Copy of Captain St. Lo his Complaint againſt Me to the Navy-Board, Dated the 18th. of February 1695.

I have received your Letters of the 14th and 15th of February, and thoſe Papers which Reſpect the Store-keeper are Deliver'd to him; But I ſhould be glad if you would write to him to haſten his Living at the Dock, and to haſten the Stores hither which are under his Charge; which would remove ſeveral Obſtructions which do now Obviate Us in diſpatch of fitting out the Ships.

Copy of an Order from the Navy-Board to Me, Dated the 21ſt of February 1695.

Underſtanding you are not yet Removed to the Houſe prepared for you at the New Yard in Hammoaze, as alſo, that you continue ſeveral Stores in the Old Store-houſes, which now the Officers and Buſineſs is removed to the ſaid Yard, is very inconvenient to the Service; We do hereby direct and require you to Remove all his Majeſty's Stores to the ſaid New Yard with all the Expedition that may be; As alſo, to ſettle your ſelf in the Houſe provided you in the ſaid Yard as ſoon as poſſible, that ſo his Majeſty's Service may not ſuffer thro' any Neglect of yours in that Affair.

Copy of my Letter to the Navy-Board, Dated the 25th. of February 1695.

This Mornining at the New Yard in Hammoaze, I received your H ••• urs Order of the 21ſt Inſtant, directing me to Remove his Majeſty's Stores thither, and to ſettle my ſelf in the Houſe provided for me with all the Expedition that may be, which I ſhall Obey to the utmoſt of my Power, and humbly acquaint your Honours that, as to my own Habitation (tho' not yet fitted) I wou'd have long ſince Removed to it, but that I preferr'd his Majeſty's Intereſt before my own Eaſe and Advantage; For at this time, not any part of the Store-houſe is Covered, nor the Window-ſhutters fix'd, and I know not how the Stores can be Removed without conſiderable Damage both by the Weather and Embezlement. A good quantity of Canvas, Cables, Cordage, and other Stroes, (which will take up much Room) are now a coming to Us from Deptford, I wiſh ſufficient Care was taken to lodge them in when they Arrive; And I cannot apprehend, how Our other Stores can well be Removed (as the Caſe ſtands) till they are properly ſecured. The Tallow, Deales, Pitch and Tarr, alſo the Maſts, Timber, and all the other Out-Stores (excepting the Anchors) are already Removed, and I hope, no Inconvenience attends the Service through my Neglect. Our Iſſues of late have been extraordinary great, and with ſubmiſſion I affirm, that my Lodging at Plymouth, and Quickning the Tradeſmen there, has been ſomewhat Inſtrumental to the timely ſupplying our Demands of Stores which We were Neceſſitated for. Every Day, or every other Day at leaſt, (as Buſineſs offers) I am at the Dock, and at Night, conſtantly I, and my Inſtruments, write till 8 or 9 a Clock to keep up my Accounts, which I cannot do at the Dock; For no Convenience for my Office is yet made. Beſides, every Morning and Evening (both before and after the common Working hours) I, or my Chief Inſtrument, is obliged to attend the Sail-makers at the Store-houſe in Plymouth to ſee all things ſafe, they having for ſome time wrought by Candle-light to diſpatch theer Work, ſo that I foreſee great Difficulties for the preſent in managing my Imployment, however, I am confident of Undergoing them all to your Honours ſatisfaction, and (If poſſible) to the good liking of all Others that I am concerned with.

My plain Anſwer to Captain St. Lo his Poſitive and Conciſe Complaint, gave the Navy-Board full ſatisfacti ••• , which incenſed him the more againſt Me; And 〈◊〉 muſt not omit to obſerve, that I waited upon 〈…〉 St. Lo with two or three of my Brother Officers, 〈…〉 ſider what I ought to do upon the Navy-Board 〈…〉 Me, purſuant to his Requeſt; But the 〈…〉 Demeanour, ſeemed to Exaſperate 〈…〉 the next time he Complained of me, it ſhould 〈…〉 ; I told him, I would not 〈…〉 to do ſo by me, but deſired to kno 〈…〉 the Canvas, Colours, and 〈…〉 If I brought them to the Dock as he would 〈◊〉 , he anſwered, I need not make ſuch a difficulty of the Matter, but keep them at my own Houſe till the Store houſe cou'd Receive them: A very ſevere Task for me to perform, and (tho I cou'd not convince him of its Danger, and Unreaſonableneſs) wou'd have been extreamly Detrimental to my King and my Country; which, made me chuſe rather to continue under his Diſpleaſure for the preſent, then Betray my Truſt, or Diſobey my Inſtructions.

