House of Commons Journal Volume 10: 19 November 1692

Sabbati, 19 die Novembris ; 4° Willielmi et Mariæ.

Prayers.

Convex Lights.

MR. Waller, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill for the granting a further Term of Years to the Patentees of the Convex Lights. And the same was received.

The Bill was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Woollen Manufacture.

Sir John Guise presented to the House a Bill for the Encouragement of the Woollen Manufactory of this Kingdom. And the same was received.

The Bill was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Importing Silk.

A Bill for the Importation of fine Italian, Sicilian, and Naples Thrown Silk over Land, was read the First tine.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Cruisers and Convoys.

Colonel Granvile reported from the Committee, to whom the Examination of the Petition of divers Merchants and Owners of Ships of the City of London, by which they complained of great Losses by them sustained at Sea, and also to whom the Consideration of the monthly Accounts of the Disposition of the Ships for the Guard of the Coast and Trade, was referred, That they had examined the Matter accordingly; and had directed him to report the same to the House: Which he read in his Place; and afterwards delivered the same, in Writing, in at the Clerk's Table: Where the same was read; and is as followeth;

That the Petitioners appeared before the said Committee; and alleged, That the Shortness of their Time had made them, in some measure, incapable of proving the most extensive Suggestions of their Petition; but that they would offer such Proof as they then had, in relation to the same: And to that End;

As to the First Head;

Mr. Prince produced Two Lists; one of Three hundred and Twelve Ships (for which, he affirmed, he had paid Losses on Insurance); and the other of Twenty-one, which came by their last Foreign Post.

That Captain Arnold said, He came from St. Maloes, where he was a Prisoner on Sunday was Sevennight; and that Thirty-nine Masters of Ships, that had been Prisoners there, came over with him, who had all, excepting one, been taken since the Eighth of August last: That there were One hundred Sail of Ships brought in to St. Maloes between August and November: And that he himself was taken off of Cape Clere, coming from Surrat.

That Alderman Berry said, That he had paid Losses for near One thousand Sail of Ships; and that it has actually cost him Twenty thousand Pounds Sterling since Christmas last, for Ships lost, the greatest Part whereof were taken by the Enemy: The Particulars of each Loss he undertook to prove; as also of Forty thousand Pounds more since the Revolution, in Fourteen Days or Three Weeks time.

As to the Second Head;

That Captain Wild, of the Avarilla, said, That, in 1689, he, being homeward bound from Virginea with about Nine hundred Hogsheads of Tobacco aboard (which would have yielded about Eight thousand Pounds Custom), was met, off the Bechee, by the Ship Henrietta: The Captain whereof pressed the Majority of his healthy Men: whereby he was soon after taken by a Dunkirker, off the Nesse, against whom he could have guarded himself, if he had his Men, that were pressed from him, on board.

That Captain Ryder, of the Barnaby, said, That he, being homewards bound, arrived in the Downes with a Cargo of One thousand One hundred and Fifty Hogsheads of Tobacco (which would have paid Twelve thousand Pounds Custom), Burden Six hundred Ton: His Complement of Men was Thirty-six, whereout, upon the Second September 1689, he had Twenty-one of his effective Men pressed from him, leaving Six of the Remainder sick upon his Hands; whereby the Ship afterwards became a Prey to the Enemy.

As to the Third Head;

That Captain Jones said, That, he coming from Jamaica, Master of the Hawk, the Ship was taken by the French; who having taken but a very small Part of her Cargo out of her, being laden with Sugars, she happened afterwards to be retaken, and brought into Portsmouth in 1689; whither the Owners sending for a Valuation of her Cargo, found she was totally stripped thereof by the Man of War which took her; excepting some few Sugars and some Logwood, which were not worth the Charges of endeavouring the Recovery: And that a Complaint of the Premises was made to the Admiralty.

That Mr. Samson Guiddion said, That the America, which was taken about Two Years ago, and then retaken by the Mary Galley, was robbed by that Ship's Crew; whereby the Examinant lost above One hundred Fifty Pounds to his own Share: That Salvage was paid in to the Admiralty Court.

That Mr. Isam, Merchant, said, That, about December last, he went to the Admiralty, to pray for a further Convoy to go with Captain Wren, with the then Fleet; which was granted by the Commissioners of the Admiralty: But, upon the Examinant's discoursing of the Losses he, with others then with him, had sustained, Mr. Priestman was pleased to say, That if they all lost Two Ships in Three, they would be Savers by the Bargain.

That Captain Mascall said, He was then by Mr. Priestman, when Mr. Priestman was pleased to throw that Reflection upon the Merchants at the Admiralty Board.

That Mr. Isham said, That, a Quarantine being laid upon his Ship, he, with others, Owners, applied themselves to the Queen, to have the same taken off; having certain Information, That all the Seamen on board were in very good Health: And, being referred to the Admiralty, where the Examinant made good his Petition, by a Passenger that came over in the Ship; for proving whereof, the said Mr. Priestman told the said Passenger, he deserved to be hanged: And, during the said Quarantine, the Seamen were pressed away from on board the said Ship and Fleet.

