The Sun.
London, England, 1817-08-06 00:00:00

PAaLiAmE\TARY PAPERS.

A RETURN of the MODE of ELECTION adopted by.the
Elder Brethren of the VtINITY-HOUSE,,on adwitting
PENSIONERS to the BENEFIT of the FUNDS of the
CORPORXIION applicable to CHARITABLE PUR-
POSES. • . •

The CORPORATION Of TRINITY.IIOUSR, obe-
dience to the Order of the Honourable House of
Commons, to lay before them,—" :A-Return of
" tie Mode of Election adopted 1-57 tbe,Eider
" Brethren 4Of the Trinity-House, o,rl admitting
" Pensioners to the Benefit of the. Foods of the
" Corporation applicable to Charitable _Pur-
poses,"—are desirous of giving the Honourable
House the fullest information in their power;
in order to which it will be necessary to enter into
some detail.

There is no trace in the records of the Corpo-
ration, when the present usage respecting the
mode of the distribution of its funds, as applicable
to eharitaWc put poses, had commencement ; the
most ancient records of the- Corporation* having
been burned with their house in Water-lane, above
a century past.
_ _ _

The origin of the Charity appears to date prior
to the reign of king Henry the eighth, at which
period an association of maritime characters ex-
isted for the purposes of conducting ships and
vessels belonging to the Crown, as well as all de-
scriptions of merchant vessels ;- when they mair-
lained their own poor, or those of the fellowship.
Bit they were not incorporated until that reign.
In the eight year of it, a Royal Charter was
granted, with very extensive authority over ship-
men and mariners-, with powers to make laws,
ordinances and statutes for the relief, increase
and augmentation of the shipping of the realm,
and with authority to levy pains, subsidies, amer-
ciaments and forfeitures on offenders, &c.; to
enable them to perform, amongst other things,
acts of picky or charity, as may be seen in the
exemplication of that Chatter. . .

. .
The Act of the eighth of Queen Elizabeth re-
Cognizes the Corporation so constituted ; and in
the- thirty-sixth year of her reign the Lord High
Admiral surrendered to her Majesty the ballast-
age, buoyage au l beaconage which appertained
to his office, rtvesting her Majesty to confer
tl,-em on the -Trinitv-house ; which.her Majesty
did accordingly. granting those tights to the Mas-
ter, War !rns, and Assistants, and their succes-
sors, fo: ever, to use, exercise, execnte•and enjoy,
,vitl.ont :any stipulation as to the appropriation
of revenue. arising- therefrom.

King Clirles the Second, in the seventeenth
rear Of his reign; did, notwithstanding, give the
ballastage to Col. Carlos; but upon the representa-
tion of the 'Trinity-home, his Majesty re-granted
it to them, with a prokision that the profits shouLi
go to the poor of the Corporation; and king
James the Second, tinder whose charter the pre-
sent. Constitution exists of thirty-one ,Elder Bre-
thren, ratified to them all ancient due,, profits,
&c. for the better maintenance and preservation
of the Corporation, without any accompt to be
made or rendered; stipulating that the rises of the
monies arising from fines. forfeitures, &e. shall
be appropriated to charitable uses, as expressed
in the said Charter ; with a protecting clause for
the Corporation, manifesting the high confidence
placed in them.
The Corporation have thus traced, as well es
they are able, the 'funds which have been appro-
priated toward the support of the poor who had
been in their own immediate employ, and of
decayed seamen, their wives and widows, which,
as the trade and navigation of the country be-
came extended, multiplied beyond the means
afforded.

In the beginning of the seventh century (1607
a. 1609) the Corporation established three light-
houses on the east coast of England, which ang-
mented,,in a small degree, these resources. Not-
withstanding these benefits however to the Cor-
poration, Queen Elizabeth, granted to individuds
the power of levying tolls for some light-houses,
for their own immediate profit and benefit, which
to this day remain in private hands; nor was it
until the end of that century, and the commence-
ment of the eighteenth (1680 & seq ) that the
Corporation were possessed of any light-houses
from, which a revenue was derivable to extend the
ptinciple of the charity.
Having thus explained the sources of the re-
venue derived from the, public toward the relief
of the poor, which have been greatly augmented
during the last twenty years, from the influx of
foreign vessels employed in the trade to this
country, which paid double duties ; it will appear
from the accompts laid before your Honourable
Hoose; in the last Session of Parliament, what
the increase has-been. and how appropriated ; but
the continuance of such a revenue cannot be ex-
pected, because even it the trade should revive to
its former extent, its being carried on in Bri-
tish bottoms would necessarily occasion a consi-
derable reduction.

he mode or election of the objects, and dis-
trilyttion of these funds, may be shortly explained,
as follows :

All poor decayed merchant seamen, whereter
resident, in whatever port or place in the United
Kingdom, together with their wives, widows and
children, are equally eligible for admission to the
Trinity-Flonse Charity, heing qualified, and hav-
ing their Apialifications certified, according to the
rules and forms of admission and petition hereto
annexed.

Petitions of objects,- so qualified and certified,
are presented to the Board by one of the Elder
Brethren, and on being examined and approved
by the Board (which is certified by tke deputy
master's signature On each petition), are mini•
.tiered and entered by him; as resented on every