In March 1695, a Man of War from the Weſt-Indies put into Plymouth Sound, the Boatſwain of her came aſhore with a Demand from his Captain for a Vyol, and ſome other Stores; Captain St. Lo himſelf brought me the Demand, and ordered me to deliver them to him immediately, ſo I obeyed his Commands; But when I came to the Clerk of the Survey for his Warrant to Vouch my Delivery of them, he refuſed to grant it me, and ſaid, he did not care what the Commiſſioner ordered me, for he muſt do his Buſineſs Methodically, according to his Inſtructions from the Surveyor of the Navy; At length, upon the Maſter-Attendant his Requeſt, and my own Promiſe not to do any ſuch irregular thing for the future, I got the Clerk of the Survey his Warrant accordingly; And being thus enjoyned not to Obey Captain St. Lo his prepoſterous Commands, I forewarned my Inſtruments from delivering any more Stores to the Men of War without an Order from the Officers of the Yard; which coming to Captain St. Lo his hearing, he ſaid publickly, all the Officers were Knaves, and joyned together to Cheat the King.

On the 21ſt of March 1695, I went to the Royal Citadel at Plymouth, to ſpeak with Captain St. Lo at Mr. Hooks the Deputy-Governour's Houſe (who was alſo Store-keeper of the Ordnance) where was Colonel Freeke. Captain Julian, Mr. Stuckley the Poſt-maſter, and ſome other Gentlemen of Note; The Deputy-Goveruour was ſo kind, as to deſire me to ſit down and take a Glaſs of Wine; but before I cou'd well look about me, Captain St. Lo asked me why I did not Remove all the Stores to the Dock; I anſwered him, that there was a Lighter now at the Store-houſe a Loading, and We made what haſte We cou'd to Remove the Stores, conſidering the Store-houſe at the Dock was not yet fitted to Receive them; he told me, I had beſt Remove them all, or elſe he wou'd Complain of me to the Admiralty; I ſaid, I hoped not to give him any Occaſion for it. Then the Deputy-Governour told Captain St. Lo, Truly if he was in Mr. Gaſelee his Place, he wou'd not Remove any of the Stores to the Dock till the Store-houſe there was Fitted to place them properly in; Whereupon Captain St. Lo was angry with me for not being yet Removed to my Houſe at the Dock; I anſwered, that the Painters were now at Work in it, and I cou'd not Remove my Goods without Damaging them, but I wou'd Remove to my Houſe next Week; Whereto Captain St. Lo replyed, What a Deviliſh Noiſe you make of your Goods; I warrant you, a Man may carry them all on his Back; I anſwered, that I did not come to diſtarb him and his good Company, only deſired to ſpeak two or three words with him by himſelf; My Buſineſs was, to take his Conſent to go to Exon for a Day or two; Which I readily had, and did hope, that when I came to live at the Dock, all Miſunderſtandings between Us wou'd afterwards have ceaſed.

