To the right honourable the knights, cittizens, and burgesses assembled in Parliament. The humble petition of the captains, commanders, and owners of English shipping, and other sea-faring men of this nation.

To the right honourable the knights, cittizens, and burgesses assembled in Parliament. The humble petition of the captains, commanders, and owners of English shipping, and other sea-faring men of this nation.

Table of contents

To the Right Honourable The KNIGHTS, CITTIZENS, and BURGESSES Assembled in PARLIAMEMT. The Humble Petition of the Captains, Commanders, and Owners of English Shipping, and other Sea-faring Men of this Nation.

[Page]

To the Right Honourable The KNIGHTS, CITTIZENS, and BURGESSES Assembled in PARLIAMEMT. The Humble Petition of the Captains, Commanders, and Owners of English Shipping, and other Sea-faring Men of this Nation.

Sheweth,

THat when your Petitioners first saw that Act of Parliament made in Anno 1651 . Intituled An Act for increase of Shipping; and incouragement of the Navigation of this Nation, They had [...]opes that their then languishing condition should have bin thereby restored; But having found by continued sad experience, that notwithstanding the good intendments ot that Act, The Navigation, and Trading Ships of this Nation, and consequently the imployment of your Petitioners have dayly declined, and are now almost quite extinct;

Your Petitioners thought it high time to adress themselves to this Honourable House, and do begg leave to lay open before you, the occasions by which the Parliaments good intentions, and your Petitioners good hopes have bin frustrated.

First, That Act leaving the Trade of Europe open, to be Navigated by any Ships belonging to the Subjects of this Common-wealth, without any restriction of the Nation, or quality of persons by whom the said Ships should be Sailed, hath since the War with Spain put all forraigne built Ships belonging to this Nation into the hands of Dutch Masters and Marriners: Because the Marchants who imploy the said Ships, supposed their Trade during this War could not be otherwise secured.

Secondly, That Opinion of the Marchants hath occasioned from time to time their imployment of a multitude of Holland Ships, under pretended and fraudulent Bils of Sale.

Thirdly, The Act of Parliament leaving the power of Seizure of Ships and Goods, (which by vertue of that Act were seizable) to any persons whatsoever; the Proprietors of the said Ships and Goods, have appointed Confidents of their own, to make the first Seizure of them: And by not Prosecuting such Seizure, have made null the good intention of the Law.

By means whereof,

First, Your Petitioners and their Families are sadly impoverished for want of imployment.

Secondly, The most part of the good serviceable Ships of this Nation are decayed, and Men are totally discouraged from building others.

Thirdly, The educating of Seamen (to provide a succession of them, both for the service of the State, and Trade) is necessarily neglected.

Fourthly, Vast sums of mony are drayned from the Stock of this Nation, by the Freights of those Holland Ships on which the Trade is driven.

For the Prevention of which inconveniences, your Petitioners do most humbly pray, that it may please this Honourable House to be a means, that it may be Enacted,

First, That no Ships may be deemed to belong to the Subjects of this Common-wealth as Owners, but such as are failed both out and home by a Master, and at least three quarters parts of the Mariners who are Natives, Subjects of some of the Dominions thereof.

Secondly, That the Statutes of the 5th year of King Richard the 2d. and the 3d Chap. and of the 4th of Henry the 7th and the 10th Chap. for the preservation of the Navigation of this Nation, may be revived, and re-inforced.

Thirdly, That no Fish whatsoever taken by the Subjects of this Common-wealth, either at home or abroad, may be permitted to be transported to any forraigne Market, upon any forraigne Ships whatsoever.

Fourthly, That a perfect Register may presently be taken of all forraigne Bottomes which do now really belong to the Subjects of this Common-wealth; and a severe Prohibition be made, that no more may be bought for the future.

Fifthly, That the Clause of the Act of the year 1651. For condemning the Ship, Gunns, Tackle, and Apparell, for the sake of any prohibited goods that may be found in her, may be moderated and limitted so as the Owners and Masters of Ships belonging to the Subjects of this Common-wealth, may not suffer for offences committed contrary to their knowledge and will.

Sixthly, That those provisions and remedies may by your wisdomes be so effectually penned, with such severe penalties and executions, as may either totally discourage former transgressors from attempting the like, or punish the new, according to their merrits.

And then your Petitioners doubt not, but by the blessing of God, you shall in a short time see this Nation to abound again in the number of Trading-Ships, and Sea-men: To the restoring of the Glory, Strength, and Wealth of the Nation.

And your Petitioners, and their present distressed Families, shall ever pray, &c.

Information about this book

Title statement

To the right honourable the knights, cittizens, and burgesses assembled in Parliament. The humble petition of the captains, commanders, and owners of English shipping, and other sea-faring men of this nation.

Edition statement

1659

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

B06143

ID [STC]

Wing T1642B

ID [STC]

ESTC R185237

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

52612451

ID [OCLC]

ocm 52612451

ID [VID]

179671

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. B06143)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 179671)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English Books, 1641-1700 ; 2796:9)

Source

— To the right honourable the knights, cittizens, and burgesses assembled in Parliament. The humble petition of the captains, commanders, and owners of English shipping, and other sea-faring men of this nation.,

Extent

1 sheet ([1] p.)

s.n.,. [London? :: 1659?]. (Caption title.) (Imprint suggested by Wing.) (Initial letter.) (All instances of the word "Holland" are crossed out in ms. and replaced with "forraigne".) (Reproduction of the original in the Bodleian Library.)

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