THe Principal Officers of His Majesties Ord­nance, having to the utmost of their Power, in both the Dutch Wars carried themselves with all Care and Industry in the Execution of their several Places, in furnishing His Majesties Fleets, and [Page 4]Men of War with good, sufficient and serviceable Gun­ners Stores, and fitted them with early Supplies, at all Times when required; for which they have had the thanks of his Royal Highness, of his Highness Prince Rupert, and his Grace the Duke of Albemarle, in the first War; and of his Royal Highness, and his Highness Prince Rupert in this last War: and although they have met with several Mistakes of some Persons who have re­ported the Dutch Guns and Powder to have been better and stronger than those of His Majesties, (who yet have acknowledged their Errours, when by Experience some of them have seen by Proof that His Majesties Powder is stronger, and by ¼ better than the Dutch) they looked upon such Reports as the Effects rather of misinforma­tion, than of malicious scandal⟨slander⟩. But now finding Them­selves and their Actions blasted and brought upon the Stage in a scandalous lying Pamphlet in Print, entitled, an exact Relation of the several Engagements, &c. under the Command of Prince Rupert; and perceiving how that Libel had already influenced several Persons to their Prejudice; they have thought fit to manifest to All Persons, Lovers of Honour and of Truth, in De­fence of themselves, and of the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Chicheley Knight, Master General of His Maje­sties Ordnance (by whose Endeavours, Interest, and un­spotted Fidelity, His Majesties Service in this Office hath so well proceeded) That at no time in any of these late Wars against the Dutch, His Majesties Fleets were better provided with Canon, Powder, Shot, and all Ammunition, and Stores of War, than that set out this last Spring under his Highness Prince Rupert. To which may be added the other great Stores of War, viz. of [Page 5]Granadoes for Morterpieces and Hand, Fire Arms, Pikes, Powder, Shot, Scaling Ladders, Turnpikes, and many other chargeable Stores for Land Service, which by his Highness Particular Order, were provided and laden upon six great Ships under the Charge of Jonas Moore Esquire, who attended upon the Prince, and was on Board with him in the two first Engage­ments. And at the last going out in July they provided (besides the Supply of Gunners Stores for the whole Navy, with all its Tenders) all fitting Stores and Equi­page for the Land Forces, and Train of Artillery then designed; that is to say, All manner of Arms, Offen­sive and Defensive, Ammunition of all sorts, Horses, Tents for 10000 Men, Habiliments of War of all kinds, and other Utensils and Instruments, as well for Intrenchments as Surprizes, in case a Descent had been made either upon the Coast of Holland, or elsewhere. All which to the value of 40000 l. and upward, have been by them sent out extraordinarily, and upon the Credit of the Office the last Summer, without one Pen­ny advanced for the same.

This being in general premised; they come now to answer more particularly to such unjust Accusations, as this false and scandalous Libeller hath been pleased to lay upon them; which are these that follow.

• The first, is in Page the Seventh; wherein he declares (to the Scandal and Infamy of the Stout Brave Seamen and Souldiers of this Nation) How faint the Hearts of the whole Fleet were (he measured certainly by his own) for want of Workmen and [Page 6]Tools, Seamen, & Supplies, and this before the Fleet engaged.
• The Second is in Page the Twelfth, where, after the Second Engagement in June, he saith, The Com­manders exclaimed that they had not sufficient Supplies, but were in Want of Powder, Shot, &c.
• The Third is in the last Page of this Libel, where he enumerates the Difficulties and the Wants the Fleet was in. Of which, The fayler of Provisi­ons, and Want of Ammunition, and all other Ne­cessaries are reckoned as Part.

These black and false Aspersions can no way better (in few Lines) be cleared, than first by declaring,

• 1. What Ammunition and Stores were provided and sent on Board the Fleet, from this Office be­fore it went out.
• 2. What Supplies were made after the Engage­ments.
• 3. And lastly, what Ammunition, Powder, Shot, &c. were remaining on Board the beginning of September last, when the Fleet returned, and a General Remain was taken by Order of the Office, as may appear by the Books and Gun­ners Accompts remaining in the said Office.

