THAT if his Majesty and the Nation, will be pleased to allow of a few Galleys to be built at, or sent to Gibralter or Port Mayhone to be Man'd with Convicts, such as are Caft for Transportation; the bare apprehention of being made a Galley Slave off will strike such a Terror into the Minds of those Villians; such as Highway-men, Foot­pads, House-breakers, Shop-lifters, and all Incendiarys, whether by threarning to Murther the Persons, or to Burn their Houses, which has such shocking Reflections; and are Crimes of so black a Nature, that the very mentioning of them has been terrifying. And these who like Locust, does swarm in our Roads and Streets, and infects all our Places to such a degree that honest People are not safe, either at Home or Abroad; but when these vile People shall know, to there dread, that they shall instead of Transportation be sent to the Galleys without any hopes of Freedom till their Sentance is expired; It will certainly put a Stop to the further growth of Thieveing and Villiany, for it will have such terrour upon their Minds, of the Rigor that those Patterroons or Officers of those Galleys, exercises over those unfortunate People, who for the Punnishment of their Crimes are thus dealt with, and would not be restrain­ed by any milder METHODS.

[Page 3] This with all Humble Submission, seems a far better way than to take away the Lives of so many hale young Peo­ple, that are cut off before they have liv'd out half their Days, that by this Proposal might be saved, and brought to a Sence of their past Follys, in following of an Extrava­gant Vicious course of Life; and may convince them and Others, of the real Advantages of an Honest Sober way of Living, that they may become serviceable to their Coun­try in their several Trades and Capacitys

Now I shall beg leave to Offer some of the Services, that these Convict thus confin [...]d to the Galleys may be of; As Fi [...]st, that they have by their repeated Robberies and other Villainy's, wrong'd the Nation in General; they may be made use off as a National Service: which in some measure may attone for the Mischiefs they have done in the course of their past Lives.

And in case of a War with any Nation that Trades in the Straights, we having of Gibral [...]er, can with our Galleys in Conjunction with our Men of War, Command all Ships pas­sing or repassing in those Seas, rendering their Trade so Difficult to them, and with such advantage to us, that we of this Kingdom will soon find the many and great Proffits that will arise by what is Offered.

For as their is a strong Current sets always through the Gut, so that if it proves Calm, which is very frequent in those Parts; so that Ships that have been comeing through, have drove past Gibralter, as high as Malago; and others that have been comeing down, have met with these Calms, and Ships of great Value which could not fetch into the Bay, and so Exposed to great Dangers, and some that have been took by the Spaniards (who always kept lurcking with their Galleys on purpose for those Op­pertunitys,) that our Cruisers could not come to assist them, and and in sight sometimes of Gibralter: which is the highest Pro­vocation, and has been done, to the unspeakable loss of Trade, [Page 4] the Ruining of abundance of Merchants and Sailors: but these Evils will be sufficiently made up and provided against by our hav­ing of Galleys added to our Men of War, that it may be some Thousands a Year in this Kingdoms Way, betwen the Trade we may Ingross, and what Ships we shall save of our own, and what we may take of others: for then not a Ship shall be suffer'd to pass either coming in or going out but we may speak with them BLOW HIGH, BLOW LOW.

I shall farther Appeal to all Captains of Men of War, how Serviceable they may be made vse off in an Engagement, for to Tow out of the Line all disabled Ships, and to bring others in their Stations, and if once that we have Galleys at Gibralter it will Awe the Algerines and Sally Rovers, and will entirely prevent any Trade by Sea to old Gibralter, and their other Harbours with their small Vessels that went along Shore in the last Rupture, and brought them fresh supplys that our Men of War could not prevent, it being not safe to Venture so close in with the Land.

And I shall farther Offer, that by sending those Convicts to our Plantations, and Collonies we find by woefull Experience that it does not Answer the good Purposes for which that Law was Enacted; it neither puts a stop to or lessons the Complaints of the poor Sufferers; for the change of the Climate makes no alterations either in their Man­ners or Morrals, for the Rude and Disorderly Practices of those vile Ungovernable People in their Behaviours; has made Jamaica and other Parts of the West-India Islands to entirely refuse takeing them, and no doubt but other Places will be fore'd to follow their Examles; for their wicked In­clinations and ill habits are still the same, which hurries them to all kinds of Mischiefs in those Places where they are sent to and their Banishment which was design'd as their Punishment they make use off to repeat all their forme▪ Villianies [Page 5] giving of ill examples to their Youths, often Perswading their Negros to Robb their Masters, and Run away with them; this being the sole Nursery for Pirates, they being throughly Quallified for so vile base, and desperate an Im­ploy; that the poor Sufferers that have gone in Danger of their Lives, and been sadly Abused in their Persons; and have had their Substances taken from them, and the over­seting of their Voyages by these Savages in the shapes of Men, have often Reflected on those that gave them those Oppertunity's, making a Redicul of Transportation, telling one another that it is but a Trip over the Herring-Pond, (their Passages being Paid) D—ming their Precious Bloods if that Country shall hold them long. Which is the highest Contempt of that Law, and it seems to Boy them up in their vile Practices, and by sending these People there, it discourages honest People from going there, which might be to the great increase of Trade, but it may be hop'd that our Government will take what has been Sincerely offer'd for a Public Good, into their Consideration, and to Pre­vent these Evils for the Time to Come.

