Queens Regulations & Admiralty Instructions 1861
Queens Regulations & Admiralty Instructions 1861


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The Queens Regulations and the Admiralty Instructions - 1861


CHAPTER XXXI.

PASSAGES IN CONTRACT AND MERCHANT VESSELS.

1.

When no early opportunity is likely to present itself of forwarding Officers to Foreign Stations to join their Ships, or of sending them to England when invalided abroad, they may be ordered Passages in Contract Steam Packets or Merchant Vessels, under the following Regulations:-

2.

Officers entitled to Passages at the Public Expense:-

i.When proceeding to join a Ship on a Foreign Station by appointment from the Admiralty.
ii.When on a Foreign Station, and appointed by the Commander-in-chief, or senior Officer, to a Ship on a distant part of the Station, no opportunity of a Ship of War or Transport presenting itself.
iii.When discharged abroad, in consequence of a reduction of complement, or of a Ship being put out of Commission.
iv.When invalided for the actual preservation of life, or for severe wounds received in action, or for injuries received in the actual performance of duty.
v.Civil Salaried Officers, with their Wives and Families, on first appointment abroad, and on final relief from such appointment.

3.

Officers entitled to Passages, of which two-thirds of the expense will be borne by the Public:-

i.Officers invalided on Foreign Stations, and recommended to return to this Country for the recovery of their health.
ii.Officers coming home on promotion.

4.

Officers not entitled to Passages at the Public Expense:-

i.If returning home on Resignation of Appointment; or in consequence of removal from a Ship for misconduct; or of dismissal from a Ship, or the Service, by Court-martial.
ii.If exchanging with an Officer in another Ship on a distant part of the same Station.
iii.If coming home, on private affairs, or on leave of absence.
iv.Civil Salaried Officers superseded, or removed on account of misconduct, or coming to or returning from England, on leave of absence.

5.

In all cases of an Officer being provided with a passage in a Contract Steam Vessel or Merchant Ship, the order is to emanate either from the Admiralty, or from the Commander-in-chief on a Foreign Station, or, in his absence, the senior Officer; and the latter are to order passages for Officers entitled thereto in the first Contract Mail Packet proceeding to England, providing no opportunity shall offer, or be likely to offer, by a Ship-of-War or Transport.

In all orders, the rate of contribution the Officer is liable to pay for mess is to be stated, in accordance with the regulations hereinafter provided.

6.

Payment for the Passage of an Officer in a Contract Steam Packet is not in any case to be made by the Officer taking the Passage, but he is to pay to the Owners, or their authorized Agent, before leaving the Packet, the amount to which he is liable for mess during the Passage, according to the rates provided hereinafter; the claim for the balance of the Passage Money will be made by the Owners on the Accountant-General of the Navy.

7.

The following are the rates of contribution on account of messing to which Officers will be liable:-

 s. d.
Flag Officers5 0 per day.
Captains, Commanders, and all Officers entitled to join the Lieutenants' Mess3 6 "
Sub-Lieutenants, Midshipmen, &c.1 6 "
Assistant Engineers provided with 1st-Class Passages1 6 "
Assistant Engineers provided with 2nd-Class Passages1 0 "
Warrant Officers1 0 "
Servants of Officers0 9 "
Civil Officers (1st-Class Passengers)3 0 "
Wives2 0 "
Each Child1 0 "
Male Servants1 0 "
Female Servants0 9 "
Civil Officers (2nd-Class Passengers)1 0 "
Wives0 9 "
Each Child0 6 "

In the cases of Officers returning home on promotion and not in receipt of the full pay of their rank, Messing Contribution will be levied only according to the rank from which they may be promoted.

The contribution for messing to commence from the day on which the first dinner meal is taken on board, and to end with that on which the last dinner meal is taken, and all Officers are to pay the same for the entire period of the passage.

8.

Form of Certificate of Conveyance, &c., to be furnished by each Officer on passage:-

I hereby certify that on the ______ day of ______ I embarked at ______ , on board the ______ for a passage to ______, and landed at ______ on the ______ day of ______ , and I further certify that I was provided with a proper mess, and that the first dinner meal was taken on the ______ , and the last dinner meal on the ______.
Dated this ______ day of ______ 18__.
Signature Rank of Officer

The dates inserted in this Certificate are correct, and the Officer has paid £ ______ on account of his Mess.
Master of the ______.

9.

All Officers above the rank of Lieutenant in the Navy, also a Lieutenant when appointed to a Vessel in command, and Officers below the rank of Lieutenant, if invalided on account of wounds received in action, or of injuries received in the actual performance of their duty, which render the attendance of a servant necessary, will be allowed to embark a servant for whose mess the Officer will pay a contribution in aid at the rate provided in the scale, Article 7.

10.

An Invalided Officer, to be entitled to two-thirds of the expense of his passage, must, on his arrival in England, produce the order from the Commander-in-chief, or senior Officer, authorizing the passage, together with a Medical Certificate in the form hereinafter provided, showing that the change of climate was necessary; and any Officer failing to produce such documents will be called on to pay the whole amount of the Passage Money.

11.

