Mr. W. Wellesley Polemoved for leave to bring in a bill for the more convenient payment of the annuities and other allowances to the Widows of Naval and Marine Officers, and those on the Compassionate List. About the year 1732 a fund was established, by the government of that day, for the relief of the widows of the officers of the navy, towards which it was deemed expedient to levy a deduction of 3d. in the pound, upon the pay of all commissioned and warrant officers, and also to establish an allowance from all ships in the service, under the denomination of widow's men, i. e. the pay of one man out of every 100 men in each ship's company, was to be appropriated in aid of the said fund. After some years had elapsed, this was found insufficient, and the pay of an additional widow's man was added. In this way the fund had proceeded up to the present time, but occasionally it had been found inadequate of later years: however, it had considerably increased; so that the fund was now rich, having a stock of 170,000l. in the 3 per cents, and the number of widows relieved from it in the last year was no less than 1,800. The rates of allowance began with 80l. a year to captains' widows, and descended in proportionate gradation to those of warrant officers. But it had been found, in the management of this fund, that great inconvenience and distress had arisen, in consequence of the widows being obliged to apply annually in London for their allowance. One of the objects of his bill, therefore, was to enable the court of assistants to pay them quarterly at then-own houses, wherever resident, in the same manner as was settled for the more convenient payment of the widows of military officers, by a bill passed about two years 1136 since. He had much conversation with the person who managed this business at the war-office, and found there would be no difficulty in assimilating the disposal of the naval fund. It would be desirable also to extend this mode of relief to others who were objects of the charity, though not exactly in the same way. The board of admiralty had addressed his majesty, praying that he would be graciously pleased to order, that the donations to persons upon the compassionate fund, should, in like manner, be paid quarterly to those appointed to receive them, at their own houses. His majesty was pleased to approve of this; and it was another purpose of his bill to enable the board of admiralty to select such objects as were properly entitled to aid from the compassionate fund: to allow them such sums as they should think fit; and transmit their allowance quarterly. These sums to be charged yearly in the ordinary estimates of the navy.—It, was also intended to transmit the half-pay of marine officers to them in the same manner as to those of the army, and therefore the bill would enable them to receive it at their houses. He thought it fair at the same time that he proposed to include the allowances of the compassionate list in the annual estimates of the navy, that he should abolish the allowance called indoors men, which were now regularly charged in the accounts of every vessel in the service. He concluded by moving for leave to bring in the Bill; which was accordingly given.