HAving lately met with a Paper, Published by Authority, Entituled, An Account of what Men of War and Privateers have been taken from the FRENCH, &c. In which the Reader, for want of any Distinction made between one and the other, which seems industriously avoided, is left wholly in the dark, which to take for the Man of War, and which the Privateer. I have thought it necessary, for the sake of Truth, and the Right Information of those upon whom this Delusion may have passed, to Publish the following LIST, Shewing the true Number of Men of War Taken by us, exclusive of the Priva­teers mentioned in that Account, which, besides the Imperfection of its other Parts, betrays the Unskilfulness of the Contriver, in making the Total Ten more than the several Particulars amount to, which may be seen by comparing one with the other. When my Hand was thus in, I thought, that for the same Reasons, it would not be unseasonable to give a faithful, though a melancholy Draught, of the Decrease of our Strength at Sea, since the beginning of the War▪ In both which, I have no other end, than to place this Matter in a truer Light, that the Nation may be justly apprised of our Sufferings upon that Element, and that they, from whom the Redress of our Grievances is expected, may better be enabled to apply Remedies, when they are fairly instructed in the Disease.

It were much to be wished, That this Loss which the Publick has received, were attended with a less grievous one to the Merchants, than 'tis to be fear­ed has come to their share; for it is generally allowed that the number of their Ships and Vessels miscarried since the War, does not fall short of Four Thou­sand: The Riches of which, had I the Means of computing, I should choose much rather to conceal than publish, to avoid the renewing of our own Mor­tification, or the Satisfaction of our Neighbours: And for the same Reasons, I heartily wish it were only known to our East-India Company, how many Mil­lions of Pounds Sterling their Ships which have been Lost within that time, would have yielded at Market here, had our Care and Skill, in the Manage­ment of the Naval Strength of England, for the Protection of Trade, born any Proportion to the Liberality of our Parliaments in giving Mony for that Pur­pose, amounting to a Sum five times greater than hath ever been given before in any like space of Time, Notwithstanding our Conjunction with the whole Sea-Force of Spain and Holland, as is pretended.