The history of our Navy from its origin to the present day, 1775-1897, vol. 2 (of 4)

The act of April 22, 1800, provided for the distribution of prize money in the sections given below, and it was under this law that the crews of the American ships were paid in the War of 1812.

Sec. 6. And be it enacted, That the prize money, belonging to the officers and men, shall be distributed in the following manner:

I. To the commanding officers of fleets, squadrons, or single ships, three twentieths, of which the commanding officer of the fleet or squadron shall have one twentieth, if the prize be taken by a ship or vessel acting under his command, and the commander of single ships, two twentieths; but where the prize is taken by a ship acting independently of such superior officer, three twentieths shall belong to her commander.

II. To sea lieutenants, captains of marines, and sailing masters, two twentieths; but where there is a captain, without a lieutenant of marines, these officers shall be entitled to two twentieths and one third of a twentieth, which third, in such case, shall be deducted from the share of the officers mentioned in article No. 3 of this section.

III. To chaplains, lieutenants of marines, surgeons, pursers, boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and master’s mates, two-twentieths.

IV. To midshipmen, surgeon’s mates, captain’s clerks, schoolmasters, boatswain’s mates, gunner’s mates, carpenter’s mates, ship’s stewards, sailmakers, masters-at-arms, armourers, cockswains, and coopers, three twentieths and an half.

V. To gunner’s yeomen, boatswain’s yeomen, quarter masters, quarter gunners, sailmaker’s mates, serjeants and corporals of marines, drummers, fifers, and extra petty officers, two twentieths and an half.

VI. To seamen, ordinary seamen, marines, and all other persons doing duty on board, seven twentieths.

VII. Whenever one or more public ships or vessels are in sight, at the time any one or more ships are taking a prize or prizes, they shall share equally in the prize or prizes, according to the number of men and guns on board each ship in sight.

No commander of a fleet or squadron shall be entitled to receive any share of prizes taken by vessels not under his immediate command; nor of such prizes as may have been taken by ships or vessels intended to be placed under his command, before they have acted under his immediate orders; nor shall a commander of a fleet or squadron, leaving the station where he had the command, have any share in the prizes taken by ships left on such station, after he has gone out of the limits of his command.

Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That a bounty shall be paid by the United States, of twenty dollars, for each person on board any ship of an enemy at the commencement of an engagement, which shall be sunk or destroyed by any ship or vessel belonging to the United States, of equal or inferior force, the same to be divided among the officers and crew in the same manner as prize money.

Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That every officer, seaman or marine, disabled in the line of his duty, shall be entitled to receive for life, or during his disability, a pension from the United States according to the nature and degree of his disability, not exceeding one half his monthly pay.

No change in the pay of the officers of the navy having been made after the year 1799, the annual amount to which each officer in actual service was entitled during the War of 1812 was:

The following is a statement of the pay in the British navy during the War of 1812:

In the British navy an admiral of the fleet receives £6 sterling per diem, and is entitled to twelve servants at 32s. per month each; an admiral receives £5 sterling per day, and is entitled to ten servants; a vice-admiral, £4 sterling per day, and seven servants; a rear-admiral or commodore with a captain under him, £3 sterling per day while his flag is flying within the limits of his station; a captain of the fleet receives £3 sterling per day, and is entitled to three servants at 32s. per month each. Making these various allowances, the annual amount of compensation to officers of the British navy, from the admiral of the fleet down to the commander of a sloop or bomb, is:

All which is exclusive of indulgences and allowances not known in our service.