THe Commons assembled in Par­liament, taking into their serious consideration the manifold Di­stempers of the Navy, and the great decay of Customs, occasioned by evil, malignant, unfaithful and supernu­merary Officers, employed both by Sea and Land, to the great prejudice of the Commonwealth, Do Enact and Ordain, and be it Enacted and Ordained by the Authority of Parlia­ment, That all Customers, Com­ptrollers, Searchers, Surveyors, [Page 4] Wayters, Collectors, or any other per­son or persons, that at the time of ma­king this Act and Ordinance, or that hereafter shall hold any office or other place of Trust in the Custom-house of London, or in the Custom-house in any other Port, Creek or Place within the Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick; All Offi­cers of the Ordnance, or Stores, or Provisions belonging to the Stores, Ordnance, Arms and Ammunition belonging to the Commonwealth; All Commissioners, Victuallers of the Navy, and other Officers in or be­longing to the Victualling-office of or for the Navy of this Kingdom; All Captains, Masters, Boatswains, Gunners, Pursers, Ship carpenters, or any other Officer or Commander, belonging to any Ship or Vessel be­longing to the Commonwealth; All Officers or other persons that have any office or place of Trust in any pub­like Yard, Dock or Wharf, or other [Page 5] place belonging to, or concerning the Navy of this Kingdom; All persons that do or shall hold any command, ei­ther by Sea or Land, in any Ship, Storehouse or Dock belonging to the Commonwealth, or the Navy of this Kingdom; All Masters and officers of the Trinity-house, that hath voluntarily aided or assisted the King with moneys, Arms, Plate, Victual or otherwise, either by Sea or Land, since the year of our Lord 1641. in the former or lat­ter Wars against the Parliament; or that since the first of March, in the year of our Lord 1647. hath contrived, pro­moted or abetted any of the Petitions or Engagements for the Kings co­ming to London; or that raised or abet­ted any Tumult against the Parlia­ment since the 24 of July, 1647. within the cities of London or Westminster, or Liberties thereof, or within the coun­ties of Surrey, Kent, Essex, Middlesex, Hert­ford, Cambridge or Sussex; or that were counselling, ayding, assisting, abetting [Page 6] to the Revolt of any the Ships em­ployed in the service of the Common­wealth, since the first of June, 1648. or that hath or shall imbezle, or secretly convey, or steal away any Arms, Powder, Cables, Victual, Timber, or other Stores belonging to the Na­vy of this Kingdom; or that have ta­ken any Reward or Gift of any Mer­chant, or other person or persons, of, for or concerning the Customs, o­ther then the Fees due and accustom­ed, That then all and every the Of­ficers and persons abovenamed, from and after the first day of February next ensuing, shall be, and are hereby Declared, and made incapable and disinabled to hold any office or place abovesaid, and his former Office or Place of Trust, as abovesaid, to be void and forfeit to all intents and purposes. And the Commissio­ners hereafter named, or any five or more of them, shall and may nominate and appoint other six and able persons [Page 7] in the room and place of such Officers and persons so disinabled as above­said; and the persons so named and appointed by them, to certifie to the Committee of the Navy: But in case the said Offices, or any of them be not necessary and useful to be continu­ed, but shall be found superfluous and unuseful, that then the said Commis­sioners, or any five of them, shall have power to make void and discontinue the said place, for the saving of unne­cessary charge to the State, and trou­ble unto Merchants, and carrying on the service to the best advantage: And if any person or persons whatsoever, being made incapable as abovesaid, shall yet continue and occupy such place, and not avoid the same, That then the said person so offending, upon due proof made thereof, and his con­viction thereupon, shall forfeit the sum of Two hundred pounds for the first day, and Ten pounds per diem for eve­ry day after that he or they shall con­tinue [Page 8] in the said place or places. And if any person or persons shall refuse or neglect to pay the said sum within fourteen days after due proof made of their incapacity as abovesaid, that then the Estate of every such person shall be Sequestred until the Fine be paid; th'one moyety within one Mo­neth after conviction as abovesaid, to the Discoverer, th'other moyety shall within the like space of time be paid in to the Treasurer for the Navy, for the time being, to be disposed of for the use and service of the Navy. And to the intent that this Or [...]inance may speedily and impartially be put in exe­cution, The said Commons in Par­liament assembled do Ordain and Ap­point, and be it by Authority of Par­liament Ordained and Appointed, That Alderman Thomas Andrews, Mr. William Barkley, Mr. Maurice Thomson, Mr. Richard Shute, Col: William Wil­loughby, Mr. William Pennoyer, Mr. Samuel Pennoyer, Mr. Stephen