had increased during the First Dutch War and the war against Spain, but when peace returned and the ships were paid off, the Chest's income dramatically decreased. The first expedient adopted was to offer pensioners voluntary commutation of their pensions, based on two years' purchase, but still the Chest found it difficult to pay the remaining pensions. Samuel Pepys, Clerk of the Acts to the Navy Board, took a great interest in the affairs of the Chest and reported in his diary (18 June 1667) that there was no money to pay the pensioners "at their public pay the 14th of this month, which will make us a scorn to the world." Treasury funds were obtained and taken down the Thames by barge to Chatham, and the immediate crisis was staved off. From about 1673 onwards it was tacitly accepted that the Government would meet the excess of expenditure over income each year on a "pay as you go" basis. This principle remained in force, though sometimes the Government was late in paying and pensions fell into arrears. In 1690 some pensions were as much as three years outstanding. The Chest also experienced a substantial increase in the number of pensioners during the Napoleonic Wars, rising to 5,205 in 1802. Merger Following an Act of Parliament in 1803 the functions of the Chest were merged with the welfare programmes of Greenwich Hospital. The merger was completed in 1814, and the physical Chest was removed from use. It was subsequently displayed at London's National Maritime Museum, and at The Mast House in Chatham Historic Dockyard. References Bibliography External links Images of the original Chatham Chest, at Royal Museums, Greenwich Economic history of England Charities based in England 1590 establishments in England Tudor England 16th-century economic history