The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-20 00:00:00

LORD HIGH ADMIRAL.

The office of Lord High Admiral is one of great
antiquity. Before the time of Edward I. this officer
was called " Custos Marilyn)," but in the reign of
that. Monarch the title of " Admiral of the Seas of
the King of England" was conferred for the first
time. The office was next split into three or four
offices, the holders of which had separate maritime
jurisdictions, and there were besides Admirals of the
Cinque Ports. We find that there was a regular
succession of Admirals from the time of Edward IL,
but the highest Naval officer was not always called
Admiral. He had sometimes the title of " the
King's Lieut.-General of the Seas," and frequently
too the office was divided into two jurisdictions:—
But in the reign of Henry IV. the office of Lord
High Admiral being conferred on that King's bro-
ther, was constituted in that permanent form in
which it afterwards existed. It was, in fact, almost
a sinecure, and granted as a mere honorary distinction.
until the year 1632, when it was put into commission.
It remained in commission until Charles the Dd.'s
reign. The Duke of York, afterwards James 11.,
held the office for several years, and had the merit of
introducing a number of naval regulations of great
use and importance to the service. Since the acces-
sion of that Monarch, the powers of Lord High Ad-
miral have been in commission to the present time,
with the exception of a short interval, during which
they were exercised by P►ince George of Denmark,
and another short interval when they were vested in
the Earl of Pembroke.

According to the terms of his patent, the Lord
High Admiral is empowered " to preserve all public
streams, ports, rivers, fresh waters, and creeks what-
soever, within his jurisdiction, as well for the pre-
servation of the ships as of the fisheries, to reform
too strait nets and unlawful engines, and to punish
offenders, to arrest ships, mariners, pilots, masters,
gunners;bombardiers, and any other persons what-
soever, able and fit for the service of ships, as often
as occasion shall require, and wheresoever they shall
be met with ; to appoint Vice-Admirals, Judges,
and other officers durante bene plc-wit° ; to remove,
suspend, or expel them, and put others in their places;
to take cognizance of civil and maritime laws, and
of death, murder, or maim." The jurisdiction of
the Lord High Admiral is confined to the sea. For
instance, if a man be killed in any ship riding in great
rivers, beneath the lowest bridge towards the sea, he
has legal cognizance; but if a man be killed above
the lowest bridge, or upon any arm of the sea where
the land can be seen on both sides, the Coroner of
the county is the proper person to inquire into it; and
where a Coroner may inquire the Admiral has no juris-
diction. Between high and low water mark also,
the common law and the Admiralty have jurisdic-
tion by turns : one upon the water, the other on
land. The Lord High Admiral is empowered to
grant commissions to inferior Admirals, enabling them
to enforce obedience in all branches of the service,
to institute Courts Martial, to take cognizance of all
maritime transgressions, &c. The perquisites given
to this office by the patent, consist of " treasure,
deodands, derelicts found within his jurisdiction; all
goods picked up at sea, all fines, forfeitures, ransoms,
recogmzances, and pecuniary punishments : all
sturgeons, whales, porpoises, dolphins, rigs and
grampusses, and all such large fishes, all ships and
goods of the enemy coming into any creek, road or
port by stress of weather, mistake or ignorance of
the ware
all ships seized at sea, salvage, &c. together
shares of prizes." This officer anciently
carried a gold whistle set with precious stones, at
the end of a gold chain,_ and the office itself is of so
with th
great power, -honour, and profit, that. it has been con-
ferred mostly on princes of the blood.