The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1834.

MERCHANT SEAMEN.

A Summary of an Act, being the 4th and sth William IV,
ch. 52, for the Benefit of Merchant Seamen of Great
Britain and Ireland, their Widows, and Children, which
is to come into operation on the Ist of January, 1835.
Clause 1 repeals the Act 20 George 11, c. 38, except so
much as relates to the incorporation of the president and
governors for the relief and support of sick, maimed, and
disabled seamen, and the widows and children of such as
shall be killed, slain, or drowned in the merchant service ;
and so much of the 37th George 111, c. 73, as relates to
the wages of seamen dying while employed in ships trading
to his Majesty's West India Colonies.
2. Enacts that seamen disabled by sickness, wounds, or
other accidental misfortunes, and those who are decrepit or
worn out by age, are to be relieved by pensions or other-
wise, as to the president and governors shall seem meet and
most for the advantage of the charity, and . also to relieve
the widows and children under 14 years of age, of seamen
killed, slain, or drowned ; and also the widows and children
of seamen who shall die after having contributed for 21
years to the corporation ; and also the widows and children
of such seamen as, at the time of their death, shall have
been receiving or have been entitled to receive pensions as
worn-out seamen ; and then enacts what certificates of proof
are to be produced.
3. Persons forging certificates to be punished.
4. President and Committee empowered generally to ap-
ply monies of the corporation for the objects of the charity,
and to appoint the officers and salaries.
5. All masters of ships belonging to Great Britain or
Ireland to pay 2s. per month out of their wages, during the
time they are employed ; and provides that, in case of need,
themselves or their families are to be allowed a propor-
tionate increase of pension.
6. All seamen to pay Is. per month, but exempts those
employed in any boats in taking of fish which are brought
fresh ashore, and. boats and vessels trading from place to
place within any river in Great Britain or Ireland.
7. Empowers masters to deduct Is. from the seamen's
wages, and pay the same over to the receivers appointed.
8. Receivers to be appointed at London and the out-
ports.
9. Masters to keep muster-rolls, is per schedule to the
act, and deliver copies thereof to the receivers, under penalty
of .51.
10. Empowers masters of vessels to deduct any forfei-
ture from seamen's wages, and to deliver a verified account
of the same to the receiver, under penalty of 201.
11. Collectors may summon masters of vessels, and may
examine them as to their muster-rolls, &c.
12. Secretaries of Admiralty, Victualling, Post-office,
&c., to give h list of ships employed in their departments.
13. Duties to be paid at the port in Great Britain or
Ireland where the ship or vessel discharges her cargo. No
ship to be cleared inwards by the officers of the Customs
until a receipt for the duty is produced. The duty from
vessels not belonging to the port where the same is paid to
be transmitted to the receiver at the port of London, who is
to remit the same to the port to which the vessel belongs.
14. Masters not producing certificates of payment of
duty, tide-waiters to be continued on board at the expense
of the ship.
15. Penalties under the act, not exceeding 201., recover-
able before a magistrate.
16 and 17. Owners and masters of ships at the out-ports
empowered to appoint trustees for such respective ports,
who are to have the same powers as the president and
governors have in London for carrying the intention of the
Act into effect. Instrument of trust to be forwarded within
60 days of the appointment to the president and governors,
to be confirmed.
18. Trustees heretofore appointed at the several out-
ports to be subject to the provisions of this Act.
19. The Corporation of the Merchant Venturers of
Bristol appointed trustees for that port.
20. The Guild of the 'Trinity-house of Kingston-upon-
Hull appointed trustees for that port.
21. The ports of Glasgow, Greenock, and Port Glasgow,
to be deemed one united port, for the purposes of this Act.
22. Accounts of president and governors, together with
those of the trustees at the out-ports, to be laid before the
House of Commons annually.
'23. Collectors appointed by trustees not to send dupli-
cates of muster-rolls belonging to their respective ports; to
the president and governors.
24. Seamen not liable to pay duty not entitled to benefit
of the Act.
25. Those who have served and paid longest, to be first
provided for.
26. Maimed seamen to be provided for at the port where
the accident may haPpen.
27. Decrepit or worn-out seamen to be provided Tor at
the port where they have paid most for the last five years
of their service at sea.
28. Shipwrecked seamen may be relieved.
29. When certificates, as pointed out by the Act, cannot
be obtained, others may be admitted.
30, 31, and 32. Wages of deceased seamen to be paid
to the receivers of duty at London and out-ports on ship's
arrival, for the benefit of the widows and children or the
executor or administrator of such deceased seamen, as the
case may be ; and if not claimed within years, to be for-
feited to the trustees at the port where the ship belongs,
for the benefit of the charity at such port.
33. Empowers the president and governors in London to
pay to the Seamen's Hospital Society there a sum equiva-
lent to 5 per cent. on the net amount of duty received from
vessels belonging to the port of London, for the benefit of
that charity.
34 and 35. Relate to the recovery of penalties and
limitation of actions.
36. This act to be deemed a public act.
By an act also passed in this session, the 6d: per month
now payable to Greenwich Hospital by merchant seamen
will cease from and after the 31st of December, 1834.

A TIMELY DISCOVERY.—On Wednesday last a
man named Edward Luckman, who lives in Salford, was
brought up at the New Bailey under the following cir-
cumstances ; —He had gone home a little intoxicated the
preeeding evening, and went to bed about half-past eight.
His wife was going to bed about two hours afterwards,
when, on turning the infant in bed, she perceeived that
her husband was not asleep, and to her horror, a razor
slipped out from under his pillow. She immediately seized,
it, ran out of the house, and took it to her relatives. Her
brother immediately went to Luckman and asked him what he
meant to do with the razor. He took another out of a book-
case, held it to his own throat and said " This." He was
then apprehended, and on hearing these facts, the magistrates
committed him for three months in default of bail.--Manchater
Guardian:

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT-SEPT. 22.

(Before the Chief Commissioner and Mr. BowEN.)
Richard Ransome was opposed by Mr. WOODROFFE, on
the part of Mr. Knowles, Messrs. Sharland, and Mr. Taver-
son ; and was supported by Mr. CooKE.
The insolvent, in 1833, was in treaty for a house and
premises in Soho-square, for the purpose of converting them
into a bazaar ; and not having sufficient money himself to
conclude the treaty, he requested Mr. Taverson, one of the
opposing creditors, to accept a bill for him for 200/., and
told him he would be able to take it up in a given time, as
he expected money from the East Indies, part of his wife's
income, which amounted to 4801. a year. The bill was dis-
honoured, and the opposing creditor offered to renew it for
six months longer. It was then also dishonoured ; and the
cause was the failure of the house of Colville and Co.,
through whom the property of the insolvent's wife was to
have been paid. The opposing creditor, Mr. Taverson, had
also given security for the rent of the premises for eighteen
years, amounting to 200/. per annum. He (Mr. Taverson)
had been obliged to pay the bills.
The cause of opposition on the part of Mr. Knowles,
who keeps the Blossoms Inn, Lawrence-lane, was the non-
payment-of 244/., money advanced to the insolvent upon the
faith of the money to have been paid by Messrs. Colville.
The debt of Messrs. Sharland was for cloth furnished to
line the bazaar.

Mr. Woodroffe said that, under all the circumstances, it
would be uncharitable to say that the insolvent had con-
tracted the debts with his clients without having had
reasonable expectations of paying them. He had, there-
fore, no case against him.
Messrs. Sharland were appointed assignees, and the in-
solvent was pronounced entitled to the benefit of the Act.