Section II

12 Car. II. c. 18. § 6.; Coal Ships may be navigated by Foreign Seamen during the present War.

X1And whereas by an Act made in the twelfth yeare of the Raigne of King Charles the Second Entituled An Act for X2the Encourageing and Increasing of Shipping and Navigation It is among other things provided That noe Goods or Merchandices shall be loaden X3and carryed from one part of England to another in any Shipp or Vessell whatsoever whereof three fourths of the Mariners at least shall not be English under the Penaltie of forfeiting all such Goods as shall be loaden or carryed in any such Shipp or Vessell together with the Shipp or Vessell and all her Guns Ammunition Tackle Furniture and Apparell Now forasmuch as the High price of Coales arises chiefly from the want of Seamen to supply that Navigation while soe many are imployed in their Majesties Service Bee it enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That soe much onely of this last mentioned Act as concerns the number and proportion of forreigne Seamen thereby limitted to saile in English Shipps shall be dispenced with and is hereby thus farr dispenced with soe as it shall and may be lawfull for the Owner or Owners of any Shipp or Vessell English built and belonging to the Subjects of England whereof the Master is an Englishman tradeing with Coals to and from Newcastle or the parts adjacent or any part of Wales to the Port of London or X4to any other part of England to navigate the said Shipp or Vessell with as many Forreigne Seamen as the said Master or Owners shall thinke fitt dureing the present Warr with France and noe longer any thing in the said Act contained to the contrary notwithstanding.