An Universal Dictionary of the Marine / Or, a Copious Explanation of the Technical Terms and Phrases Employed in the Construction, Equipment, Furniture, Machinery, Movements, and Military Operations of a Ship. Illustrated With Variety of Original Designs of Shipping, in Different Situations; Together With Separate Views of Their Masts, Sails, Yards, and Rigging. to Which Is Annexed, a Translation of the French Sea-terms and Phrases, Collected from the Works of Mess. Du Hamel, Aubin, Saverien, &c.

by William Falconer

“The purser of the ship is always to have a set of bedding provided on board for the pilots, and the captain is to order the boatswain to supply them with hammocs, and a convenient place to lie in, near their duty, and apart from the common men; which bedding and hammocs are to be returned when the pilots leave the ship.

“A pilot, when conducting one of his majesty’s ship’s in pilot-water, shall have the sole charge and command of the ship, and may give orders for steering; setting, trimming, or furling the sails; tacking the ship; or whatever concerns the navigation: and the captain is to take care that all the officers and crew obey his orders. But the captain is diligently to observe the conduct of the pilot, and if he judges him to behave so ill as to bring the ship into danger, he may remove him from the command and charge of the ship, and take such methods for her preservation as shall be judged necessary; remarking upon the log-book the exact hour and time when the pilot was removed from his office, and the reasons assigned for it.

“Captains of the king’s ships, employing pilots in foreign parts of his majesty’s dominions, shall, after performance of the service, give a certificate thereof to the pilot, which being produced to the proper naval-officer, he shall cause the same to be immediately paid; but if there be no naval-officer there, the captain of his majesty’s ship shall pay him, and send the proper vouchers, with his bill, to the navy-board, in order to be paid as bills of exchange.

“Captains of his majesty’s ships, employing foreign pilots, to carry the ships they command into, or out of foreign ports, shall pay them the rates due by the establishment or custom of the country, before they discharge them; whose receipts being duly vouched, and sent with a certificate of the service performed, to the navy-board, they shall cause them to be paid with the same exactness as they do bills of exchange.” Regulations and Instructions of the Sea-service, &c.

[42]. Hist. Denmark, by Saxo Grammaticus.

[43]. Saverien Dict. Marine.

[44]. The regulations with regard to prizes in the royal navy are as follow:

“I. When any ship or vessel is taken from the enemy, the hatches are to be immediately spiked up, and her lading and furniture secured from embezzlement, till sentence is passed upon her in some court of admiralty, empowered to take cognizance of causes of that nature.

“II. The captain is to cause the officers of the prize to be examined; three or more of the company, who can give best evidence, to be brought to the said court of admiralty, together with the charter-parties, bills of lading, and other ship’s papers found on board.

“V. When a privateer is taken, great care is to be had to secure all the ship’s papers, especially the commission; but if there be no legal commission found on board, then all the prisoners are to be carried before some magistrate, in order to their being examined and committed as pirates.”