But as to the duration of these Peoples Servitude, I shall not offer to Name but leave that to the Wisdom and Pru­dence of the Law-makers and their Judges, to the Nature of the Crimes of which they are Convicted off.

I shall beg leave to Answer briefly to some Objections, that may be brought against this PROPOSAL: First,

[Page 6] It may be a great Expence to the Nation in Building of Galley

I Answer, that by what it has cost the Government, be­tween the Rewards of those that have been Capitally Convicted, and the Four Pounds Four Shillings for such Numbers of these vile People, that have been Transported since this King came to the Crown; but that it may be made appear, that they will far out Ballance the Charge of Building a sufficient Number of Galleys, and if I might offer further without Disobligeing of any Captains of Men of War or others, that the Charge of one Third Rate, in siting her out for the Sea, by a Modest Computation; will far surmou [...]t the Cost of Eight Galleys. But I humbly beg that I may be understood, that I am not for lessoning of any one Ship, in His Majesty's Royal Navy, which is so much the Glory and Defence of these Kingdoms, and the Terror of the whole World: but that Galleys may be aded as Tenders or as shall be Thought most for Service to them.

Another Objection is, How many Galleys will be Sufficient to im­ploy such Numbers, that are sent away from Time to Time.

I Answer, Eight may be enough, Four or Six at Gibral­ter, the other at Port Mayhone, as shall be Thought most for Service, every Galley to imploy 312 Men a Board, so that I humbly do Conceive by what shocking Terrors it may cause on the one Hand, and the so shurely Secureing them on the other, Puting it out of their Powers to be ever Transported more than once, as some have been from dif­ferent Places by fictions Names, so that they will be Reduc­ed to such small Numbers, more than ever could yet be done by DEATHS or BANISHMENT.

And it is plain that we have had more Robbing in Eng­land in one Month, than is in Italy, Spain and Portugal, in Twelve Months; and its thought it is oweing to those [Page 7] Countrys having of Galleys, puting it out of their Powers of these People to play at FAST and LOOSE,

Another Objection may be, that it is offered against a free People

Answer▪ I humbly Conceive that by Breaking of the Kings Laws by taking away the Lives or Goods or Threat­ening to Murder burn, or destroy, them or their Goods in order to extort Moneys from any of his Majestys Subjects, when any such are Convicted by Evidence, they have loft all Pleadings of their Freedoms, but is entirely at the Laws and Kings Disposal; whether for Life Death or Banish­ment, longer imprisoument or Liberty: and Transportation was at first well designd, and very shocking, tho' thought to be as great a breaking into the Rights and Freedoms of these People; as now Galleys is Offer'd to the same intents & Purposes, for a National Service: tho' Transportation has of late Years prov'd the Reverse; now if they are sent to Giberalter. they nor their old Companions in Sin, cannot Boy up themselves in Runing away at Pleasure, but may be imploy'd though in times of Peace, in Building some Necessary Fortificatitons there, and at Port Mayhone, as may render those Places IMPREGNABLE.

Another Objection that may be brought against this is, that some Men would rather Chuse Death, than to suffer them­selves to be thus Confined.

Answer, that it is the Unhappy Temper of some Men, that they never was, or desired to be made usefully Good, or Morrally Honest; for their Exorbitant Humours which admits of no Bounds, when that comes to have a Restraint put upon it by the just Methods of the Law: It either flings them into those vile wild Resolutions, that had always been their Directors to chuse Death, Rather then to undergo these gentle Severeties, or else it so Dispirits. them by a sullen Change of their minds that they wou [...]d also Rather [Page 8] prefer Death in all its heidous forms, than be brought un­der any Subjection: like some Creatures that I have seen in Virginia, when first caught. wrangles with their Masters and Yoke, and Endeaver to be their own Executionres which when by degrees, after proves of very great use and so may they made to be Servicable both to God and their Country, and run wild no longer.

The main Objection that can be brought against this Proposal is, that as it is Peace, we have no Occasion for Galleys.

I Answer as all wise Parents provides the Rod, and has it fixt in a proper Place, ready to make use off when nece­ssity requires it; and as his Majesty, Lords and Commons, are the Nations Parents, so they are not to depend upon be­ing allways so: with Frence and some others, that are our Rivals in many Branches of Trade in the Mediterranian, and we hear how Industrious the Spaniards are at this Time in Forrifying Caprita Point, and the Bay of Gibralter, against any Rupture: and it may be hoped that our Govern­ment will be as Thoughtful and Industrious to Promote things for a Publick Service as they are; and no doubt but that Galleys will fully Answer to what has been Proposed and be as great a Thorn in the Eyes of any Nation, with whom we may have Disputes, as any one Thing we can do to our farther Preservation of Trade.

☞ This Proposal is to check Robbing, and other Villi­aney and a tender Regard for the Lives of Thousands of young Men; the Good of our Men of War and Merchant's-Ships in the Straights; an additional Strength to Gihralter. the Peace and Quiet of our Collonies abroad, and a pre­vention for Pirats. And offer'd by a Person; that is well ac­quainted with this Proposal; and hopes may deserve the Consideration of both Houses of Parliament.