Nautical Almanack Act 1828

And whereas the publication of the Nautical Almanack, constructed by proper persons, for the finding of the longitude at sea, is of great importance to the safety of ships and persons, and highly conducive to the general interests of commerce and navigation: It shall and may be lawful to and for the lord high admiral or the commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for the time being to cause such nautical almanacks, or other useful table or tables, which he or they shall from time to time judge necessary and useful in order to facilitate the method of discovering the longitude at sea, to be constructed, printed, published, and vended, free of all stamp duty whatever, in the same manner as the commissioners under the said Act of the fifty-eighth year of his late Majesty’s reign might or could do; and that every person who, without the special licence and authority of the lord high admiral or commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral aforesaid for the time being, . . . F1, shall print, publish, or vend, or cause to be printed, published, or vended, any such almanack or almanacks, or other table or tables, shall, for every copy of such almanack or table so printed, published, or vended, forfeit and pay the sum of twenty pounds, to be recovered . . . F2, by any person to be authorized for that purpose by the lord high admiral or commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral aforesaid, . . . by action F3or information in any of his Majesty’s courts of record at F4the Royal Courts of Justice; and that the proceeds of the said penalty, when recovered, shall be paid and applied to the use of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich.