having made Observations of some Miscarriages in the Publick during the late Wars, and finding it is morally Impossible to bring the Offenders to Punishment, unless this Honorable House will vouchsafe to take cognizance thereof; and being no way doubtful of your Honours good Intentions of Redressing Publick Grievances, which like a raging Pestilence or violent Torrent, running many years without controle, has greatly impoverished and almost ruined this Fruitful and Populous Kingdom. True it is, that War begets Poverty, but the present and extreme Poverty of this Nation, proceeds not from the War it self, but from the Warriers, viz. those imployed in the management thereof, who has made the same not only expensive but tedious and doubtful. I do not intend to make repetitoins of what Sums has been given by Parliament to prosecute the War with Vigour, and what Sums has been given to carry on the War with France, this Honorable House hath no need of Intelligence thereof; and therefore I shall omit that, and give your Honours a hint of what I have observed in general, during the said War, viz. how his Majesties Royal Undertaking has been betrayed and obstructed, his Publick Treasure profu­sedly wasted and purloyned, his Trading Subjects and Seamen oppressed and ruined, his truly loyal and faithful Subjects discouraged and rejected, the War retarded and prolonged, Justice perverted, and his Royal Perogative contemned and rejected; his Enemies and Criminals, the occasion thereof, supported and protected, to the almost Ruin of his Majestys great and glorious Undertakings; whereby this Nation is miserably faln from that glorious Prospect it had in the beginning of the Revolution. But passing by the particulars of each Grievance, as being too many to enumerate at present, I shall only present your Honours with what I have observed touching the im­bezling of PRIZES, and Prize GOODS, together with some Proceedings of the Commissioners for Prizes; whereby it is notorious Evident, that his Majesty has been Defrauded of several hundred thousand Pounds, and the Seamen and Mariners almost wholly deprived of their Shares and Proportions allowed (by the late Act) for their incouragement. And altho this Honorable House (with intent to discover those Frauds) has been pleased to order the said Commissioners, to lay before them, an Account of what Ships has been taken during the War, and how they have been Sold, and how the money arising thereby has been applyed; and that the said Commissio­ners pursuant thereunto, have produced an Account thereof, yet it is morally impossible your Honours can have a true state of that matter from them, for the following Reasons, to wit, several Ships has been taken this War which with their whole Cargoe and Furniture has been Imbezled by the Captors, and no returns made thereof to their Office: other Ships has been taken and put into the Custody of others the Kings Officers, and not entred or accounted for in the said Prize Office, or elsewhere: And this liberty of imbezling and purloyning of Prize Ships and Goods, has chiefly hapned through the indifferency and negligence of the Commissioners, who not regarding his Majesty's Interest, or their own Duty's, have frequently conniv'd at their Offences; for when discoveries has been made to them of this kind, they have been pleas'd to Brow-beat the discoverers, and to tell them, that the matter discovered was committed a great way off, or a great while agoe, and that the Person accused for such Imbezzlement had given them an account upon Oath of what he had taken; and that that was sufficient for them. So that the King, and Mariners, was thereby defrauded of their Shares and Proportions, and the Discoverers (tho promised a Reward at first) was only looked upon with an evil Eye, and branded with the Name of an Informer. True it is, to please the Discoverer, and send him a wild Goose chase, they have somtimes put the King to a consi­derable charge to condemn such Ships, and the Discoverer to the charge and trouble of producing Evidence to prosecute the same, rewarding the Discoverer with a no [...]-payment of such Shares and Proportions of Prize Mony as he was justly intitled to receive. But after all, the same has lay dormant, being buried in Oblivion, and the Im­bezlers never call'd to any further account: whereby his Majesty hath not only been defrauded of immense Sums of Money, but the Marriners and Seamens shares of Prize Money, who by the ill usage of their Commanders are Q and run, is remaining in the hands of the said Commissioners, or paid to their Captains, as a reward for their severity. So audacious have they been in countenancing and carrying on those Clandestine Pr [...]ctises, that when some Commanders has been justly multed a considerable Sum for such Immbezzlements, at another Board they have been pleased to refund and pay them, out of the publick Cash, at their Office. Other Prize Ships and Goods be­ing delivered into their custody, hath suffered the same fate, several prodigious Imbezzlements having been like­wise made of their Cargoe, to the great prejudice of his Majesty, and others concerned, who notwithstanding their utmost endeavours, could not prevail with them to enquire into those miscarriages, in order to make Resti­tution for the same; whereby several Offenders (by such Imbezzlements) are grown so flush and full of mony, that it is a task of the greatest difficulty to bring them to a Tryal in any of his Majesty's Courts, upon the greatest Breach of the Law. These and many other illegal Practises, too many here to enumerate, has frequently been occasioned through the ill conduct of the Officers for Prizes; which, the better to cover the crime, they have Retaliated themselves, with an extraordinary Reward for their signal Services, as by their Books of Accounts will evidently appear: To which I humbly refer, and shall only hint, that it would be a Work of singular Use to his Majesty, and the Publick, to Examine their particular Accounts, of Disburstments, Contingencies, promis­cous, incident, and accidental Charges, together with their great Salleries and Rewards, with their little, or no attendance, whereby the mystery of the whole matter may soon be unfolded, if this Honorable House will be pleased to command a Discovery thereof: which being most humbly intimated, may readily be proved.

The premises thus truly stated, the Consideration thereof is most humbly offered and submitted to this most August and Honorable Assembly; from whence a Redress of all our Grievances are desired and expected.