I went to live at my Houſe in the New-Dock-Yard the 2d of April 1696, in which Month, and in June next enſuing, We there unloded 3 Veſſels with Stores from Deptford, among them was a good Quantity of Oars; and as they was brought Aſhoar, Captain St. Lo his Coxſwain came to me, and deſired he might pick out a Gang for his Maſters Pinnace, Which I bid him Take, So he ſet his Men to chooſe out the Oars, and went his way; About an hour or two after, one of Captain St. Lo his Watermen came to me again, and told me his Coxſwain had ſent him to me to change an Oar, it being broke, and belonged to the Gang they had juſt before taken out, I bid him tell the Coxſwain, that before I changed his Oar, I would have a Warrant for the Oars, Pinnace, Sails, and other things which he had for ſome time promiſed me to get; And that I knew 'twas his Negligence, and not the Commiſſioner his Pleaſure, that I had not a Warrant immediately, for ſuch 〈◊〉 as I delivered to him. The Coxſwain I may believe, made the moſt he cou'd of my Meſſage to him, And the next time I ſaw Captain St. Lo he was angry with me, and ſaid he could not have any thing he wanted from the Store-Houſe, without the Trouble of a Warrant, but yet the other Officers and my ſelf had; I deſired him not to impute any ſuch Fault to my Diſreſpect towards himſelf, for that I never refuſed to deliver any thing to his Coxſwain or Groom, till I ſaw they took Stores out of the Store-Houſe, and never told him nor his Clerk any thing of them. But when ever Captain St. Lo ſpoke to me of any thing that he thought a Fault, either h •• Paſſion or his Prejudice was ſo very prevalent, that he took no notice of what I ſaid, but expected I ſhou'd obey his Arbitrary Commands in all things; let their Conſequences be never ſo fatal to my Country or my ſelf.

I am next to inſert the Copy of another Complaint againſt me to the Navy-Board, and to William Bridgeman Eſq. Secretary to the Admiralty, Dated 26th of June, 1696. With my Anſwer to the ſeveral Crimes charged on me therein, viz.

The Complaint.

Laſt Night our Store-keeper brought three Cart Loads of old Timber to the Dock, which had lain for ſome time in the Store-Houſe at Plymouth, and two Loads of it being carried to his Houſe for the Fire, as the third Load was coming up I met with it, ordered him to lay it down in the Yard, that the Maſter Ship-wright might Survey it, and Judge of its Quality; but notwithſtanding this, I no ſooner turned my back, but it was carryed away. The next time I ſaw him, I asked his reaſon for doing it, he told me that it was his Perquiſite; and I believe there moght be a greater quantity than what I ſaw, ſome of it I am ſure, was fit to be uſed on his Majeſty's Service for Poſts and the like; and if ſuch Perquiſites be allowed, I am ſure it is a Diſſervice to his Majeſty, For the worſt of it would have made good Fuel for heating the Pitch-Kettle, and burning Plank, VVe being forced to buy for that Service ſometimes.

Once being at Plymouth, I met with a conſiderable quantity of the Kings Junck at that place, into which after I had enquired, I was told it was iſſued out of his Majeſty's Stores to make Twice-laid Stuff, But it was without my knowledge; And I believe if it had been met with, it had been a good Serizure. It is my Belief and Opinion, that neither that nor Canvas ought to be iſſued out of the Yard without my knowledge.

The Anſwer.

Captain St. Lo upon his meeting the third Turn of Wood, ordered the Carter to call me to him; and being in the Yard with two or three of the Officers, when the Carter came to tell me thereof, I quickly left them; and in going to wait on Captain St. Lo, I met the Carter ſtanding ſtill by his Cart, and asked him where the Commiſſioner was, he told me at my back Yard a looking upon the Wood; then I ordered him to carry the third Turn thither that he might ſee it; Bue when I came home, Captain St. Lo was gone, ſo I went inſtantly to ſeek him, and found him at his own Houſe with Captain Beaumont, Commander of the Mountague, and Mr. Eaſtwood his own Clerk, I told Captain St. Lo, I deſired to know his Pleaſure with me, Whereupon he was angry with me before them for taking the Wood, and ſaid it might ſerve for many Uſes in the Yard, which Opinion I endeavoured to remove, but he laying his Commands upon me, for bringing all the Wood back into the Yard, for the Maſter Ship-wright to Survey it, and (after all my Perſwaſions) perſiſting therein, I parted from him with intention of obeying them; But it being then half an hour paſt 7 a Clock, I found the Carter was gone home; And the next Day was Faſt-Day, and no body Worked. Theſe reaſons I acquainted Captain St. Lo with on the Faſt-Day, (ſeveral hours before he made his Cmplaint) and that very Morning by 9 a Clock, the Maſter Ship-wright and Clerk of the Survey came to my Houſe to Survey the Wood, and their Report of it to Captain St. Lo himſelf and me too was that they had Surveyed it according to his Order, and that 'twas ſuch Old rotten Wreck Wood, as it wou'd not ſerve for any uſe in the Yard, and that it was worth but three ſhillings of their Money, and not above five ſhillings of any other bodies, it having lain ſo long in the Water; Their Report of the Wood made me conclude, that I had not committed any Fault at all; I deſired Captain St. Lo over and over, not to ma •• any Complaint againſt me, and did tell him I confeſs chat I had been at a great Trouble, and ſome Charge, in Removing all his Majeſties from Plymouth to the Dock, and becauſe the Wreck-Wood hnd lain 7 or 8 Years under the Stores, and was not Charged on me in any of our Surveys, (it being none of the Kings) I further ſaid, that it did belong to me by Virtue of my Warrant, as a Perquiſite for Fuel only.

