The Second GRIEVANCE is RR's.
And those RR's, have of late been strenuously observed, if not improved to the Seaman's Prejudice. The Nature or Effect of those RR's as now practised, is, That the Persons who by accident or otherwise, do leave or are left by their proper Ships, are by those RR's noted to be Run, and forfeit all the Wages due to them, not only in the Ships they leave, but in all former Ships as far as the same is unpaid, notwithstanding Tickets long before delivered them for their former service; by what new Laws or Orders this is practis'd I cannot say, but am well assur'd 'tis contrary to the former Practice and Rules of the Navy.
See Reasons to redress this, Sect. 2. in the Address to the Admiralty. To which shall further add,
- 1. That such Wages (had not Money been wanting) would have been paid long before it became forfeited.
- 2. Those Tickets and the Wages due by the same, have been assigned and transferred to others long before such forfeiture; and as such Debts cannot be released by the Party without consent of the Assignee, so I humbly conceive they cannot be forfeited, even in Cases of Felony or Treason; the Right in Equity being in the Assignee and not in the Party.
- 3. That many have deserted the Nation, and either entered into forein Service, or turned Pirates: And it may reasonably be feared, that those and other Hardships as they have endured, have not been the least Inducements to it.