His Majesty's REGULATION In the business of PLATE-CARRIAGE, etc. WITH HIS ESTABLISHMENT Of an Allowance for their TABLES, and other Encouragements to his SEA-COMMANDERS.  
James R.  
WHEREAS from the Inquiries by Us solemnly made (since Our accession to the Throne of this Our Kingdom of England) into the State of Our Royal Navy, and the general Disorders into which both it and its Discipline have of late years fallen, We are (among the many other Evils discovered therein, and which We have already in great measure provided Remedies to) arrived at a full Information in that particular one, whereto Our Service is in a most especial manner exposed, from the liberty taken by Commanders of Our Ships (upon all opportunities of private profit) of converting the Service of Our said Ships to their own use; to the total neglect of the Public Ends for which they, at Our great Charge, are set forth and maintained, namely, the annoying of Our Enemies, the protecting the Estates of Our Trading-Subjects, and the support of Our honour with Foreign Princes; And forasmuch also as this Evil seems principally to arise from the universal abuse of the liberty for some time indulged to Our said Commanders, of Transporting of Plate, Bullion and Jewels; to the occasioning thereby the said General mis-employment of Our Ships, and Our want of those full and frequent Accounts of the Procedings of Our Commanders abroad, which by their known Instructions they stand obliged to give Us; Our will and pleasure is, and it is hereby solemnly declared.  
I. That no Admiral, Commander in chief, Captain of any of Our Ships, or other Officers serving Us therein, shall presume from henceforward upon any pretence, or by virtue of any former Allowance, Instruction, or Practise whatsoever, to receive, direct, or permit to be received, on board any of Our said Ships, any Money, Plate, Bullion, Jewels, or other Merchandise or Goods, (fine or gross) whatsoever, whether belonging to Strangers or Our own Subjects, either under pretext of concealing or protecting the same, or the Transporting thereof from Port to Port, or from any Foreign Port for England, whether upon Application to them made by any Our Merchant-Subjects in Foreign Parts, or from any other inducement whatsoever, saving by Written Warrant under Our own Royal hand, and that only; upon pain of being (on conviction) immediately discharged from their present, and rendered incapable of any future Employment in Our Service, as also of refunding to the use of Our maimed Seamen of the Chest at Chatham, the full value of the Profits they shall be found to have made by any violation of this Our Order, and of suffering such further punishment, as by the Laws of the Sea, they shall become liable to for the same.  
II. That none of Our aforesaid General Officers or private Commanders shall (upon like forfeiture and penalties) presume to carry, or direct the carrying any Passenger or Passengers (whether Strangers or others) of what Degree or Quality soever, from one Place to another, in any of Our Ships of War under their Command, unless by like particular Order given in Writing from Ourselves for their so doing; such only excepted, as by the Eleventh Article of our present General Instructions they are obliged to receive and give passage to; namely, Our Subjects redeemed from Slavery, Shipwreckt, or taken at Sea out of Foreign Ships.  
III. That all Admirals and Commanders in chief of Our Ships do for the time to come take care, that as often as they shall have occasion of giving Orders for the proceeding of any of Our Ships under their Command on any Service, the same be done in Writing under their hands, with Copies thereof to be sent by the first opportunity of Conveyance (by Land and Sea) to the Secretary of Our Admiralty for Our information. And that the same be in like manner done by the Commanders of every of Our private Ships, in Transmitting to our said Secretary for our like Information, Copies of every Order they shall receive from their Admiral, Commander in chief, or other Superior Officer.  
iv That every of Our  Officers and Commanders respectively, do observe, that as often as Our Service requires their going into any Foreign Port, they do by the first Post after their arrival, (and so from Post to Post during their stay there) give Us (through the hand of our said Secretary) a particular Account of their Proceed, from the date of their last, with Abstracts of their Journals during that time; and that care be taken for their leaving the like with Our Consul or other public Minister in that Place, to be by him forwarded to Our said Secretary, by the first Conveyance after their departure thence; so as we may at all times have a constant and thorough knowledge of the Condition, Services, and Procedings of all and every of Our Ships Employed on Foreign Service, with the occasions of the same.  
Lastly, That at the end of each Voyage, an entire Book, containing a perfect Journal thereof, together with a Book of Entries to be kept of all Orders, either issued or received (as before) by them therein, be delivered for Our use to Our said Secretary of the Admiralty (and sworn to if required) by every of Our said Admirals, Commanders in Chief, and private Commanders, immediately upon their coming into Port to be laid up, and before the paying off of the Ships whereto they respectively belong. Both which Books Our said Secretary is to cause to be well Examined by himself, or such other Person as shall be expressly appointed thereto, in order to a Report to be therefrom made to Us, of the different Degrees of Care or neglect wherewith these and all other Our Orders shall appear to have been observed, and Our receiving full satisfaction from them therein, before the payment of their Wages, or the further allowance hereafter appointed in consideration of their good Service during their said Voyage.  