I did indeed, as the Service required, By Order and Warrants from the Maſter, Attendant, and Clerk of the Survey only, Iſſue Canvas to make Sails, and Junck to make twice laid Stuff, Purſuant to my Inſtructions from the Navy-Board, which was carryed out of the Yard from time to time to be wrought up, according to the Practice of all the other Yards, and particuldrly Plymouth Yard, before I went thither; But had Captain St. Lo given me any Directions for altering my Methods in ſuch Caſes, or acquainted me with his Diſlike thereof, I ſhould have Complyed with them, or at leaſt endervoured to have given him due ſatisfaction therein.

I ſtill believe that Captain St. Lo his conſtant Intermedling with me and my Buſineſs on ſuch Vicious Terms, was utterly inconſiſtent with the Juſtice and Freedom of the preſent Government, Whoſe Laws, having (to my knowledge) never Diſobeyed, I doubt not, but (by the Juſtice of your Honourable Houſe) they will Intitle me to the Rights and Priviledges of an Engliſh Man, Though they have been Invaded, and taken away, by Captain St. Lo, and Mr. Bridgeman, which Charge it behoves me to prove directly upon them both. For, that I may thereby Diſcover to what ill Purpoſes, their Power, their Wit, and their Subtilty, have been made Uſe of, in Carrying on their Perſecution of me; and to make it appear, that Captain St Lo had not taken an Antipathy againſt me alone; I ſhall give a hint of his many Strange Complaints againſt the Other Yard-Officers, during my time and ſince.

