The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-05-29 00:00:00

PRIZE RILL.

Si: 1': tLLI.I\I S I mowed, that this Bill be
resoinniirted.
Sir CHARLES POLE opposed the Speaker's
leaving the Chair. as he thought that the Bill, so
tar from bearing the title of being for the purpose
of Clico%-aging seamen, and the better manning His
Majesty's Navy, shoul.i be termed a Bill fur the
better encouragement of Dodoes Commons. l le
then stated a variety of objections to what he con-
sidered as the highly mischievous tendency of the
measure. The Admiralty Judges were allowed by
it a salary of 4.0001. a year, and I,OGOI. per annum
pension upon their retirement, though the poor sea-
man, on calling upon the clerk of the check, who
had already too much business to attend to him,
WAS Illbjeatd to a fee of 2s. 6d. each time. The
whelk of the e:pence was to be paid by the maimed
and worn-oat seamen of Greenwich Hospital. and
the Bill took no notice whatever of the King's
Proftor, the only office a seaman could apply to ;
though in all ether Courts, the suitor was allowed the
choice of his own agent. In the course of 4000
COWS which annually came before the Admiralty
Court, no less than 40,0001. passed through the
hands of this Proßor, who was allowed to pur-
chase his own place, as Mr. Heseltine was also al-
lowed to sell part of his business for 5,0001. to
another person. He thought it right, that by an
address to His Majesty, or some other method,
four more Proctors should be provided, as by the
Imesent praaice both Plaintiff and Defendant were
obliged to have recourse to the same person. The
Bill was nu more than a mockery upon the seamen,
whose interests were negleaed in it. It did not go
to secure the payment of what they were entitled to,
and he could nut but express his regret that the
measure was net persisted in of instituting an en-
quiry into the state of the British seamen, whom he
considered as labouring under great injuries, fir
which this Bill did not afford a remedy ; so far from
affording encouragement, it would not prevent the
desertion even of petty officers ; nor did that, or
any other Bill, make any provision with renard to
the unclaimed money, the application
re of which no-
body was acquainted with. was not a word
in it to ascertain the enormous fees and ruinous of
proceeslinzs, against which there was no &ask

whktevtir. In the Proaor's bill tirrefrequaglric-
Ncu d heavt charges for the,trin•Litors; who were
pai t the rate of-es. for 90 n'ords. part of which
went 0 the Proaors, Ilegistcrsi Ste.
Mr. MAKTIN spoke in cipport of these objec-
tions.

Sir JOHN NICOLL (the King's Advocate
General) combated these statements, and com-
plained of unjust insinuations thrown upon offices,
the duties of which were very fairly and faithfully
discharged. The objenions had no reference to any
of the parts of this &11, but would be equally ap-
plicable to all the former prizes, from which several
of these clauses were copied verbatim. The salaries
to the Vice Admiralty .ludges were precisely the
same ; and as to the present King's Proelor, he was
appointed to the office on account of his great
knowledge and experience. upon the death of • his
predecessor. A change in that establishment
would be far fqSrn beneficial either to the public,
or even the captors themselves, and it had uni.
forrnly subsisted ever since we had a Navy. To
change it, woldd be an interference with the pre-
rogative of the Crown, in which all proper ty in cap-
tures vested, vely properly, till the period of its re-
gular adjudication. The King's Proaor could nut
charge a sixpence more than any other Protor, and
frequently protelited Captors from useless expences.
A great part of the enemy's commerce was known
to be carried on by neutral vessels, and all these, as
coming through the same hands, enabled the Proc-
tor frequently to detect one deception by another.
which must operate beneficially to the interest of the
captors. He was known to aft very liberally in his
office, sometimes charging no more than his own
expences, and sometimes not even them, when the
parties appeared to be unable to pay them. He was
independent of the Navy Agents, and at liberty to
have the assistance of partners, or as many Clerks
as there might be occasion for. If he neglened his
buiiness, or overcharged the parties, redress might be
had, by applying to the Register, or to the Court it-
s-11, which would not fail to reify and punish any
abuses. Nothing could he more mischievous than
to give the seamen of the British Navy reason to
think that they were made a plunder and a prey of.
Adjudication could not in most cases be made with-
out considerable and unavoidable expence, such as
taking the affidavits of witnesses at the out-ports,
translating the answers of foreigners to the usual
interrcgatorie-s, the duties or stamps upon affidavits,
&c. A Spanish register, for instance, 'was gene,
rally a kind of folio or account of the numerous per.
sons concerned in each adventure, and all the ship's
papers required to be examined into. The charges,
however, were not now more than they had been
18 or SO years ago. and in general the prodor's
aelnal profits were seldom more than a fourth of his
bill ; nor did the whole of the adjudication in general
exceed more than two per cent. though it may ap-
pear a large sum when the matter in question
might be some hundred thousands of pounds. Upon
the whole, he conjured the House to judge of the
Bill upon its own merits, and not on any partial
objedions to those provisions which had been uni-
formly established for a long series of years.
Sir CHARLES POLE explained, that he meant
no personal retie:Son on the present King's Prodfor,
lint oltierfted to the office itself as centering in one
person.
Sir J. E. WARREN. in a •cry low tone of
voice, made a few observations its iavour of the
. .

