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wages furnished to him, or if the discharge take place before a superintendent, it may be furnished to him on the seaman's behalf, twenty-four hours before the time of paying off or discharge, unless such seaman expressly require to be paid promptly without waiting for the account; and wages are to be paid within two days after the termination of the agreement, or at the time of discharge, in a home-trade ship; and three days after the cargo has been delivered, or within seven days after discharge, in a foreign-going ship. The wages and effects of seamen who have died on board during the voyage shall be paid to the superintendent. No deductions shall be made from the wages on account of any fines or forfeitures, unless the occurrence is entered in the log, and read over in the manner prescribed. But if the seaman has deserted abroad, he shall forfeit the wages he has earned on his passage home to the owners of the ship from which he deserted; and if he has falsely represented himself to be a foreigner he shall forfeit all his wages; and if he has given a false name, or a false name of his last ship, he shall forfeit 5l. out of his wages to the Board of Trade.

RECOVERY OF WAGES.-In all cases of seamen's wages, not exceeding 201., they may be recovered by summary process before a justice, and masters of ships have the same remedy when the owners are bankrupt or insolvent. It is not necessary for the seaman to produce the agreement when suing for his wages. No seaman is permitted to sue for wages abroad in any court, or before any justice, unless he is discharged by the constituted authorities, and with the written consent of the master, or proves such ill-usage as to warrant reasonable apprehension of danger to his life by remaining on board; but if it can be proved, on return to the United Kingdom, that the master or owner has been guilty of such conduct or default, which would, but for this enactment, have enabled the seaman to sue for wages before the termination of the agreement, he shall be entitled to such compensation (not exceeding 201.) as the court or justice hearing the case may think reasonable.

The several returns deposited with the superintendent by masters of foreign-going ships at the termination of each voyage, and halfyearly by the masters or owners of trading ships, are to be transmitted at stated periods to the Registrar-General of Seamen in London, to be by him recorded, and the matter deduced from these materials enables him to maintain a register of the voyages of ships and seamen, and also of the payments made to the Merchant Seamen's Fund, and to detect defaulters who do not make the payments, in order to keep up their claim for pension. Any copy of documents recorded in the Register Office, certified by the Registrar of Seamen, or his assistant, to be received in evidence in the same manner as if the original was produced.

RECOVERY AND APPLICATION OF PENALTIES. -Penalties and forfeitures may be recovered with costs by summary proceedings before two justices, and in default of payment, offender may be

committed to prison with or without hard labour; or proceedings may be taken in Her Majesty's Courts of Record, Westminster. Jurisdiction to be where the offence was committed, or where the offender may be found. Service to be made personally, or on board ship. Any parties to the proceeding shall be competent to give evidence. Justices may reduce penalty to one-third of its original amount. Costs may be ordered and recovered from the complaining party when unable to substantiate his complaint, and no order is to be void on the score of informality, or distress illegal for want of form. Legal proceedings limited to twelve months. Justices may award a portion not exceeding one moiety of penalty to compensate the aggrieved party. Penalties and forfeitures to be paid to the Exchequer as the Board of Trade may direct.

MONEY ORDERS. -A very beneficial regulation has been established, under which sailors, on being paid their wages before the Superintendent of a Mercantile Marine Office, as well as other seamen in every port of the United Kingdom, may remit any sum to their homes through the agency of these offices without charge. More than 150,000l. per annum is now remitted in this manner, the greater portion of which was formerly either dissipated or lost ; and there are instances where seamen, having been deprived of their hard earnings, have been ashamed to return to their families, and lost sight of for years, or for ever. The useful regulation referred to is now becoming a very general practice; men residing at a distance taking a small portion for their present wants and passage money, and receiving the remainder on their arrival at home, or making it payable to their wives.

CHAPTER XIII.

LAWS AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO MASTERS
AND CREWS.

Colonial Vessels. Pleasure and Trinity Yachts, and Vessels Fishing on the Coast of the United Kingdom.

MASTERS of colonial ships, in whatever trade employed, are to engage and discharge their crews, or any men who are engaged or discharged within the limits of the United Kingdom, in the same manner as masters of ships belonging to the United Kingdom, and to pay the same fees; and are also to deliver schedule C to the shipping-master in the same manner as the masters of other ships. Schedule C must be delivered for those ships under all circumstances wherever the crew is

engaged; for clearance at the custom-house cannot. be obtained without the superintendent's certificate that the law has been complied with.

Ships registered in the colonies and other British possessions abroad, that engage their crews in their own colony, and are to take them back, are not bound to engage them afresh before a superintendent in England. If, however, any of the men belonging to such ships are actually engaged or discharged in the United Kingdom, such engagements or discharges must be made before a superintendent.

PLEASURE YACHTS, FISHING VESSELS, AND LIGHTHOUSE BOARD VESSELS.