Estwick, [Page 9] Mr. John Holland, Mr. John Langley, Mr. Richard Hill, Major Robert Thom­son, Mr. James Russel, Mr. Samuel Moyer, Mr. Jonathan Andrews, and Mr. Richard Hutchinson, who together with the Commissioners of the Navy for the time being, sitting in Mincing-Lane London, or any five or more of them, except such of them as are disinabled by the Act as abovesaid, shall be, and are hereby Declared Commissioners; and have full power, and are hereby required and authorized to put this present Act and Ordinance in execu­tion; and have power to send for the Officers and persons abovenamed, or any other person or persons as they shall judge necessary, as Witnesses or otherwise, and to minister and give an Oath to all such the persons, other then the persons offending in such cases respectively, wherein they are or shall be accused before them. And in case any person or persons summoned to appear before them, or any five of [Page 10] them as abovesaid, shall neglect or refuse to appear before them, the sai [...] Commissioners, or any five or more of them, shall have power to send for such the persons in safe custody; and all Sheriffs, Majors, Iustices, and other Officers, are hereby required to be ayding and assisting to them, and such persons as are by them em­ployed as abovesaid. And it is fur­ther Declared, Enacted and Ordain­ed by authority aforesaid, That all persons so to be named by the said Commissioners to the Committee a­bovesaid, shall and may forthwith execute such places to them appointed, until the same be otherwise ordered and directed by the said Commons as­sembled in Parliament, or otherwise by the Committee of the Navy, for some disability or offence in the party so placed as abovesaid, that shall be proved or made known to the said Committee of the Navy. And to the intent that the stock of the Navy [Page 11] may be improved to the utmost bene­fit for the guard of the Seas, It is further Ordered, That the persons abovenamed, or any five of them, shall have power from time to time, to re­quire of any person imployed in any of the Officers aforesaid, an exact and true Inventory of all the provisions belonging to the Navy in their hands, and to send for and examine their Books of Accompt, that they may be inabled by these or any other the like good ways, to inform themselves of the behavior, fidelity and usefulness of the Officers imployed in this service. And for the better Regulating of the Customs and Officers thereof throughout the Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Ber­wick, the said Committee, or any five of them, shall and may have the like full power to call before them, and to take the like accompt and examination of all and every Officer and Officers be­longing to the several Custom-houses [Page 12] aforesaid. And it is further Enacted and Ordained, That the said Com­missioners, or any five of them, shall have power to examine what Places, Officer or Officers are unuseful, un­necessary in the Navy or Customs, or in the office of Victualling and Ord­nance, and make void the said offices and places; and no Officer or person shall thenceforth use or occupy the said office or place, for the easing of the charge of the State: But for such Officers as shall be thought fit to be continued, The said Commissioners, or any Five of them, are to settle and establish such a competent increase of Sallaries, as may be answerable un­to the pains to be taken, for their maintenance, and whereby they may not be necessitated, nor receive any Bribe or Fee of the Merchant, or use any other indirect ways to the preju­dice of the State; and their whole Sallaries to be presented unto the House of Commons, or the Commit­tee [Page 13] of the Navy for their allowance and approbation. And it is further Enacted and Ordained, That from and after the same day of February next, no Officer or Officers shall take or receive from the Merchant, or any other person, any moneys by way of Fee or Gratuity, for any Certificate, Bill or Cocket, or other thing what­soever; And in case they or any of them shall receive any Fee or Gratuity, con­trary to this Act, upon proof as afore­said, they shall forfeit their places, and incur other penalties aforementioned. And be it Enacted and Ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the said Committee herein nominated, and all persons acting for or under them by their direction, shall from time to time receive at the hands of the Trea­surer for the Navy, all such expences and disbursments as shall be by them issued forth in this service; And that the Committee for the Navy appoint­ed Members of this House, shall issue [Page 14] forth their Orders and Warrants for the payment of the same accordingly. And lastly be it Enacted and Ordain­ed, That the said Committee of Mer­chants shall from time to time have power to present to the Lord Admi­ral or Committee for the Navy, such Ships as they shall finde necessary to be employed for Convoy of Mer­chants Ships out and home, for ad­vancement of Trade, and benefit of the Commonwealth.