Admiral MAR F.HAM admitted the Bill to be
mach better than any that preceded it, and so far
from thinking the British seamen negleled in their
interests. he considered them to be more attended to,
than those of any other class of men in the country.
There were, however, many of the clauses which
he deemed objeißionable, but which might be re-
jthed in the Committee.
Sir WILLIAM SCOIT said, that all the ob-
jections he had heard, were such as may be suited
to a Committee, but were not at all applicable to the
principle of the Bill. He denied that the interests
of the seamen were in any way negleiled, and
hoped the Hon. Gentleman (Sir Chatles Pole)
would immediately retract it. l'he Court is which
these prize causes were heard, should, like all others,
be protreted from calumnies, which would be the
more mischievous, as that Court had particularly
to decide on the interests of foreigners, as well as
British subjects, and would suffer particularly by
any detra&ion of its character. Hethen pt (weeded
to vindicate the constitution of the Officers of the
Courts ; but added little to what had already been
advanced by the King's Advocate General.
Admiral BERKELEY said, he should not op-
pose the bill, bttt thought it should have more el-
le:bully provided against abuses, which. as they
were acknowledged to have formerly existed, might
again return.
Tne bill was then ordered to be recotnin;:ted.
Mr. JOHNSTONE said, that he could perceive
in the condi& observed in the last war towards
neutrals, something very like an' Algerine jurisdic7
tica in the mal-administration of the Vice A4miral-
ty Courts. As a proof of this, he said, that out of
something more than 3U9 appeal causes, tried since
February 1801, no less than 259 had been reversed.
The Hon. Member paid a very high compliment to
the rare talents, integrity, and industry of the Right
Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Sir W. Scott)', to
whom he acknowledged the public were grriatly in-
debted fur the many and extraordinary services and
exertions in clearing away the vast arrear of causes
that had accumulated in the two Courts hi which he
presided, with so much honour to himself. and ad-
vantage to the country ; but still he thought these
offices ought to be divided, either of them was
fully sufficient toemploy all the time, attention, and
talents of any' man, without the burthett of the
other. He concluded by moving,
That it b., ail lo.ttuctiuo to the said Committee to pr..rAz a
Clause fur the Noce effectual ditpatch el Avoca., Ili Prise
Causes.

Mr. PITT said, he was highly satisfied by the
refleßion that there could not at present be any oc-
casion for such a clause; for, by the extraordinary
exertions which had been made, that immense ar-
rear of causes to which the Hon. Member had al-
luded was sow so effeaually surmounted and got
under, that such a thing was never likely to arise
again. He thought also that it would be treading
on too delicate ground to adopt some of the Hon.
Member's propoutions relati►e to appeals, 4t ipteie
aetivw itmld be jealous of your making your deo