specify the causes of his disability in their report, a copy of which must be transmitted by the commander of the station, to the Secretary of the Navy, for his decision.

ARTICLE 661.

When men shall have passed an examination, and been received on board, a particular description of each shall be taken, in which shall be specified, the rendezvous where entered, when entered, their age, place of birth, height, color, rating, trade, and particular marks; and if they should have any wounds or injuries which might form a ground for application for pensions, they must be particularly noted, as a check against fraudulent applications. These descriptive lists must be entered in a book to be kept in the vessel; a copy must be transmitted to the Secretary of the Navy, semi-annually, 1st July and 1st January. Whenever recruits are transferred to any other vessel, their transfers, and the vessel to which transferred, must be noted in the descriptive books, and a complete descriptive list must be sent with them, accompanied by a statement of their apparent qualifications, and if it can be ascertained whether any, and whom, have been petty officers in the service. All these books and lists must be signed by the purser, and approved by the commanding officer of the receiving vessel.

ARTICLE 662.

The commander will take care that the clothing and bedding of all recruits are carefully examined and marked; and that lists of the same are taken when they are first received on board, and all other measures taken for their preservation and safe keeping.

ARTICLE 663.

While men are on board the receiving vessel, they shall receive no supplies of slop clothing, or small stores, so long as they are indebted to the United States, except upon the written order of the commander, and with the approbation of the senior officer in com

mand of the station; and the purser, who may be directed to furnish such article, must preserve such order as a voucher, or he will receive no credit for the deliveries, in case the person to whom they are made should die or desert before he is out of debt to the United States.

ARTICLE 664.

If a receiving vessel shall be sufficiently equipped to furnish the means for exercising the recruits who may be on board, the commander will, under the direction of the commander of the station, have them exercised with the men forming the permanent crew of the vessel, as frequently as their other duties will permit, at the cannon and small arms; reefing and furling sails, pulling in boats, and in all such other duties as may best prepare them for duty on board vessels of war at sea or in port. Particular attention is to be paid to the instructions of the apprentices and other boys, and to the young landsmen and ordinary seamen, so as to give them all the opportunities of improvement which circumstances will permit.

ARTICLE 665.

The commander of the receiving vessel is to adopt proper precautions to prevent desertion, and is not to allow any recruit to go on shore on liberty, without the consent of the commanding officer of the station.

ARTICLE 666.

No recruit is to be rated a petty officer whilst he is on board a receiving vessel, as that power is to be exercised by the commander of the sea-going vessel to which he may be transferred.

ARTICLE 667.

The recruits on board a receiving vessel are not to be employed upon duties unconnected with that vessel, except by the order or sanction of the commander of the station; and when employed in aid of the force in navy yards, for rigging or equipping vessels, or for any other service, he will see that they are placed under the direction of proper naval officers. Unless for some special service, he will not authorize the employment of the recruits, in a navy yarû,

upon other duties than such as are immediately connected with the equipment of vessels, or the preparation of their outfits and stores.

ARTICLE 668.

When the commander of a receiving vessel is directed to transfer men to a sea-going vessel, if there shall be more than a sufficient number of any class on board to comply with the order, he is to make an impartial selection, sending a fair proportion of such as may be supposed qualified for petty officers, of useful mechanics, and of foreigners, and blacks; but not more than one-twentieth of a vessel's complement shall consist of blacks, unless by written order of the commander of the station. In case of complaint, or dissatisfaction, on the part of the commander of the vessel to which men are transferred from a receiving vessel, it shall be the duty of the commander of the station to order a survey, and to decide himself upon the case, as soon as practicable; but no men are to be returned and exchanged, except for good causes, or by his written order, in which the reasons for the same shall be expressed.

ARTICLE 669.

The senior officer in command of the station will give the necessary instructions to the navy agent to procure vessels to transport such men as he may be directed to send to any other place, when he has no public vessel at his disposal for that purpose, and will send proper officers to take charge of them, informing the Secretary of the Navy of every draught so sent, and of their number, and the names of the officers under whose charge they were placed.

ARTICLE 670.

The commander and other officers attached to the vessel designated to receive recruits, are to conform to the general regulations for other vessels in commission, in all matters not especially provided for in this chapter, and are to live on board, unless specially exempted by the Secretary of the Navy, in the same manner as though under orders for sea service; and they will be considered as entitled to sea-pay, but employment in these vessels will not be considered as" sea-service," in regulating the promotion or appointment of the officers.

These regulations are to go into effect on their receipt by the respective commanders of squadrons, vessels, navy yards, and stations, excepting those which relate to the per centage to be charged upon slop clothing and small stores, and to the compensation to pursers, for their distribution and accountability, which are to take effect from the first day of the quarter of the year next following the date of the receipt of these regulations. The quarters of the year commence on the first days of January, April, July, and October.

NAVY DEPARTMENT, February 19, 1841.

The foregoing regulations, having been approved by the President of the United States, are to be obeyed until revoked or altered by competent authority.

By command of the President:

J. K. PAULDING,

Secretary of the Navy.

To all officers, agents, and others,

belonging to the navy.