method, every incentive for the hired cruisers to use their best
endeavours to effect captures. Still, if there was a deficiency
instead of a surplus, this was also shared by both contracting
parties.

In the year 1784 there were, reckoning all classes, 44 cruisers
employed, and 1041 men as crews. Of these cruisers the Commander, the
Chief Mate and Second Mate, and, in certain vessels, the Deputed
Mariners, were all officers of the Customs. In the case of the first
class of cruisers--those which were on the establishment--these
officers were appointed by the Board pursuant to warrants from the
Treasury. In the case of the second--those which were hired by
contract--the officers were appointed by the Customs Board. The
captain of the cruiser was paid £50 per annum, the chief mate either
£35 or £30, and the crew were each paid £15. But, as we shall see from
a later page, the rate of pay was considerably increased some years
afterwards. The victualling allowance was at the rate of 9d. per diem
for each man on board, and an allowance of 1s. each was made by the
lunar month for fire and candle. This last-mentioned allowance was
also modified in the course of time. Some idea as to the seriousness,
from a financial point of view, of this cruiser fleet may be gathered
from the statement that these 44 vessels cost the Government for a
year's service the sum of £44,355, 16s. 1d.

The largest of these forty-four cruisers was the _Repulse_, 210 tons.
She carried 33 men and was stationed at Colchester. Her cost for this
year (1784) was £1552, 16s. 8d. She was not one of the hired vessels,
but on the establishment. Next in size came the _Tartar_, 194 tons,
with 31 men, her station being Dover. She was on the establishment,
and her annual cost was £1304, 6s. 2-1/2d. Of the same tonnage was the