Slave Trade Act 1873

Bounties

11 Bounty and other payments to seizors when British Cruisers.

Where a vessel (whether British or not) or slave, goods or effects, seized in pursuance of this Act by any commander or officer of any of Her Majesty's ships have been condemned by a slave courts there shall be paid to the commander, officers, and crew of such ship the following sums :

(1) A slave bounty of five pounds for every slave so condemned who is delivered over, or, if the commander of the ship so elect, a tonnage bounty of four pounds for every ton of the tonnage of the vessel condemned :

(2) That part to which Her Majesty is entitled of the appraised value of the vessel condemned, or, if such vessel was broken up and the materials thereof publicly sold in separate parts, of the net proceeds of such sale after deducting the charges of prosecution :

(3) Where the condemned vessel

(a) was brought into port and was broken up in pursuance of the order of the slave court, and the materials thereof publicly sold in separate parts; or

(b) was abandoned or destroyed prior to condemnation, and the slave court by the decree of condemnation declared that, after full consideration by the court of the circumstances of the case, the seizors had satisfied the court that such abandonment or destruction was inevitable, or otherwise under the circumstances proper and justifiable,

a further tonnage bounty at the rate of thirty shillings for every ton of the tonnage of the vessel; and

(4) The net proceeds to which Her Majesty is entitled (after deducting the charges of prosecution) of any such goods and effects which the slave court ordered to be sold.

Where any slave so condemned is not delivered over in consequence of death, sickness, or other inevitable circumstances, the Treasury may, if they think fit, pay to the seizors of such slave one moiety of the slave bounty which would have been due in respect of such slave if he had been delivered over.

12 Bounty and other payments where vessel, slave, or goods not seized by cruisers.

Where any vessel, slave, goods, or effects seized in pursuance of this Act otherwise than by the commander or officer of one of Her Majesty's ships, or of the cruiser of a foreign state, have been condemned by a slave court, there shall be paid the following sums:

(1) Two thirds of the appraised value of the vessel or (if the vessel was broken up and the materials thereof publicly sold in separate parts) of the net proceeds of such sale, and two thirds of the net proceeds of such goods and effects (after deducting from such appraised value or net proceeds the charges of prosecution) for the use of Her Majesty, to such persons as the Treasury may from time to time appoint, to be carried to the Consolidated Fund :

(2) The remaining third part of the said appraised value or net proceeds of the vessel and of the net proceeds of such goods and effects to the person who lawfully seized and prosecuted the ship, goods, and effects respectively to condemnation :

(3) For every slave so condemned who is delivered over, a slave bounty of five pounds to the person who prosecuted the same to condemnation.

Where any slave so condemned is hot delivered over in consequence of death, sickness, or other inevitable circumstances, the Treasury may, if they think fit, pay in respect of such slave one moiety of the slave bounty which would have been due in respect of such slave if he had been delivered over.

13 Payment of proceeds of vessels; &c. when seized by a foreign cruiser.

Where any vessel, goods, or effects have been seized in pursuance of this Act by the commander or officer of a cruiser of any foreign state, and been condemned by a British slave court, such portion of the appraised value of the vessel, or (if the vessel was broken up and the materials thereof publicly sold in separate parts) of the net proceeds of such sale, and of the net proceeds of the goods and effects, as is, under any treaty with such state, payable to the seizors, shall be paid to such person as the Treasury may direct, to be disposed of in accordance with such treaty.

14 Regulations as to payment of bounty.

In order to obtain payment of the bounty, there shall be produced to the Treasury the following evidence, or such other evidence as the Treasury may deem sufficient; namely,

(a) A copy, duly certified, of the decree of condemnation of the vessel or slave:

(b) If any tonnage bounty is claimed, a certificate from some person authorised for the time being to act as a registrar of British ships of the dimensions and tonnage of the vessel:

(c) If a slave bounty is claimed, a certificate from the person appointed to receive the slaves of the number of slaves condemned and delivered over.

For the purpose of bounty the tonnage of a vessel shall be calculated and ascertained in the like manner in which, for the time being, the tonnage of a vessel is calculated and ascertained for the purpose of registering the same as a British vessel, or, if the same cannot be satisfactorily ascertained in that manner, shall be ascertained in such manner as the Treasury may consider satisfactory.

15 Payment by Treasury of costs, damages, and expenses.

Where any visitation, seizure, detention, or prosecution purports to have been made or instituted in pursuance of this Act, the Treasury when required under any treaty shall and in any other case may, if they think fit, pay the whole or any part of any costs, expenses, compensation, and damages which may have been awarded against the person making or instituting such visitation, seizure, detention, or prosecution, or any costs and expenses which may have been incurred in respect of the same, or on account of any person on board any vessel so visited, seized, or detained; but nothing in this section shall exempt the commander or officer of the ship or other person by whom the visitation, seizure, detention, or prosecution was made or instituted from his liability to make good any sum so paid when required by the Treasury so to do, and when any such commander or officer, or other person serving under the Admiralty, or any person serving under any other department of the Government, is so required to make good any sum, that sum shall, if the Treasury so direct, be deducted by the Admiralty or other department of the Government, under whom such person is serving, from any payment to which such commander, officer, or person is entitled on account of salary, pay, prize, or bounty.

16 Payment and distribution of bounties and other sums.

The bounties and all other sums payable by the Treasury in pursuance of this Act shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament for the purpose.

The provisions of "The [27 & 28 Vict. c. 24.] Naval Agency and Distribution Act, 1864," shall apply to all money payable to the commanders, officers, and crews of Her Majesty's ships in pursuance of this' Act.