Of all which as well every Our said Admirals, Commanders in Chief, private Commanders of Our Ships, and other the Officers within mentioned, as Our present Secretary of Our Admiralty, and the Secretary of Our Admiralty for the time being, are hereby required to yield full and constant obedience and conformity, as they will answer the contrary at their perils.  
And to the end, that with the Provision thus made, towards the recovery and advancement of the Honour, Discipline, and Prosperity of Our Naval-Service, We may at the same time Testify Our like Royal Inclination to the giving all reasonable Encouragement to those, who shall from hence. forward be employed as Commanders in any of Our Ships; thereby as well to excite and oblige them to a strict compliance with these and all other Our Royal Resolutions and Orders, as the better to enable them to support the Charge and Dignity of their said Employments and Entertainment therein, without resorting to Methods of doing it so injurious to our Honour and Service, and wasteful of Our Treasure, as those before mentioned have been; We are in the first place graciously pleased (in favour to Our said Commanders) to take upon Ourselves an increase of Charge, beyond what has ever hitherto been at any one time done by any of Our Royal Predecessors, namely, by granting (as We hereby do) to the Commanders of every of Our Ships and Vessels (Yachts only excepted) an annual Allowance (over and above the value of the Victualling they now enjoy in common with their Ship's Companies) for the support of their Tables, proportioned to the respective Rates of the Ships and Vessels they shall happen severally to Command; the said allowance to commence upon those of Our Ships which are now sitting forth, and shall at any time hereafter be fitted forth to the Seas, from the date and delivery of their Commanders and Signing Officers joint Certificate to the Secretary of Our Admiralty, and Commissioners of Our Navy, of their Ships being completely fitted for the Sea, and in readiness to Execute Our final Orders for their Sailing; and upon such of Our Ships as are at this present abroad, from the day of their Commanders receiving from Our said Secretary (which he is with all convenient speed to dispatch to them) Copies of this Our Order; and to be continued both on the one and the other to the Determination of their respective Voyages.  
The value of which allowance hereby so granted is as follows, 
A Table of the Am●●●… Allowance of a 〈◊〉 C … der of each Rate.  Rate Present wages. Present victualling. Additional grant for his table.  ll. s. d.  ll. s. d.  ll. s. d. 1 273 15 0 12 3 4 250 0 0 2 219 00 0 12 3 4 200 0 0 3 182 00 0 12 3 4 166 5 0 4 136 10 0 12 3 4 124 5 0 5 109 10 0 12 3 4 100 0 0 6 91 00 0 12 3 4 83 0 0  
Wherein Our Royal Intention is, that this allowance for Tables granted to Our said Commanders, as Captains of Private Ships, shall not be construed to the taking away or diminishing aught of what has been heretofore Established to Flag Officers, upon account of their Flags.  
And that We may yet the more effectually excite to a vigorous prosecution of Our Service, such of Our said Commanders, as shall be by Us employed in Our Wars with any of the people of Barbary, (such as that wherein We now are, and have, to the great Expense of Our Treasure and hazard to Our Subject's Trading into those Seas, for several years been engaged with those of Sally) We are graciously pleased farther to grant to such Our Commanders the full benefit of all Prizes, (both Hulls, Furniture, Lading and Slaves) that shall be by them taken, whether of Ships of War, or Merchant Men, saving only the Vessels of Our Subjects happening to have fallen into the hands of such Our Enemies; In which case the Savage only of the Vessels of Our Subjects rescued, shall go to the Retakers. The whole of which forementioned Prizes and Savage shall be divided between the Commander or Commanders, of such Our Ship or Ships (with their Officers and Companies) as were concerned in the Chase and Capture of the said Prizes, according to the Law and practice of the Sea. Provided always, that no part of the Charge of securing or maintaining any of the Vessels, Lading, or Companies of the said Prizes, shall be placed to Our Account, from the day wherein the same shall be first brought into any Christian Port, and that the said Prizes be carried into Port, with as little Charge as may be to Us, and without any interruption to the Service wherein Our said Ships were employed at the time of the Capture.  
Lastly, We are hereby graciously pleased further to declare to all Our said Admirals, Commanders in chief, and private Commanders, that as Our Royal Expectation will from henceforward be, to have a strict Account given Us of their careful applying themselves to the Execution and observance of these and all other Our Orders, with intention of expressing Our severest Displeasure against such of them (whoever they be) as shall be found in any wise negligent or unfaithful in the same; so are We no less graciously determined at the End of their respective Voyages, to Testify by some especial Instance of Our Bounty (beyond what is hereby already so Extraordinarily provided for them) Our particular Regard to whoever of Our said Commanders shall appear to have merited the same from Us, by any signal Instances of their Industry, Courage, Conduct or Frugality evidenced therein on Our behalf.  
Given at Our Court at Windsor this 15th. day of July 1686. By His Majesty's Command. S. PEPYS.  
A True Copy.