That Mr. Richardson said, That, about Two Years since, he, having gotten an Order from the King and Council to go to the Coast of Barbary, made his Application to the Admiralty for a Convoy; and he had an Order, which was intended for Fourteen Men and Eight Guns: But, by the Clerk's Mistake, it was made Fourteen Guns and Eight Men: And, notwithstanding the Demonstration of the Mistake, and the Lord Pembrook seemed very sensible of it, yet the said Mr. Priestman opposed the retrieving the same: And that the Examinant lost a Ship going only from Bristoll to Waterford.

That Mr. Prince said, That the Providence, of about Sixty Ton, was retaken by Captain Avery: Whereout he, or Crew, took about Sixty thousand Pounds Weight of Tobacco: For the Redemption whereof the Captain then demanded a Composition; and he was paid Fifty Pounds per Cent. for the same; and yet was afterwards heard to complain, that he had not taken enough.

That the Mehitobell, in her Return from Mount Surratt, was taken upon the Coast of Ireland, and afterwards retaken by the Chattam, in December last, the French having taken out of her only Two or Three Barrels of Indico; the Captain afterwards possessing himself of so much of the Cargo the Freight whereof came to Four hundred Pounds: Whereupon he applied himself to the Commissioners of the Admiralty: And, they giving him Leave to sue the Captain, they got what Satisfaction they could, which was about Two hundred and Fifty Pounds, and some Chests of Indico; he telling the Examinant, That, if they persisted to complain of him to the Admiralty Board, in order to have him turned out, he would throw himself into the King's Bench.

That Mr. Carnes said, That, about 1689, some Gentlemen, having made their Escape from Ireland, with what Cargo they could get, freighted a Ship therewith, bound for Bristoll: In her Passage, the Ship was taken by the French, and afterwards retaken by the Saint David, and sent into Plymouth, stripped of all her Cargo, by the Captain of the St. David, excepting about Six Barrels of Salmon; the French not having removed any Part thereof: That the said Cargo might be worth about Twelve hundred Pounds: For want whereof, the poor Protestant Gentlemen lay Prisoners in France a great while, reduced to Want and Misery: The Examinant, in the mean time, used his Endeavours, for their Sakes, to prosecute the said Captain: But, he soon after getting into a new Commission, was prevented doing the same; being told by the Admiralty Board, that such Prosecutions would much delay and prejudice the King's Service.

As to the Fourth Head;

That Captain Strutt said, That he, being Commander of the Carolina, arrived at the Barbadoes the Twentieth January; and was detained there till the Eighth July, by reason his Men were pressed from him, and sent for the Leeward Islands; and was forced at last to return home with only Two of his Foremast Men, and some others defective, aboard him; otherwise he might have returned in Six Weeks, instead of Six Months, his Number not being sufficient to man his Ship; burden Three hundred Ton.

That Captain Hudson had his Men likewise pressed, and taken away from him, in the Barbadoes: And that the Hampshire pressed many Men aboard, where they died.

That, at least, Sixteen hundred Men died out of the Mary Frigate, while she staid in the West Indies.

As to the Fifth Head;

That Mr. Isham and others, said, That continuing the Embargoes after the Fleet Royal was out, and necessitating Traffick so late in the Year, was a great and manifest Prejudice to Trade, the Privateers being then most abroad: The which Mischiefs without Detention by Embargoes, might be easily prevented by a few Station Ships to cruise upon and guard our Coasts.

That Captain Arnold said, That, when he was at St. Maloes there were Sixty Privateers belonging to that Port; and was there told, they had One hundred and Fifty more in other Ports; and that, upon his Discourse with the French, in relation to their coming upon our Coasts, notwithstanding our Ships were abroad, they in Derision, told him, they knew very well our Ships of War rode very safe in the Downes and Plymouth Sound.

That Mr. Way said, That, he coming as a Passenger from Jamaica, without a Convoy, the Twenty-fourth August last, a Vessel of Twenty-four Guns attacked them, but was forced to bear away; but, in Two Hours after, she, coming up again, and having Sight of another French Man of War, attacked and took her, and detained the Ship's Crew on board till the Fifth of September: In which time the Examinant made an Observation of seeing every Day one or more Privateers, but rarely any Man of War.

That the Committee also, according to their last Order, took into Consideration the monthly Account of the Disposition of the Ships for the Guard of the Coasts and Trade, delivered in by the Commissioners of the Admiralty; and did not find, that there had been Cruisers abroad, either Westward or Northward, sufficient for securing the Ships outward and homeward-bound.

Then the House being informed, That Sir John Ashby, according to their Order, attended at the Door;

He was called in; and, at the Bar, gave the House an Account of the Proceedings of the Ships under his Command in and after the Fight at Sea with the French, the last Summer.

And then withdrew.

And, being called in again, Mr. Speaker, by Direction of the House, acquainted him, That the House took notice of his ingenuous Behaviour at the Bar: And that he had given an Account to the Satisfaction of the House; and was dismissed from further Attendance.

Advice to the King.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Monday Morning next, at Ten a Clock, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of that Part of his Majesty's Speech, whereby he desires the Advice of this House; and nothing to intervene.

And then the House adjourned till Monday Morning, Ten a Clock.