some they are paid half-yearly, at others
quarterly, monthly, or weekly.

"Fifth.—That there is not any control over
the trustees at the out-ports, who distribute
the money in such portions as they think fit,
and some of whom dispose of the balances
according to their own pleasure.

"Sixth.—That, with the exception of a
comparatively trifling sum, the accumulated
balances arise from the savings of duty
money contributed by the seamen themselves,
although an opinion prevailed that those
sums arose principally from legacies and
donations."

(The words in italics show clearly enough
that the "pensions" are no matter of charity,
but of right.)

Of course, such "evils" as these could not
exist without the most lamentable
consequences; and the reader will not be surprised
to learn, that "inequality of pensions" was
the crying evil of the whole. The "disparity
of the pensions," we learn, from a trustworthy
source, had long been very great. But,
perhaps, a few figures, drawn from Parliamentary
documents, will best illustrate this side of
affairs:—

                                               Average Rate of Pension
                                                            in 1843
                                                        Â£          s         d
NAME OF PORT.
Belfast                                             7         10         0
Liverpool                                         7           0         0
Dundee                                           6           0         0
Bristol                                              6           0         0
London                                            4           8         0
Hull                                                  2          12        0
Montrose                                         2          10        0
Leith                                                2            2         0
Newcastle                                        1          16         0

This disparity is, clearly, remarkable
enough; and arises, in great measure, from a
radical defect in the system; viz., the rule
making the pension payable out of the
seaman's last place of service. For, of course, a
seaman may have served the best years of his
life in a rich port, yet have to draw his
pension in one where trade is declining. The
poor fellow who settles down in a quiet place
on the coast suffers accordingly. All this
arises from the multiplication of local boards
—an evil not so formidable when the original
Act was passed, and when the intention was
to found an hospital where every seaman had
a right to claim, admission.

We alluded to the provision by the wretched
Act, above, for giving pensions to widows
and orphans, in a way not contemplated by
the founders of the institution. The result of
that measure (we quote from a Report of
1848) showed, that in the London Corporation
Fund, more than "one-half," and in the
funds of the out-ports, nearly "three-fourths,"
went to that class. INSOLVENCY was the
natural result of a fund managed as we have
seen; a result happily aided by a regulation
which "abolished the contributions of
apprentices."

We have now to view this fund—fund, a
century old; made by a great nation for the
most national of purposes; reduced to the
state of the West Diddlesex and the Gibbleton
Junction. It is not a pleasant thing to have
to exhibit a balance-sheet, showing the
dishonour of a nation, nor to contemplate such
a picture as our friend Britannia, trident in
hand, before Mr. Charles Philips, the
Commissioner. But here are some figures, showing
the state of the funds, in respect to
existing pensions, 31st of December, 1849.

               LIABILITIES AND ASSETS.

Pensions granted in 1849   £60,069  14  9         £          s.         d.
Present value of ditto                                    551,294     9          5
Capital value of yearly interest on
investments at Twenty-five years'
purchase                                                      179,792      6          0
                                                                     —————————–
Balance against the Fund                            371,502      3          5

To which (as we learn) there is a doubtful
set-off, erroneously calculated to be twenty-
nine thousand four hundred and one pounds
and five-pence "in hand!"

In detail, the funds, up to the above date,
were in an equally melancholy plight. Liverpool
had a hostile balance of twenty-nine
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight
pounds, eight shillings, and four-pence, and
"no cash in hand," the ports of Clyde were
almost as badly off; Newcastle and Hull
"tarred with the same brush."

It would be quite impossible to detail here
all the hubbub which the last few years have
produced on this subject—how meetings were
held, and letters written about it. A couple
of volumes of "Household Words" might
be filled if we descended to minutiæ. But
the reader has seen what Mr. Carlyle would
call the "heart of the matter," and possibly
agrees with our sentiments with regard
to it.

An Act, the fourteenth and fifteenth of
Victoria, chapter one hundred and two, bearing
date 8th August, 1851, was passed for
"winding-up" the concern; and the first naval
nation in the world is now the only one which
possesses no organisation for providing for its
worn-out seamen. In France a per-centage
is charged on all mariners; in America a direct
payment of twenty cents per month is
exacted from each merchant seaman's wages.
In each of these countries the Merchant
Seaman's Fund is believed to be rich.

The winding-up is now proceeding under
the direction of the Board of Trade, and by
the means of the machinery of that
"Mercantile Marine Act," the provisions of which
we explained at some length in our paper
on the "Blue-jacket Agitation,'' previously
alluded to. An "option" remains to sailors
to continue subscribing, and so keep up their
claims; but the best judges hope little from
this. Sailors must be legislated for, as sailors
—their character, wants, habits, position, taken
into account. If this is kept in view, the
Board of Trade may by its new machinery
organise some plan for providing for the old
age of our seamen worthy of the country—and