soldier, mariner, or gunner, 5s., together with 5s. for victuals, and the lunar monthly wage of a boy, 2s. 6d., together with 5s. for victuals. It also shows that the men were allowed conduct money to the port of embarkation at the rate of 6d. per twelve miles; that the profits of prizes were to be divided, one-half, together with one vessel of 200 tons or more, and all ordnance and "apparel" (? movable fittings) going to the king, and the rest to the captors in stipulated proportions; and it appears to show that, as head money, a sum of 4s. for each captain and soldier, and of 20d. for each mariner and gunner, was payable to the admiral, although this is not quite clear. The "dead shares" were non-existent men, something like the widows' men of a later date. Pay on their behalf was allowed, and the pay so granted was divided among the really existent ship's company. This extra pay took the place of the "rewards" of an earlier period. But it does not appear certain that, after the reign of Henry VIII., the seamen participated in the dead shares.
AN ELIZABETHAN
SEAMAN.
(From sketch in Harleian MSS. 167. folio 39b.)
In the earlier years of Elizabeth, the seaman's lunar monthly pay was 6s. 8d. In 1586, on the representation of Hawkyns,[1] this was raised to 10s., and other pay was raised in proportion, so that a captain's pay, which had been 1s. 8d., became 2s. 6d. a day, besides certain allowances which varied according to ship and circumstances. The practice of allowing dead shares continued; but little, if any, of the proceeds can have gone to the men, seeing that masters and master-gunners each received a whole dead share, boatswains probably the same; quartermasters half a dead share; some of the gunners one-third of a dead share, and so on. But the subject is still in much obscurity.
- ↑ Dom. Eliz. clxxxv. 33, ii.
was discharged from it on February 25th, 1696 (O. S.), having served in the ship for 0 years, 12 months, 0 weeks, and 3 days. For many purposes, the naval month remained twenty-eight days until after the beginning of the nineteenth century. At present, in the Navy, 1 month equals 30 days; 2 months equal 61 days; 3 months equal 91 days; 4 months equal 121 days; 5 months equal 152 days; 6 months equal 182 days; 7 months equal 212 days; 8 months equal 243 days; 9 months equal 273 days; 10 months equal 303 days; 11 months equal 334 days; and 12 months (1 year) equal 365 days, unless otherwise provided.
