British Admiralty Manuscript Order Signed by Thomas Troubridge & Others - 1804

British Admiralty Manuscript Order Signed, 1804

Payment of Wages to Indian and Chinese Seamen Abroad

An interesting naval manuscript directive concerning the administration of wages for “native seamen of India & China” employed aboard Royal Navy vessels. Due to a parliamentary restriction (32 Geo. III c. 38), such men were generally required to return to England to receive their pay. This document, however, authorizes payment in-country to avoid hardship and bureaucratic loss.  The order, addressed to Vice Admiral Peter Rainier, Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station and dated February 16, 1804, outlines detailed instructions for:      

• Disbursing owed wages to native seamen being discharged abroad      

• Recording names and service data in muster books      

• Sending full duplicate lists to the Admiralty to prevent fraud  

Ink manuscript in a secretarial hand, signed at the conclusion by multiple Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty – Thomas Troubridge, William Marsden, Harry Burrard Neale and one other, unknown.  London, February 16, 1804; 3pp folio (approx. 12.5 x 8 inches), bifolium. General toning with some edgewear, loss to edge of leaf slightly affecting text, original folds. Bold ink, clear text.