Star.
London, England, 1806-04-26 00:00:00

anillafter'4"!
only way of doing fubliential jußice nr giving gene-
ral fatisfaelion is by railing the rates of allowatioe to
all the chalks of the Navy. The complaint of the
Lieutenants, the Honfe will recol'ell, to be by no
means new. Sonic years (ince. application was made
in their favour, and the eonfequence was, an order
merely to talk the pay of the Lower Lieutenants to
a level with that of the higher. So far as the arrange-
ment went it was, no doubt, advaotageous, but to
only one of the parties, although the complaint was
from the whole. That the ground of fuch it complaint
fileild be totally removed, I am fore the Houk will
concur will me in thinking and alto that no come
plaint Ihoidd be allowed to tuft in any tank of our
Navy, from' the higheft to the lowell. indeed, it
can only bcnecettary to Aatethis Propofition to infutc
acquiefcence without any argument whatever. '1
Mali, of cootie, exclude from the new atran;ement
thok 'officers who received tall year any addition to
their pay—l mean the Mallets and Surgeons. They
were undoubtedly entitled to the•attention they have
experienced, bit they have received their due pro-
,
pefrtion upon the kaie I now propofe. To all Ilse
other officers 1. (hall extend the augmentati in. I
have raid that I Shall make no partial feleetion, and
In this refolotion juftified by the advice of the
Med competent authorities--of perfons belt qualified
fo judge upon the folajeet. It has beet} flrongly urged
to me, by every perfon with whom I have cunfulted.
that the Warrant and Petty Officers are particularly
tinkled to a liberal allowance—and not only the we-
celfity of perfervi!lg a fair proportion, and the policy
• Of guarding againft difcontent, but juflice itfelf
pleads in favour of the feamen. Indeed, in the opi-
aim of all naval men, it would be highly imprudent
to advance the pay of the Warrant and Petty Offi-
cers without granting a proportionate advance to the
Able and Ordinary Seamen. I am aware that an ad-
. mince was made to the latter in 5797. But Kill it will
0 be admitted that from the enhancement of all articles
of the firß medley, peed the depreciation of money
which has takm place thinthelall9years,thedemand
ofafurther advance to thefe meritorious men cannot
be confidered onreafinaable. To eflablifh any increafe
of *ages proportionate to the circurnltances I have
mentioned, it is not my intention to attempt. Indeed
Inch a tiling would be (carcely poffible. I have en-
. deavonred to keep equally in view the degrees of rank
and the merits of fervice, and hope I have avoided
the injullice and inconvenience of any partial felee-
don, fuch as prevailed in 1797, when the addition to
the icemen's wages was not Such as to afford them
much advantage or fatishaion, and yet it created an
undue proportion in their favour.
-By any man who refleels but a moment on the (of-
ferings, the privations, and the Cervices of our icemen,
it is impoffible -that a doubt can be entertained of the
propriety of affording them every Means of confole-
tion in our power.- Look but at the difficußies and
dangers to which they are expofed every hour s re-
view the manner in which they have overcome every
difficulty and danger that has heretofore affailed them,
and mark the glory which you have derived from
their dauntlefs exertions. After this review, is there
an Englifh heart which would not revolt at a mo-
ment's hatatinn to grant the jutt claims of an Eng.
lifh iceman? Bat independently of any appeal to libe-
rality, the pretenfions of the feamen are incontrover-
tible. When we confider the nature of the fervice in
which they are engaged, what mutt be our reflec...
dons ? Withdrawn from all the enjoyments
_of do-
meftic comfort—ell:soled to all the hazards of war
—deprived of the profits and fecurity they had on
board merchant (hips, from which for the moth part
they have been taken ; the profpeft, in feet, of future
advancement cut off, and perhaps forfeited for ever;
Inch has been the Rate of the greater pate of your
prefent feamen for years back, eacepting in Come de-
gree that period of difiumbed and agitated peace, if
that could be called peace, in which you were fub-
jeet to all the embarraffments, obliged' to maintain all
the expense and apparatus of war. A large propor-
tion, indeed, of your Icemen has been in genial ler-
vice for twelve or thirteen years. and in actual fer-
vice of the moll toilkane, dangerous, unprofitable,
and unpromiling defcription ; compelled. fur the
moll part, of late years, to encounter the inclemency
of all feafons, they have had to watch the enemy in
his ports, without even the hope of meeting and con-
quering him—which would render a Blitith feaman
indifferent to' fatigue. No ; the enemy having no
means of fafety but in eluding the vigilance of our
feamen—difappoiato that thirft for conqueft and
glary which ditiingtriffies our gallant tars, and which
reconciles them to danger. Under (itch an accumu-
lation of difadvantages, can you refute them any
comfort in your power to adminifler ? Can you heft.
tate to foliar diem with the means of folace on thei/
midnight watch? (a cry ofbrar l Ivor I)
Mating flitted to much at large the motives which
have induced me to bring forward this propolition, I
(hall now proceed to detail the reverel items of the
.increafe which I have to offer for your confideration.
It will be ribierved, that my arrangement does not
include the landimen—becaufe I feel that, as they
enter voluntariky, aware of al( the eircumllances of
the fituation in which they engage, they Rand on a j
footing quite different (rem that t I the icemen.—
Now, as to the kale of augmentation, I propok to
• allow every ordinary laronan an additional pay of6d.
per week, or 1,. per month ; to every able feaman
ts. per week, or 4,. per month : to all petty officers,
who, according to the univcrfal opinion, are fo mate-
rially intilnmental its prrierving the difcipline, and
in promoting the focccis of our fleets, ss. per
'month. At the fame :tme I mean, that a confider*.
ble addition fhould rake place in the number of this
very artful body of men. This addition to include
all thofe who are denominated on board, the Cap.
tains of the Forecafile —of the MAR—of the Tops—
and of the Afterguord, who are the moll alive Sea•
men on board—and to each of them I propok an in-
er cafe of 91. 6,1. per month. To Mailers' Mates and
Warrant Officers i would give an addition nibs. per
month. As the Warrant Officers are retained and
receive their pay during peace, as well as war, the
addition to be granted them, in this mitance. is only
to he allowed while they Pre in aeual fervice. I'o
the Matters and Surgeons, I have already Slated, no
ad-Pition ft to be made. her: there is a clefs of per•
tons in the Navy. whole claims to attention are as
sneil founded as the'pertervirefpeitability of their che-
et—l mean the Chaplains : among the general
I.lvattec I pt..pore t., grant the Chaplains the ap-
nu::.-tmeat of •Jaa..cri Mafttr, :notch trillium an ask