Upon the Faith of a Chriſtian I affirm, that Captain St. Lo his ſeveral Accuſations againſt me, are Meer Inventions and Contrivances, only. I did Order Three Turns of Old Wood to be Carryed to my Houſe for the Fire, But not in a Surreptious manner, and he wronged me very much, in Suggeſting any Diſobedience to his Command, of laying the third Lead of Wood down in the Yard, by ordering it to be Carryed to my Houſe, when his Back was turned; For he had not then ſeen me ſince his meeting with it coming up thither, neither did I know his Pleaſure therein, till all the Wood was really laid down at my Houſe, (as my Anſwer to this very Accuſation does particularly Explain) It's true indeed, I did tell him that the Old Rotten Wreck Wood was my Perquiſite, Which in his Opinion and Mr. Bridgeman's, was a moſt unpardonable Fault, Nevertheleſs, if I can't ſufficiently prove it to the Publick, that my Claim was Juſt and Legal, I'll publickly own my ſelf a Fool (for their Satisfaction) and Thank Captain St. Lo for his great Care and Pains, in giving me this preſſing Occaſion to Publiſh my Folly; But to give ſome ground for my Preſumption, that I may not be in the Wrong, of all the Complaints that ever Captain St. Lo made againſt the Dock-Officers under him, and pretended to make them out, he was never known upon Examination to be in the Right: And further, ſurely the Inditing of this Complaint was a Fancy more pleaſing to him than ordinary, that he cou'd ſtay at home from Morning till Iwening, to Contrive me Trouble, And wilfully Neglect the Serving Almighty God in Publick, with Faſting and Prayer, in Diſobedience to the poſitive Order of the Day; As may partly be proved by a Proclamation of their Excellencies the Lords Juſtices for a General Faſt, Dated the 23d of May, 1696. However, that nothing may be wanting in me to do Captain St. Lo Right, I muſt own I have been told, he was ſo Generous in the Poſtſcript of his Complaint againſt me to Mr. Bridgeman, as to leave the Matter wholly to his Diſcretion, whether to take any Notice of it or not. No Gentleman hitherto, wou'd ſide with Captain St. Lo in his Erroneous Notions againſt me; but purpoſely Directing this laſt Complaint of me to Mr. Bridgeman in particular, he joyned with him very readily in it, without knowing any thing of my Defence, tho' altogether a Stranger to me; But his Remiſſneſs in Publick Buſineſs, has ſince Evidently appeared to my Country's Loſs, (as may be ſeen in the Votes of your Honourable Houſe, Dated in 96 or 97. By whoſe timely Aſſiſtance, I was immediately ordered to be Diſmiſſed my Stock-keepers Employment, without the Navy-Boards Concurrence, (who were my Maſters) and on the 2d of July, 1696. he ſent his Friend Captain St. Lo a Letter, for no other Buſineſs but only to adviſe him of 〈◊〉 quick Succeſs of his Complaint againſt me, which ſo Elevated Captain St. Lo, that ſeveral of his Friends and Relations were troubled at it, particularly Mr. John Addis, diſcourſed him in theſe words. Sir, I am come from Plymouth, and if you was but there, to hear how the Government cry out upon you, for what you have done to Mr. Gaſelee, you would be aſhamed of your ſelf. Captain St Lo Anſwered, I do not care what any body ſays of me, for I am Reſolved not to ſee the King Cheated by the Officers of the Navy, 〈◊〉 my ſelf Diſreſpected. Then Mr. Addis told him, if you continue this Temper Sir, People will be afraid to ſpeak to you in a little time, And, that no one bore him a greater Reſpect than my ſelf; withal, I am much concerred that your Reputation ſhould ſuffer in Changeing Mr. Gaſelee with ſuch odd Accuſations as you did; Therefore I deſire you Sir, by all Means, immediately to acquaint: Mr. Bridgeman, that you did not th • nk to have Mr. Gaſelee turned off his Employment upon your Complaint, but only Reprimanded; And to deſire of Mr. Bridgeman, that Mr. Gaſelee might be Reſtored to it again: Theſe Arguments of Mr. Addis's ſo touch'd Captain St Lo. that he thereupon came to himſelf, and wrote to Mr. Bridgeman, juſt as Mr. Addis had Dictated to him. But that Letter Mr. Bridgeman never anſwered, Whoſe Remarkable Silence, and Former Forwardneſs (to do me wrong) moved Captain St. Lo to Write ſeveral Letters afterwards in my Favour, both to the ſaid Mr. Bridgeman, and the Navy-Board. And now I ſhou'd be very Ungrateful, if I did not Acknowledge that the Navy-Board, Sir Edward Gregory, and Captain Greenhill (the Commiſſioners of his Majeſty's Yards for Chatham and Portſmouth) have ſince done me very many kindneſſes; But for Mr. Bridgeman, his unalterable Prejudice againſt me, has cunningly cauſed me much more Miſchief, than all my Friends have been able to do me Good.