And here they cannot but take Notice and declare [Page 7]that in the first Dutch War, forty Rounds (that is Pow­der and Shot to each Gun to be forty Times discharged) was as great a Proportion as the Ships could stow and take in. Some Ships indeed might take in more by reason of their Built, but those were but few.

This Rule will best be judged of by the Powder, not naming (for Brevities sake) the rest of the Stores.

Twelve thousand Barrels of Powder completed the Proportion of 40 Rounds to those 60 Sayl of Ships which were commanded by his Highness Prince Rupert this last Summer (many other of His Majesties Ships at the same time being elsewhere imployed:) which Propor­tion of 12000 Barrels with Shot and all other Stores answerable, the said Ships carried out with them in May last, and they had beside six Vessels attending them with much Powder and Shot, sent after as is before mentio­ned according to the Princes Order, than which a great­er Proportion, or better, was never before sent. So that as to the first Accusation, there was no Reason that the Hearts of the whole Fleet should faint (as doubtless this Cowardly Libellers did.) And if Success had been answerable to their Supplies, this Apology had not needed.

At the Return of the Fleet to the Buoy of the Nore, which was the Eighth of June, the Officers by dire­ctions of the Master of the Ordnance had provided five thousand Barrels of Powder, with Shot and Ammuni­tion proportionable, and the Tenth of June sixteen great Vessels loaden with the said Powder and Stores, [Page 8]were at Anchor near the Fleet under the Charge of Sir Jonas Moore, Master Surveyor of his Majesties Ord­nance, and Samuel Fortrey Esquire, Clerk of the Deli­veries; where they found those Ships sent along with Stores for Supply of the Fleet returned into the Swale, without having Delivered any Part or Parcel of their Provisions.

The Fleet might have been supplied with Gunners Stores in a few Dayes, but many Ships were to be re­paired, which the Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy (whom this Libeller hath likewise most unjustly aspersed) with all possible Industry and Ex­pedition refitted within less than three Weeks time: So that by the first Week in July, the Fleet was supplied with 4100 Barrels of Powder, Shot, and other Stores answerable, making up with what they had remaining on Board the entire Complement of forty Rounds: Upon which the Fleet sailed, and fourteen Store-Ships belonging to this Office attending thereon.

By this it appears how false his second Scandal is, for that the Fleet had not spent little above One third of their Stores of War, viz. 4100, of 12000 Barrels. And none of the Commanders, except this Malicious Libel­ler, could exclaim for want of Powder and Shot.

At the Return of the Fleet in August; after the third and last Engagement, the Officers of the Ordnance sent again another Supply of 5000 Barrels of Powder, and Stores proportionable; but that might have been spared, toge­ther with the great Charge of Freight and Demurrage; [Page 9]for the Fleet had spent little more than a sixth Part of their Powder and Stores, viz. 2000, of 12000 Barrels, as by the Remains in the Office appears, there being above 9000 Barrels of Powder brought back in the Fleet, besides the Stores sent along, which likewise re­turned without any Diminution, clearly shewing his last Accusation to be as false as any of the rest; and it is as plain that in all the three Engagements, not much above half the Stores of War of the first Supply were ex­pended.

To give one further satisfactory Instance touching the Expence of Powder, One Ship which was confessed by all to have been most engaged, will afford a clear De­monstration, viz. the Royal Prince. Her first Comple­ment was 430 Barrels, the Supply she took in 176 Barrels, in all 606 Barrels. The Gunner brought back and deli­vered in September last 395 Barrels, with Stores answera­ble, to this Office, which makes the Expence something above One third. Nay, the Rupert, which made most complaint, brought back with her two thirds of her Powder and Stores.

To conclude; by what hath been said, no Person can have reason to believe this false Libeller, but on the con­trary to acquit the Officers of the Ordnance, as having done their Duties, by timely furnishing out, and fully re­supplying His Majesty's Fleet this last Summer. And they cannot but with humble Thanks acknowledge the Honour which his Highness Prince Rupert hath done them, by often declaring as much, both publickly and otherwise.