for the ransom of any Ship, Vessel, or Cargo, or any part thereof, after the same shall have been taken as a Prize, and shall in pursuance thereof, actually quit, set at liberty, or discharge any such Prize, instead of bringing the same into some Port, (unless in case of extreme necessity, to be allowed by the Courts of Admiralty,) shall forfeit his Letter of Marque, and shall be punished by Fine and Imprisonment, at the discretion of the Court.

The 37th Section of the said Act provides, that it shall not be lawful for any Subjects to ransom, or contract, or agree to ransom, any British Ship or Vessel, or any Merchandise or Goods on board the same, captured by the Subjects of any State at War with his Majesty, or by any Persons committing Hostilities against his Majesty's Subjects.

All Contracts and Agreements entered into, and all Bills, Notes, and other Securities, given by any Person, for Ransom of any Ship or Vessel, Merchandise or Goods on board the same, are (by § 38 of the Act) declared to be absolutely null

and void.

Any Person who shall ransom, or contract, or agree to ransom, any such Ship or Vessel, Merchandise, or Goods on board the same, shall, for every such Offence, forfeit 500l. recoverable with full Costs of Suit, in any Court of Record.

Respecting Respecting Pilotage.

In addition to what is stated in page 345, as to Pilots under the Jurisdiction of the Trinity-House, for Ships down the Thames, it is to be observed, that by the Statute 3 Geo. I. cap. 13. (now in force till March 25, 1806) no Persons are permitted to pilot any Ships from Dover, Deal, or the Isle of Thanet, to any place in the Rivers Thames or Medway, but such as have been examined and approved by the Trinity-House of Dover, &c. and admitted into that Society; on Penalty, for the first Offence, of 10l. the second 201. and for every subsequent one 40%. recoverable in the Court of Admiralty of the Cinque Ports, or in the superior Courts of Record. Masters or Mates of Vessels, or Part-Owners residing at Deal may pilot their own Vessels. And if a qualified Pilot is not ready within one hour, no Penalty attaches for employing a Pilot not of the TrinityHouse. Masters may choose their Pilots, and if a Pilot is not employed at least twice a year, he is not to continue in the Society.

The Prices of Pilotage are also settled by this Act, viz:

and 10s. additional, for every additional Foot in the
Draft of Water, to seventeen Foot, for which the
Rate is 81. 10s. from Dover, Deal, or the Isle of
Thanet, to any Place in the Thames or Medway:
No Allowance to be made for odd Inches.

A Pilot losing a Ship is for ever after incapacitated from acting. The number of Pilots is not to be less than One Hundred and Twenty, and their Names are every Lady-day to be fixed up in the CustomHouses at London and Dover.

By the same Act all disputes relative to the Salvage of Anchors, Cables, &c. are to be determined (in twelve hours' time) by three Persons appointed by the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

By§ 14 of the Statute 7 Geo. I. cap. 21, The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, with the assent of the Commissioners of Load-manage, and of the Trinity-House, at a Court of Load-manage, is empowered to make Orders and Regulations for the better Government of these Pilots.

The Pilots in the Port of Liverpool have been regulated by Acts of Parliament, the last now in force is that of 37 Geo. III. cap. 78, of which an Abstract is given in Steel's Ship-Master's Assistant.

Of the Liability of Owners of Ships, for Losses or
Embezzlement of Goods.

On this Subject there are two Statutes requiring the attention of Owners and Freighters.

The

The first of these is the Statute 7 Geo. II. cap. 15. the Preamble to which recites it to be "of the greatest importance to this Kingdom to promote the increase of Shipping, and to prevent any discouragement to Merchants, &c. concerned therein: That it had been held, that in many cases Owners of Ships were answerable for Goods shipped on board, although the same were made away with by the Master or Mariners, without the knowledge or privity of the Owners, by which means Persons were discouraged from adventuring their Fortunes as Owners of Ships; which would necessarily tend to the prejudice of Trade and Navigation:" For ascertaining and settling the question, therefore, it is enacted, that in future no Owner shall be liable to make good any Loss or Damage, by reason of any embezzlement, secreting, or making away, by the Master or Mariners, of any Gold, Silver, Jewels, or other Goods, or for any Act, Damage, or Forfeiture, occasioned or incurred by the Master or Mariners, without the privity and knowledge of such Owner, beyond the value of the Ship, and the Freight for the Voyage.

By the Statute 26 Geo. III. cap. 86, to explain and amend the foregoing Act, after reciting the above provision, and that all Masters, Captains, and Owners were by Law respectively liable to answer for the value of Goods shipped, notwithstanding they were lost by Robbery, Fire, or other Accident; other than by the King's Enemies, the Perils of the Sea, or the Act of God, or unless the Master or some of

the

the Ship's Company were privy to such Robbery; in which case alone, the responsibility of the Owners was by the former Act limited to the value of the Ship and Freight: To prevent, therefore, the responsibility to which the Owners, &c. still continued exposed, it is enacted, That no Owner of any Ship or Vessel shall be liable to answer for any Loss or Damage, by reason of any Robbery, Embezzlement, secreting, or making away with of any Gold, Silver, Jewels, or Merchandise, shipped on board any Vessel, or for any Act, Damage, or Forfeiture, оссаsioned or incurred without the Privity of such Owners, bevond the value of the Ship and Freight, although the Master or Mariners are not concerned in or privy to such Robbery: Nor for any Loss or Damage to any Goods or Merchandise whatsoever, by reason or means of any Fire happening on board the Ship: Nor for any Gold, Silver, Watches, or Jewels, unless the nature and value of them is, at the time of their shipping, inserted in the Bill of Lading, or otherwise declared in Writing, by the Shipper to the Owners or Master of the Ship.

These Acts also provide, that if several Proprictors of Goods should happen to suffer by such Robbery, Embezzlement, &c. and the whole value of the Ship and Freight should not be sufficient to compensate all their Losses the Proprietors shall be satisfied in average Proportion to the amount of the Losses; and that to ascertain the amount and proportion of such Losses, either the Freighters or the Owners may file

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