62

HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE,

considering the relationship in which his highness stood, and the manifest censure-directed against him, particularly in the latter part. The lord-high-admiral him-self

permitting officers to be absent from their duty is not only of ill example, but may prove of very fatalconsequence in time of service. We humbly desire leave to observe to your Majesty, that it appearsby the navy-books, in the year 1697* the last year of the last war, the pensions amounted only to£•7,077- since which time they are so far increased, that the estimate of the pensions, for the year1705, amounts to £.19,011.: one of these is a pension of £.319. 17J- Gd. to Sir John Munden,though your Majesty, upon consideration of the circumstances relating to the expedition to Corunna,had been pleased to determine, that he had not done his duty, and that your Majesty did not think fitto continue him in your service, and declared your pleasure, that he should be immediately dischargedfrom his post and command in the navy. We have been also informed, that the pension of AdmiralNevil’s widow, which is set down in the books as continuing, has not been paid for two years past.At the same time [that] we find the pensions so much increased, we have been informed, that someofficers of your Majesty’s fleet have been laid aside without any pension or consideration, though nocrime or misbehaviour has been laid to their charge.

“We beg leave to observe farther, that, in the ordinary estimate of the navy, delivered into theparliament, and for which allowances were annually demanded and made, there is put down for theprince’s * council £-7,000.; whereas it appears, that, in the year 1702, they were only four in num-ber; in the year 1703 five ; and six only in the year 1704 ; and yet, it does not appear, that morethan £.1,000. a-piece has been paid to them. We also observe, that Mr. Churchill’s appointmentsfor the navy are, as prince’s council, £. 1,000.; for pension £.500.; as admiral of the blue £.1,277.10r. ; and for table-money, though not at sea, £.365.; in the whole £.3,142. lOr.

“ Upon a careful inspection of the admiralty-book, relating to your Majesty’s ships employed,from the 1 st of January to the 1st of November, 1704, as cruizers and convoys for the home-trade,though the same be kept very confusedly, we have extracted out of it a scheme of the number ofships, and the time for which the same have been employed in cruizing, or as convoys, for the pro-tection of trade, to which we humbly desire to refer. In that scheme, all the days are set down, thatcan be found, when any of these ships were cruizing ; and, upon calculation, all of them togetherhave not done the duty of three cruizing ships kept constantly on the service for ten months. Besides,several of these cruizers were ill-chosen, and improper ships for that purpose, as being the worst sailersin the fleet: particularly the Warspight, Expedition, Gloucester, Assistance, and Falkland ; and thenumber of ships that have been at any time employed within that time, as cruizers, did not exceedtwenty-two, and for home seven; whereas, in the late war, the parliament judged it necessary thatthere should be employed, for the protection of trade, besides the main fleet and foreign convoys,four thirdrrates, thirteen fifth-rates, sixteen fourth-rates, and ten sixth-rates ; in the whole forty-three.

“ Having thus humbly laid these our observations before your Majesty, we rest assured that yourMajesty’s great wisdom, and tender concern for the happiness of your subjects, will dispose you toapply the proper remedies. Your Majesty is fully satisfied, that the honour and safety of your Majesty’sdominions, and the security of trade, depend entirely upon a due management of the naval affairs ;

* Prince George of Denmark*

and,