HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.
259
To settle the Execution of our Propositions for the Navy,three Things may bee considered :-
The Antient Institution.
The late Inovation.
The Mealies of Redress.
The Antient Institution was briefly this :—
1. ThETord high admirall of England, receiving his dirrections from theking, governed the officers and services by his authority and warrants.
2. The pnncipall officers had their speciall duties, the trea~rer for the moneys,the surveyors,‘one for shipps, another for the victualls, the clerke of the navyfor the workes and provisions, and the comptroller for all their accounts; andevery one, for his daylie attendance to oversee and dispatch theise distinct busi-ness’s, had their fees, travailing charges,' boate-hire, and clerkes, allowed bypatent'.
3. The inferior officers had also their severall charges and trusts. One clerkeof the stores received, issued, and accompted for all provicons in all places, andhad no deputy allowed.
Two clerkes of the checque, one at Deptford, and another at Chatham, keptjournalls, or bookes of report, of the same receipts and issues, as well to chargeand discharge the stores, and checque bookes of every man’s place and attend-ance, to make bills and bookes of every man’s due.
Four principall masters governed the shippkeepers, and guided the shipps,three master carpenters comanded the workemen, and directed the workes.
Thus the officers were few, and yet all was kept in order by their daylieattendance and continuall accompts.
From this antient institution, the officers declyned long since by degrees,but of late by more confident and ordinary practice, and at last by a new bookeof ordinances, signed by themselves, and offered to the state.
The Inovations are these :—
1. The principal officers now assume power to make and execute ordinancesof their owne, to suppresse inferiours in their ordinary right, to enterprise thingsof weight and charge without warrant, to give arbitrary allowances, and raiseunlawfull fees.
2. They