In the event of an Officer being invalided, and sent home from a Foreign Station, on which there may be no Contract Packets, should the Commander-in-chief or senior Officer deem it proper to authorize his coming to England in a Merchant Ship, the Passage Money shall be a matter of private contract; and each passage will be determined according to its own merits, with the view to repayment in part or in whole to the Officer; but the Passage Money to be allowed to the Officer will not exceed the following scale of allowance, viz.:-

To all Commission Officers and Officers accustomed to mess with the Lieutenants-

From the China Seas. Australia, &c.£100
" the East Indies or South America, west of Cape Horn 70
" the Cape of Good Hope Station, or South America, east of Cape Horn 50
" the West Indies or Coast of Guinea 40
" the Mediterranean or North American Station 30
" any other Foreign Port not included in the before-mentioned stations 20

To Sub-Lieutenants, Second Masters, Assistant-Paymasters, Engineers, Assistant-Engineers, and Subordinate and Warrant Officers half the sum allowed in the foregoing scale.

12.

The Certificates to the following effect must, according to the circumstances in each case under which a passage may be ordered, be produced.

Certificate for officers invalided, and ordered home, for the preservation of their lives:-

These are to certify that [Name and Rank] ______ of H.M. ______ at ______ who was invalided on ______ day of ______ at ______ is suffering from ______ and that his immediate removal from this Station is indispensably necessary for the preservation of his life.
Given under my hand on board of H.M. ______ at ______ this ______ day of ______.
Surgeon.

I have therefore ordered [Name and Rank] ______ to return to England in ______ there being no likelihood of an opportunity offering by a Ship of War or Transport.
Commander-in-Chief or Senior Officer.
To The Secretary of the Admiralty.

Certificate for Officers invalided and ordered home for the recovery of their health:-

These are to certify that [Name and Rank] ______ of H.M. ______ at ______ who was invalided on the ______ day of ______ at ______ is suffering from ______ and that a change of climate is necessary for the recovery of his health.
Given under my hand on board H.M. ______ at ______ this ______ day of ______.
Surgeon.

I have therefore ordered [Name and Rank] ______ of H.M. ______ at ______ to return to England by the ______ no opportunity offering by a Ship of War or Transport, nor it being likely one will sail for England before ______.
Commander-in-Chief or Senior Officer.
To The Secretary of the Admiralty.

13.

The Commander-in-chief or senior Officer on a Foreign Station may also authorize an Officer appointed to a Ship on a distant part of the Station, to join his Ship by a Merchant Vessel when no other opportunity may be likely to offer, and when delay may be detrimental to Her Majesty's Service; the Passage Money in such cases being a matter of private contract, but the order must state distinctly the circumstances which have led to the passage being authorized.

14.

The usual contribution on account of messing will be charged against all Officers on passage in Merchant Vessels, and a Certificate of Conveyance similar to that provided for passages in Contract Vessels (see Article 8), is to be filled up by the Officer on leaving.

15.

In all cases of Officers being ordered passages from a Foreign Station, the Commander-in-chief or senior Officer is to communicate the same by letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty, and the duplicate of this letter is to be given to the Officer ordered a passage; the latter must state distinctly the circumstances which led to the passage being ordered, and the probable time when a Ship-of-War or Transport might be expected to sail for the Officer's destination.

16.

An explanation by letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty will also be required when Officers are ordered passages on Foreign Stations to join Ships on distant parts of the Station, and also in the cases of Civilians who may be sent on Service, or for recovery of health, to a distant part of a Foreign Station; but great discretion must be used by Commanders-in-chief or senior Officers in ordering these passages.

17.

The residue of the Full-Pay of all Officers ordered passages home will be withheld until the adjustment of their cases; Officers should, therefore, immediately on their arrival in England, transmit to the Secretary of the Admiralty the letter they may be furnished with from the Commander-in-chief or senior Officer, together with their Invaliding Papers (if Invalid Officers) and a duplicate of the Certificate filled up by them on board the Contract Packet, or Merchant Vessel, of the number of days messed.

18.

In cases where Officers are obliged to draw Bills of Exchange upon the Accountant-General of the Navy for the Passage Money, they are to transmit a certified copy of the order for the passage, with their letters of advice, in default of which an imprest will be placed against their pay for the amount drawn.

19.

The Owners of Transports, Store Ships, and Freight Ships, in which Officers are ordered passage, will be paid at the rate of ten shillings a-day for the messing of each Officer, - the usual contribution, according to the scale given in Article 7, being recovered in the case of Naval Officers by the Accountant-General; but all Officers, whether Naval or Military, proceeding on leave of absence for their private affairs, and who may be ordered passages in such ships, shall pay the whole expense of their messing during the voyage, making their own arrangements with the Masters of the Vessels for that purpose.

20.

On no occasion is personal interest or private advantage to be consulted in granting passages at the public expense. Each case will necessarily come under the immediate investigation of the Admiralty, and when the expenses incurred shall appear to have been improperly authorized, they will be charged against the pay of the Commander-in-chief, or senior Officer, by whom such passages may have been ordered.

21.

Passages of Invalided Seamen ordered Home.

When no immediate opportunity may offer for sending home Invalids in any of Her Majesty's Ships or Vessels, and the accommodation usually provided for Seamen sent home under the provisions of the Act of Parliament 11 Geo. IV, cap. 20, secs. 11 and 82, is not considered sufficient, passages may be provided in Contract Mail Steam Packets, according to the terms of the respective Contracts, or in Merchant Vessels, with such accommodation as the case of each Individual may require, by the senior Naval Officer on the spot (or by Her Majesty's Consul in the absence of a Naval Officer), either by public advertisement, or private agreement with the Owners or Masters for specific sums, and not under the provisions of the Act of Parliament; but in no case is the rate of two shillings per diem to be exceeded in agreements for the passage and subsistence of Invalided Seamen and Marines sent home in Merchant Ships, except in special instances when the reasons for a higher charge are to be fully explained in the report to the Admiralty.



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