history of marine architecture.

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permit the inconsiderable squadrons of an almost vanquished enemy to reigntriumphant over the commercial interest of their antagonist, and carry off their

mighty

AH the ships which the merchants suppose lay idle at Portsmouth, during this time, were underorders for particular services.

18. Another complaint is made, that in the month of October, 1706 , Mr. Coward and'Mr. Joneschartered their ships to the commissioners for victualling, on condition they should go directly to'Jamaica, whereas they were carried from the Downs to Portsmouth, thence to Plymouth, from that?port to Ireland, and then toBarbadoes or Antigua.

It is not doubted, but these ships were taken up by the commissioners for victualling, at so much-per month freight; and her majesty finding it necessary for her service to send a governor to her island^of Barbadoes, with some forces which were to be embarked in Ireland with provisions'and other ne-cessaries for the plantations of Nevis and Antigua, there was a necessity, of these ships accompanying;the convoy which was appointed for that service, in regard there, was not any other which could begot in readiness for them ; but their owners will be paid for the time they have been employed in theservice of the public, according to the agreement made with them.

19 . Mr. Palmer deposes, that, in the year 1705, a ship, of which he was part owner, with several*others* was convoyed from the Downs to Portsmouth by the Litchfield’s prize, but that for wantof orders she coHld not see them- to Plymouth, where they might have joined the fleet with SirCloudesley Shovel, bound to Lisbon,.

Their lordships may perceive how much this person hath forgot himself, and imposed upon them ;for the Litchfield’s prize did not arrive, with the trade at Spithead until the 7 th of June; and SirCloudesley Shovel sailed from thence the 23d of May, passed by Plymouth the 25th of the said month,and was off Lisbon the 9 th of June; so that the fleet was actually at Lisbon two days after the timethat this gentleman says the Litchfield prize might have joined them at Plymouth.

20 . As a farther evidence, the merchants have produced to their lordships the Gazette of th'e Sth ofMay, 1707 , wherein there is the following paragraph from Ostend,. viz.: “ A fleet of merchant ships-which lay five months in the Downs, consisting of fifty-five sail, arrived at Ostend this evening, to thegreat satisfaction of this place.”

This advertisement was very ignorantly and unadvisedly inserted in the Gazette; the fact itselfbeing intirely wrong; for her majesty’s ships the Lynn and Deal-Castle, sailed for Ostend the 7 th ofFebruary, and there were then no more than five merchant ships to accompany them : Sir Edward -Whitaker, with bis squadron, did the like on the 27 th of April following, and after seeing the.tradeinto that port, brought what was there from thence; but she carried with her not above fifteenships and vessels, and how that number could swell to fifty-five is somewhat strange: besides, it dothnot appear, that at any one time, from December to the month of .May, there.were more than fivemerchant ships in the Downs, bound to Ostend; and above three-fourths.of that time not so muchas one; yet the advertisement in the Gazette says, that fifty-five ships arrived at Ostend from theDowns, after that they had lain there five months for a convoy.

21 . As to the general article relating to the untimely and unseasonable proceeding of convoys,especially to the West Indies, their lordships are desired to be referred to what hath been already saidat the beginning of this paper relating to that matter.

22. The