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of gentlemen animated by a generous love
of their country, and an ardent desire to
increase its glory, as well as from com-
passion for the many ragged and miserable
objects seen in our streets. This noble
scheme was chiefly conducted by a gentle-
man distinguished by those accomplish-
ments which most adorn human nature;
who, besides a generous subscription, join-
ed his indefatigable industry in promoting
this noble scheme, and even wrote a very
judicious pamphlet to shew the public ad-
vantages that would result from it. He
presented the first impression, consisting of
a thousand copies, to the society; and by
his assiduity, and that of a famous ma-
gistrate, great numbers of the lowest of
the people, who would probably have
ended their days ignominiously at Tyburn,
have filled the court of France with ter-
ror, and revived the drooping glory of
their country. From this pamphlet we
shall give an account of this society.
It must be observed, that every man of
war, privateer, and merchant ship, is
obliged to take a certain number of boys,
which are considered both as necessary to
the ship, and a nursery for seamen; thus
in every sixty gun ship of 400 men, the
Captain and officers require thirty ser-
vants.
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These it was impossible to obtain at the
breaking out of the war; the society there-
fore sought for them among the vagrants,
the pilferers, and those whose extreme
poverty and ignorance rendered them per-
nicious to the community; and also en-
deavoured to assist the Captains and offi-
cers in the sea service, by encouraging the
industrious poor to send their children to
sea; and by inviting all who were fit for
the sea service to enter into it: stout lads
who were covered with nastiness and had
no means of support, were cleaned, well
fed, and provided with lodgings; and if
any of the men or boys were distempered,
as sometimes happened, by mere wretch-
edness, filth, hunger, or the use of bad
food, they were properly physicked and
put in a condition to go on board; while
those who were more happy in having
friends to provide for them, were appoint-
ed to come to the office, where they were
to be cloathed, and all were fitted with
cloathing and bedding by the society, and
sent clean, as well as properly dressed, on
board his Majesty's ships.
Of these boys they took some of thir-
teen years of age; but chiefly invited stout
lads of sixteen and upwards, because they
would soon become able seamen; and
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