Tho. Cantuar. J. Sommers C. S. Pembroke C. P. S. Shrewsbury.

WHereas by an Act made the last Session of Parliament, Intituled, An Act for the Encrease and Encouragement of Seamen, It was, amongst other things, Enacted, That all and every able Mariner, Seaman, Waterman, Fisherman, Lighterman, Bargeman, Keélman, or Seafaring­man, being a Natural Subject of this Realm, or of any of His Majesties Dominions, or be­ing Naturalized or made a Deuizen, and above the Age of Eighteén, and under the Age of Fifty Years, and being capable of Sea Service, who should be willing to Enter himself for the Ser­vice of His Majesty and His Successors in His or Their Fleét or Navy, should by himself or any other Person by him thereunto in Writing Authorized, give in his Christian Name and Sirname, and proper Addition, together with his Age and Place of abode, unto such Officer at the Navy Office in London, or other Place, and in such manner as should be appointed by His Majesty and His Successors; by which Registring himself, such Person will become Intituled to several great Privileges and Advantages in the said Act mentioned; And by the said Act it is provided, for the better Support of the Hospital in the said Act mentioned for the Relief of Seamen, their Widows and Children, there should be paid out of the Wages of every Seaman, Serving in any of His Majesties Ships, or in any of His Subjects Ships, Sixpence a Month, to be Collected, Levied and Recovered by such Officers, and according to such Rules as should in that behalf be appointed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; And it is provided likewise, That every Seaman, at the time of his being Registred, shall bring a Certificate of his Place of abode, under the Hands of Two Iustices of the Peace of the County or Place where he lives, and to bring a like Certificate, as often as he changes the Place of his abode, to the Register, on the Penalty of loosing the Benefit of his being Regi­stred: Now for putting the said Act in Execution, We have thought fit, by the Advice of His Majesties Privy Council, to Issue this Proclamation, to give Notice that the Head Office for Registring Seamen according to the said Act, is kept on Tower-Hill in London, where all Persons qualified by the said Act, may Register themselves according to the Directions there­of; and that the Collectors of His Majesties Customs in the respective Ports of this Realm (except the Port of London) are Appointed to be the Registers for the Purposes aforesaid, in their respective Ports, and for all Places Adjacent to the same. And to the end the Persons who are to Pay the Sixpence a Month out of the Seamens Wages may know to whom to Pay the same, We have thought fit to give Notice, that the Collectors of His Majesties Customs in all Ports (except for the Port of London) are Appointed to be Receivers of the said Duty, for the Wages of all Seamen, in any Ship arrived in the said Port, or any Creek or Haven thereunto belonging. And that William Bathurst Esq; who is Resident near the Custom-House in London, is Appointed Collector of the said Duty for the Wages of all Seamen, in any Ship arriving at the said Port of London, or any Creek or Haven belonging to the same. And for the better Recovering the said Duty, The Masters of every Ship or Vessel, are to stop the Sixpence a Month out of every Seamans Wages they Pay, and to Account for and Pay the same, as is herein before Directed. And lastly, to the end that no Seaman may be ignorant of what is expected from him, on or after his Registring himself, We have thought fit hereby to give Notice, That in his Certificate from the Iustice of the Peace, the Name, Age, Description of the Person as well of Place of Abode of every Seaman be exprest, and at or near what Sign or Remarkable Place he lives, and if a Lodger his Landlords Name: And that a like Certificate be brought as often as he shall remove. And that on such Seamans going to or returning from Sea, that he gives Notice to the Register of the Port or Place where he is Registred; for which said several Certificates from the Register, or the Iustices of the Peace, no Fee or Reward whatsoever is to be given by the said Person or Persons so Registring or Removing him or themselves as aforesaid.

Given at the Council Chamber in Whitehall, the Tenth Day of August, 1696. In the Eighth Year of His Majesties Reign.

God save the King.