13. The following vessels; that is to say,

(1.) Registered sea-going ships exclusively employed in fishing on the coasts of the United Kingdom;

(2.) Sea-going ships belonging to any of the three General Lighthouse Boards;

(3.) Sea-going ships being pleasure yachts ;

Shall be subject to the whole of the third part of the Principal Act; except,-Sections 136, 143, 145, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 161, 162, 166, 170, 171, 231, 256, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, and 287, 25 & 26 Vict. cap. 63, sec. 13.

CHAPTER XIV.

PASSENGERS AND PASSENGER-SHIPS.

THE extent of emigration from British ports has rendered necessary especial laws for the regulation of passenger-ships, information respecting which is very desirable. As early as 1819, the Congress of the United States passed an Act containing some excellent provisions on this head, limiting the number of passengers under heavy penalties; in flagrant cases, involving the actual forfeiture of the ship. In 1828, the 9 Geo. 4, c. 21, was passed by the British Parliament for the like

purpose, and both these Acts applied to the ships of all nations conveying passengers from the ports of the United Kingdom and the United States. These statutes

have been repeatedly amended since; and the laws that now apply are contained in the Act of Congress, which came into operation 3rd April, 1855, and the Imperial Passenger Act, which came into operation 1st October, 1855.

The regulations are, like all the laws of the two countries relating to maritime affairs, very similar. They are binding on the passenger-ships of any nation, and can be enforced within the jurisdiction of either country.

For our present purpose it will only be necessary to enumerate the leading provisions of the Imperial Act of 1855, to which in cases of dispute it will be advisable to refer, as the abstract is required to be posted up in conspicuous places in all passenger-ships.

The Act which regulates passenger-ships is the 18 & 19 Vict. c. 119, commonly called the Passenger Act of 1855. It was passed on the 14th of August, to come into operation on the 1st of October, 1855. It contains many important provisions, the following of which are the principal.

After repealing the Act of 1852, it defines the terms to be used by sect. 4, extends its provisions to every passenger-ship proceeding from the United Kingdom to any place not being within the Mediterranean Sea, excepting vessels belonging to Her Majesty, or in the service of Her Majesty, or the transport service of the East India Company, or any steam-vessel regularly employed in carrying the Mail, provided the Master thereof is duly provided with a certificate of exemption from the Postmaster-General, or other deputed authority, the forging of which certificate involves the penalty of 500%.

Establishes a Board of Emigration Commissioners, with the necessary number of officers for carrying the law into effect, by inspecting all vessels fitted for passengers.

No ship shall proceed to sea without a certificate that the requirements of the Act have been performed, under penalty of forfeiture of the ship.

No ship shall carry passengers or cabin passengers on more than two decks-with certain exceptions relating to sick persons-and no ship propelled by sails only shall carry more than one adult to every two tons of her registered tonnage-to include every person on board-and every adult shall have eighteen clear superficial

feet of deck allowed, if on the lower deck, or fifteen feet on the upper deck, or round house. Should the height be less than seven feet, a superficies of twenty-five feet shall be allowed. Any infringement of these provisions involves a penalty of not more than 201. nor less than 57. for every passenger.

Two lists of passengers shall be made out in prescribed form, to be delivered to the emigration officer, who shall countersign them and return one to the master.

Any births, deaths, or marriages that occur during a voyage must be recorded and reported to consular officers, and to the Registrar-General, Somerset House, London.

Provision is made for the size and arrangement of berths, and single men are to be berthed in a separate compartment.

Space is to be allotted for a hospital, and certain regulations are to be adopted as to light, ventilation, &c. &c.

Boats shall be carried as follows:

Two boats for every ship of less than two hundred tons:

Three boats for every ship of two hundred and less than four hundred tons:

Four boats for every ship of four hundred and less than six hundred tons :

Five boats for every ship of six hundred and less than ten hundred tons:

Six boats for every ship of ten hundred and less than fifteen hundred tons:

Seven boats for every ship of fifteen hundred tons and upwards: Provided that no passenger-ship shall be required to carry a greater number of boats than are sufficient in the judgment of the emigration officer at the port of clearance to carry all the persons on board of such ship.

One boat shall always be fitted as a ship boat, and every vessel must be provided with a fire-engine, life-buoys, and a means of making signals by night or in fogs.

Passenger vessels must have efficient crews, to be certified by the emigration officer, and not carry any articles as ballast or cargo that he may consider dangerous, or detrimental to the health of the passengers.

Provisions and water are to be surveyed, and provided according to a table of computed length of voyages, according to the following scale :

WATER.*

Three quarts of water daily to every statute adult, exclusive of the quantity herein before specified as necessary for cooking the articles hereinafter required to be issued in a cooked state.

*The Emigration Commissioners have power by the Act to alter certain of these regulations, particularly the scale of diet, from time to time, as it may appear to them necessary.

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