I have mentioned all the Favours that ever Captain St. Lo conferr'd upon me, and they indeed (notwithſtanding his repeated Injuries to me, and the very great Scandals Occaſioned me by them) wou'd ſtill have required my heartieſt Acknowledgments, had he not Retracted them in a very ſhort time; Which is another Point ought to be Demonſtrated. Captain St. Lo his Writing thus for me and againſt me, did conſequently cauſe ſome Reflections upon me. And to Salve them, 'twas expected, I ſhould confeſs my ſelf Guilty of ſome Faults, (which God knows) I never thought of. An Expedient I cou'd not in Conſcience yield to, Wherefore I did not only undergo the Grievous Effects of his further Diſpleaſure, but was induſtriouſly Characterized by him to my Superiours, for an obſtinate Fool, As if his Taking away my Livelihood, had been too ſmall a Puniſhment for me, and his ſingle Evidence of my want of Wit, could juſtifie him in acting unjuſtly by me. And after in his taking away of my Good Name too, Whereas others have ſince taken me for a Good Natured Fool. Moreover, to aggravate my Misfortune, I continued under Captain St Lo his Command 3 Months after I was ordered to be Diſmiſs'd my Employment, to hear my ſelf daily Charged with Falſe, and Imaginary Faults, out of a Politick Deſign, to Countenance Captain St. Lo his Artificial Complaint againſt me to Mr. Bridgeman, and their Underhand Tranſactions concerning it. I'll cite but another Inſtance, to prove how unadviſedly Captain St. Lo acted in his Station (with Reſpect to the Publick's Intereſt) wherein I was particularly Concerned, and beg Pardon for my Tediouſneſs. About the latter end of July, 1696. Captain St. Lo made a Contract with Mr. John Neele a Merchant of Plymouth, to ſerve a quantity of Maſts into the Kings Stores there; and before the Contract was Entred, or any Officer ſaw it, he ſignified his Anger at a diſtance, For our not having yet been at Plymouth to receive thoſe Maſts, and the Clark of the Survey came to my Office to acquaint me therewith; preſently after I met Captain St. Lo, and told him I did not underſtand his Pleaſure about Receiving the Maſts on Mr. Neale's his Contract at Plymouth, for all the Kings Stores were removed from thence; Whereupon Captain St. Lo pulled off his Hat very low to me, and bare-headed in the open Yard before Captain Bridge, and Boat-ſwain Browne told me, what muſt he come and ask leave how he ſhould make a Contract, I anſwered him, No Sir, and that I thought an Officer might ask him a Queſtion, relating to the Duty of his Employment, and the Kings Intereſt, without any Offence; he did me follow the Contract, and that was all the Satisfaction I could get of him.

In a word, to Sum up the Premiſes, I not only endeavoured all I could for fourteen Months together, to carry on my Buſineſs to Captain St. Lo his Satisfaction, (without Betraying my Truſt, or Divulging his Errors) but on all Occaſions, gave him the Reſpect that was due to a Superiour Officer; Yet after my going through a conſtant Fatigue of Buſineſs at the Admiralty Office, at Plymouth, and at the New Dock-Yard from the 18th of March, 1688. the 1ſt of October, 1696. (beſides ſerving above 8 years and a half in thr Navy as a Clerk in Deptford Yard) I palpably loſt my Store-keepers Employment moſt Ignominouſly, to Gratifie the ſaid Captain St. Lo his Temper, and Mr. Bridgeman's Intereſt; Who, (that they might bring over ſome Great Perſons to a real Belief, of my being no more than deſervedly puniſhed) have been my moſt Inveterate Enemies ever ſince I came away from Plymouth, and will not in the leaſt pitty my Caſe. But for my Comfort, till the former of thoſe two Gentlemen can prove, Mr. Elias Waſſe, Mr. Richard Lea, Mr. Robert VVaters, Mr. John Addis, and Mr. Tempell Holmes, to be Notorious Knaves, and me an Obſtinate Fool, as well as Repreſent Us ſo; I ſhall have ſome reaſon humbly to hope, that the Honourable the Repreſentatives of our Country, will not only believe them to be very honeſt Men, but me alſo a Perſevering Chriſtian. And to prove Captain St. Lo his ſingular Hand at drawing up of Complainſts againſt others beſides me, the ſeveral Originals of thoſe before-mentioned, and a great many more, (not ſo proper for me to inſiſt upon) may beſeen at the Admiralty Officenear Whitehall, or at the Navy-Office in Crutched Fryars, London.

Aboard his Majeſty's Ship the Warſpight in Chatham Harbour, this 7th of January, 16 • 8. Robert Gaſelee.