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GEORGIA GAZETTE.
Number 20.
•• ■ •
LONDON.
* w To the R.
SIR, •* ... i
IHire fcnt f** the following ftbeme or plan, lately pre
sented to, and graciously received by, the Lords of the
Admiralty, by the gentlemen who have paiTed their exami
nation for Lieutenants of the navy.
Thedefign thereof you will find is for the providing and
employing a considerable number of those fcamen and* non
com miffioncd officers, who Shortly will, by the peace, be
difeharged out of the navy service.
As the publication of thisjpropofal will extend the know
ledge of it, and may be doing a peculiar service to that
body of men, who have, during the late war in particular,
hignly merited the publick regard; yoor inferring thereof
ia your paper will oblige, Your's, C. D.
A PLAN fit continuing near 20,000 fcamen and non-commi]Jion
tjfutrs, difcbargtdftm the navy, always ready fi government
Service, without ex,fence, by extending the whale fijbery, and
obtaining a perpetual employ for the/e men, and thereby preventing
their engaging in foreign jervice ; at alfe upon an emergency, a
speedy method of manning hit Majefy't Jhipt of war, without
imprtjfng,
witaftagffiftyflHE great increase of the navy this last war,
has occasioned so many Teamen to be dis-
W®jpisM®aygJ charged, that it is not possible for our
€NH| tp Vh mercantile navigation to employ them ;
KyUnocWAS therefore it is conceived, unless Some
a expedient be put ia execution, ao,ooo
teamen will remain unemployed, and
thereby be obliged to Seek foreign Ser
vice for their support.
That exclusive of Seamen and marine boys difeharged
from the navy, it is computed that near 500 non-conjmilEon
officers, who have palled their examinauons, or lieutenants,
who have accomplished themSelvcs by, and in many years
labonrand fervitudeon board his Majesty's Ships of war,
attended with a very heavy expence to their friends and re
lations, before they could be properly qualified and deemed
fufficient mariners, navigators, and pilots; and after all
mull be turned adrift, aifperfed, ana, in all probability,
intirely loft to the marine force of England, before any em
ploy can happen for them in the King's Service by another
war; therefore it is presumed the loss of such a body of qua
lified officers must be an irretrievable lofa to the nation, and
merits the Serious consideration and attention of the legisla
ture for the continuance of their employ in time of peace.
To remedy which it is proposed, that all his Majesty’s
frigates, transports, armed (hips, fire (hips, Sc c. more than
neceSTary for the service of the government, which can pro
perly be converted for this service, be employed in the
Greenland fishery and Davis's Straits, to the amount of
125,600 tons of Shipping, comprehended in i§o Sail, and
to navigate thoie Ships will require 17,000 feamcnand 1500
non-comm iffioa officers, for the following reasons, via.
First, That all Ships in the Greenland fishery, of necessi
ty, are obliged to carry three times the number of hands re-
? [aired in our ceefting navigation of equal burthen, therc
ore it is thought to be the moft eligible branch to employ
such a number of Teamen.
- That 250 Saif, of 500 tons each Ship, upon an average,
Will employ 70 Seamen, a commander, and five petty offi
cers; so in proportion to the other Ship* of greater or iefs
tonnage, from 600 to 100 tons burthen.
That the preient method of carrying on the whale fishery,
has never employed more than 3000 men in one season, and
otherwise is not a proper inducement to fcamen (in time of
peace) to embark; for the voyage fcldom exceed* lour vr
T H U .R S D X Y, August ,8, ,763.
si?k?i! h, 5 “u and ,he “***• P” *■ ■MR thin fern or
fi? h L P *f nd * the “1” bcl * t arising Aon,
8”J en V ‘£* gowomew Rater, ia tht Laen
and OMers only, dir Teaman, after dedaftiag extra doeth,
and liquor, itc. which he i, obliged to eqnip hißfrlf wiS
on account of the f.vci.y o ,h? L J
nothing left for hu support the remaining seven or eieht
months. It is conceived, •
Were this branch of commerce veiled in, or under the
direction of the government, the men under the fame regu.
lations with refpeft to their pay, and also to be intitled to
the benefit from the chcft at Chatham and Greenwich hofni
tal, in the fame manner as disabled fcamen from Ships of
war, the trade would become more extensive, and thereby
Cn jr *** Englilh nation to outvie the Hollanders; no nc
ceffity for so large a bounty, or recourfc to the usual disa
greeable method oS impressing men, in case of a future rup
ture with any foreignjiower; be less injurious to the mer
chants, and always aftord a fufficient number of (hip* f or
transporting his Majesty’s forces abroad upon an emergen
cy.
That the 40s. per ton bounty, and the produft of the oi!
and bone, will be more than fuSlicicnt to support the num
ber of officers and fcamen here proposed, from a calculation
I made in the year 1760 of the Dutch in that particular
branch.
For inrtancc, they employed about 70,000 tons of Shlp.
piiw, and upwards of 10,000 Teamen, which brought home
376 fifti, valued in Holland upon an ayerage at cool. Suii
each, amounting to ißß,oool. then it is demonstrable, were
250 fail of English Ships employed in this commerce, ad
mitting equal Success in the voyage, with the fame propor
tion as to tonnage, it would be agreeable to the following
estimate, viz. 0
VOYAGE Dr.
17.500 Seamen, at 141. 12 s. 6d. per voyage,
equal to their annual pay in the navy, 255.938
1.500 Warrant and petty officers, viz. a mailer
and commander 51. mailer's mate 31. fccond
mate al. carpenter 21. surgeon 31. and boat
swain zl. Tup poled at about 171. per month up
on the whole, exclusive of their refpeSttve
Shares of filh brought to market,
19,000 Men viftualling, at 51. per man,
Allowance for spirituous liquors, at 10s. per man, 9,500
415,688
Balance gained —*
£. 580,000
VOYAGE Cr.
The produce of the voyage,
And the bounty given by the government upon
125,000 tons, at 40s.
/. 580,000
Which balance will be fufficient to reimburse the annual ex
pence of the wear and tear of the Ships employed, and gain
ioo,oool.
.The cftablilhing this branch of commerce, agreeable to
the above plan, mod be esteemed the bell Seminary for Tea
men, navigators, end pilots, in time of peace; annoy and
prevent Surprize* from tkeemmy, as 17,500 able Seamen,
when embodied with Oldbury Teamen, landmen, and ma
rines, allowing 175 able to be incorporated in each Ship,
will be fufficient, upon an emergency, to man 100 Sail of
the line of battle.
