Discovery of North-West Passage Act 1744

Discovery of North-West Passage Act 1744

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for giving a public Reward to such Person or Persons, His Majesty's Subject or Subjects, as shall discover a North-west Passage, through Hudson's Streights, to the Western and Southern Ocean of America.
Citation	18 Geo. 2. c. 17
Dates
Royal assent	2 May 1745
Other legislation
Repealed by	Discovery of Longitude at Sea, etc. Act 1818
Status: Repealed

The Discovery of North-West Passage Act 1744 (18 Geo. 2. c. 17) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1745 and repealed in 1818. It offered a public reward for the successful discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The preamble to the Act stated the expected economic benefits of the discovery of the passage, and that it would be "a great encouragement to adventurers" to offer a prize. The allocated sum was £20,000, to be paid to the owners of the first ships to successfully make such a passage.

The Act established a group of commissioners to determine the validity of any claims, and restricted the scope of the Act to only apply to British subjects. It further required all British subjects to provide help and assistance to the explorers when required.

The Act was repealed by section 9 of the Discovery of Longitude at Sea, etc. Act 1818.

References

• The statutes at large from the 15th to the 20th year of King George II [vol. XVIII]; Charles Bathurst, London. 1765.
• Chronological table of the statutes; HMSO, London. 1993. ISBN 0-11-840331-1