the paymaster shall not henceforth refuse to pay any man turned over from one ship to another for want of a ticket. But when the ship from whence the party is turned over is at sea, it is held requisite he should produce a ticket testifying the time he served in the former ship. And the purser of every ship is to be required in his book to note every man that is turned over out of his ship into another, with a distinct mark declaring the time when he was turned over.

Touching the paymaster's refusing to pay some tickets unless it be to the parties themselves to whom the money is due, and yet paying others in the same case, whereby he takes upon him a power to pay or refuse whom he will

It was ordered that henceforth there be no such latitude of power left to the paymaster, but that he pay such tickets as (being approved of and signed by the officers of the navy) shall be brought to him, though not by the parties themselves; and that the said paymaster shall not henceforth take upon him to pay or refuse what tickets he pleaseth of parties that are absent, but that he therein govern himself wholly by such orders as he shall receive from the officers of the navy.

Concerning 25. a pound taken by the paymaster, it is ordered that the paymaster shall not presume any more to abate, or take to himself two shillings of the pound, or any other sum, of any seaman's or mariner's wages for collecting any money for their creditors, or upon any pretence whatsoever.

Concerning the arrears of the Chest money, his Majesty doth expressly command that the sixpence due out of every man's monthly pay be collected after the usual manner and presently paid to the governor of the Chest, and not detained at all either by the treasurer or paymaster of the navy upon pretence of his Majesty's service, or upon any other colour or cause whatsoever.

As concerning the complaints charged upon the officers of the navy in general his Majesty was pleased to order as followeth: And first touching the old ships

It now appeared that by his Majesty's command the Black George is cast and discharged out of the list of

the King's navy. The rest of the old ships are by the care of the lords commissioners for the admiralty ordered to be thoroughly searched and surveyed. And divers of his Majesty's ships which wanted gi[rdling]' or which had exorbitant galleries, are girdled and have their galleries retrenched; and the rest as soon as they come from sea are ordered to be likewise amended in those particulars.

As concerning the leakiness of his Majesty's ships and badness of their masts

The negligence of the officers of the navy therein was conceived to be very great, however they excuse themselves upon the caulkers for the one, and on the shipwrights and master attendants whom they employed to survey and search the masts, for the other.

Touching the ill cordage wherewith his Majesty's ships were furnished last year

It is answered by the officers of the navy that the principal ground tackle of his Majesty's ships is (for the most part) of home-made cordage, than which there is no better in the world. But there was some foreign cordage bought about seven years since, when there was a want in the navy, and when no better could be had, which is not so good as home-made, but they say there is of it but a small quantity remaining in his Majesty's stores. Whereupon his Majesty commanded that the officers of the navy shall forthwith survey and certify to the lords of the admiralty, what quantity of old foreign cordage there is left remaining in his Majesty's stores, that such order may thereupon be taken with the same as shall be fit.3

3 On April 29, 1637, the Officers of the Navy certified to the Lords of the Admiralty that there was only 22 tons 5 cwt. of Russia cordage remaining in Deptford storehouse, 'whereof there are 4 cables of 11 inches, and the rest is in halsers and small cordage' (Cal. S. P. Dom. 1637, p. 35).

As for the employment of mean men to be prestmasters which is complained to be an abuse

The officers of the navy answered that they would gladly hearken to any course that might prevent the abuses of prestmasters and furnish the King's ships with able mariners. And hereupon it was ordered that henceforth warrants shall be sent to the mayors, vice-admirals, and justices of peace to press seamen and mariners upon the place where they dwell, and that the officers of the navy shall only send to them so much prest and conduct money as shall be fit for that purpose. And to prevent the running away of seamen after they are pressed, his Majesty commands that the Lord Keeper, Sir Henry Martin, and Mr. Attorney General shall consider of a course for trial of such pressed men as run away from the King's service.

Concerning the laying of six months' victuals into his Majesty's ships, which hath been conceived to be very incommodious

His Majesty and their lordships were not well satisfied that there ought to be any alteration in that particular.

It was confessed by the officers of the navy that [it] is very necessary that a treasurer should be sent in the fleet.

And his Majesty and their lordships did order that such an officer shall be continually sent with every fleet, as the last year, but order is to be taken by the treasurer of the navy that he be henceforth supplied with a competent sum of money to defray such necessary disbursements as the service shall require.

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