The Act was passed in the aftermath of the Spithead and Nore mutinies and aimed to prevent the seduction of sailors and soldiers to commit mutiny.

[3] This section provided: Any person who shall maliciously and advisedly endeavour to seduce any person or persons serving in His Majesty's forces, by sea or land, from his or their duty and allegiance to His Majesty, or incite or stir up any such person or persons to commit any act of mutiny, or to make, or endeavour to make, any mutinous assembly, or to commit any traitorous or mutinous practice whatsoever, shall on being legally convicted of such offence, be adjudged guilty of felony ...The words at the end were repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1888.

The reference to felony was construed as a reference to "an offence" following the Criminal Law Act 1967 and the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967.

This section was repealed by Part III of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Law Act 1967.

This section read: Provided always, that any person who shall be tried and acquitted or convicted of any offence against this Act shall not be liable to be indicted, prosecuted or tried again for the same offence or fact as high treason or misprision of high treason; and that nothing in this Act contained shall be construed to extend to prevent any persons guilty of any offence against this Act, and who shall not be tried for the same as an offence against this Act, from being tried for the same as high treason or misprision of high treason, in such manner as if this Act had not been made.This section was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1871.