Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/436

 420 thouand, for a contant and regular upply of the king's fleet; with great privileges to the regitered men, and, on the other hand, heavy penalties in cae of their non-appearance when called for: but this regitry, being judged to be rather a badge of lavery, was abolihed by tatute 9 Ann. c. 21.

2. method of ordering eamen in the royal fleet, and keeping up a regular dicipline there, is directed by certain expres rules, articles, and orders, firt enacted by the authority of parliament oon after the retoration ; but ince new-modelled and altered, after the peace of Aix la Chapelle to remedy ome defects which were of fatal conequence in conducting the preceding war. In thee articles of the navy almot every poible offence is et down, and the punihment thereof annexed: in which repect the eamen have much the advantage over their brethren in the land ervice; whoe articles of war are not enacted by parliament, but framed from time to time at the pleaure of the crown. Yet from whence this ditinction aroe, and why the executive power, which is limited o properly with regard to the navy, hould be o extenive with regard to the army, it is hard to aign a reaon: unles it proceeded from the perpetual etablihment of the navy, which rendered a permanent law for their regulation expedient; and the temporary duration of the army, which ubited only from year to year, and might therefore with les danger be ubjected to dicretionary government. But, whatever was apprehended at the firt formation of the mutiny act, the regular renewal of our tanding force at the entrance of every year has made this ditinction idle. For, if from experience pat we may judge of future events, the army is now latingly ingrafted into the Britih contitution; with this ingularly fortunate circumtance, that any branch of the legilature may annually put an end to it's legal exitence, by refuing to concur in it's continuance. Rh