HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

77 ’

this predatory war, being always kept in a state of equipment, spread a constantalarm from the apprehension of those effects which might naturally be expected

to

5. That the re captures by her majesty’s ships of war, from the 4th of May, 1702, to the 1st ofDecember, 1707, are 108 ; which amounted by appraisement to more than the sum of j£.8-2,975 ;and the re-captures within that time, to £.33,054. j both which sums amount unto £.121,030. ex-clusive of customs.

6. That in the last war, the merchants had the misfortune to lose near 4,000 ships; whereas in thiswar, they have themselves given an account of no more than 1,146 ; and it were to be wis’ied, thateven that loss could have been prevented ; but here it may be observed, that during the last war, we hadports of Spain, as well as those in the Spanish Wcst-lndies, always open to secure our merchantships and vessels, not only from the enemy, but from bad weather; whereas, during the whole courseof this war, our trade hath been entirely debarred from that so essential a countenance and protec-tion.

7. Resides, while her majesty has yearly fitted out her royal navy for carrying on the war abroad,the enemy hath, ever since the battle of Malaga, totally altered their methods of carrying on theirnaval war; and, instead of sending forth great fleets, they fill the seas with privateers, and withsquadrons of their nimble ships ; and, by that means, watch all opportunities of seizing upon our trade,for which the situation of their ports gives them but too good opportunities; and yet our merchant*,who cannot but be sensible of their danger, carry on their trade, in a very great degree, in defence-less ships, called runners; and they have been obliged, by charter-party, to go without convoys,and thereby too often became exposed to the enemy who lie in watch for them.

Lastly, the lord-high-admiral desires their lordships to do him so much justice as to believe, thatno man is more sensibly affected than he is, at the great losses and misfortunes which have hap*pened to the merchants; and he is so much more sensible of them, because, in the way those gen-tlemen carry on their trades, by single defenceless ships, and by the method the enemy now takes,while the French king himself, and so great a part of his subjects, employ so many ships and menonly to make war upon the merchants, such misfortunes will happen ; yet his royal highness doc*hope their lordships will believe that the queen’s fleet has not been useless and unemployed during thiswar, which cannot be carried on according to the declared sense of their lordships but by supportinga superiority at sea, upon the coasts of Portugal, Spain, and Italy ; in all which places the queen’sfleet hath done great services during the last four years, and attempted some things which might havesecured Britain for one age from all the naval power of France.

The House took this answer into their most serious consideration ; and finding several facts thereinstated very differently from what had been asserted by the merchants upon their oaths (who had there-fore, according to the methods of justice, a right to be farther heard by way of reply), and findingseveral other things alleged in the answer, which at first sight seemed to be plain mistakes, we thoughtit necessary, for our farther information and satisfaction, to appoint a committee to hear the mer-chants ; and also to make such observations upon the answer as they should think proper.

The committee having perfected their report, and laid it before the house, the same was agreed to,and we think ourselves obliged humbly to present their second report to your majesty.

^ Vol. HI. L Dit