THO' I have not hitherto thrown away much Time, in Perusing the many ill-natured Pam­phlets that have lurked about the Town; yet have I, with more than ordinary Obser­vation, read over a Book just crept out among the Croud, on which is bestowed the Title of, The State of the Navy, &c.

As to its Author's Reflections, on those Gentlemen who are intrusted with the Management of the Offices of the Navy and Victualling, I shall leave it to such of them (if any) who have for a long time sucked in the Sweerness of those Employments, to perform that bitter Task, of making the Brightness of their Integrity shine, through the many Clouds this Gentle­man has drawn over them; and shall only confine my short Discourse to what he lays to the Charge of the Admiralty; in which Office, thô I have not been parti­cularly concerned, yet have I not been wanting, in some measure, to inform my self of the Nature thereof, and am not wholly a Stranger, to the ill Treatment those Gentlemen daily receive, notwithstanding the Ser­vices they have done their Country during the Fatigue of the late War.

This ingenuous Author, at his first attacking them, does peremptorily affirm, That the Mismanagements of the Offices of the Navy and Victualling, proceed from the ill Conduct of this single One, the Admiralty, which he terms their Fountain; without considering, that the Purest Waters, when they once entangle them­selves with other Channels, that they must unavoidably fall into, seldom fail, by such Conjunction, of losing great part of their Original Virtue; thô what remains in the Fountain, keeps its Purity.

From what Fountain this Gentleman has derived his Knowledge, I cannot judge; but 'tis somewhat apparent, that if once it had good Qualities in it, it has now had the ill Fortune to mingle with a Pool of Troubled Waters.

I can hardly be Master of so much ill Nature, as to put him in Mind of one Observation of his on [Page 5] Solomon and Hiram's Navies, lest being thereby led to reflect on it, he should at last discover himself to be a greater Ape, than any he says were contain'd in those Noble Machines; for what Notion this Canting Gen­tleman can have of the Oeconomy then in Practice, for the Preserving and Well-employing the Invincible Armada's of those Princes; or what sort of Ship­men they were, whose Experience in Sea-Affairs, En­tituled them to the Conduct of them, I am altoge­ther a Stranger to; though I am apt to believe, his Ignorance in that, and the present Discipline of our Navy, run Parallel one with the other; other­wise, he would have found out more proper Persons for the carrying on so great and intricate a Business, than a Number of Old Females, Inhabiting a Place, from whence, 'tis more than probable, he gather'd the scatter'd Fragments which he has maliciously ta­ken the trouble of jumbling together.

I find this Gentleman's Stomach too Squeemish, to admit of any one's being Qualified to sit at the Admiralty-Board, but a Sea-Man; for to that intent he Quotes the Sea-Commanders of Solomon; a Prince, whose Country, I am apt to believe, afforded but little choice of that kind. But if my Author had taken the trouble, to have informed himself a Little (for Much I doubt he'l never know with greatest Application) of the Constitution and Business of the Office of High-Admiral of England, he would have agreed with me, That Persons knowing in other Matters, as well as Sea­manship, are absolutely Necessary to carry on so in­tricate an Affair: But since his want of Enquiry, ren­ders him altogether a Stranger to this, I cannot judge him in the least capable to discover, wherein the Gen­tlemen [Page 6] who now Compose that Board, are wanting, either in Qualifications or Inclination, to serve their Country; but do rather suspect, that he has industri­ously gathered his Scandalous Reproaches from Per­sons who have thought themselves Disobliged, or whose uneasie Tempers, like his own, induce them to fly in the Faces of others, chiefly for the sake of Mis­chief, and not with the least intent of Benefit to their Country: And if I guess right, this is not the first time the Pen of my Antagonist has been dipp'd in Gall.

In another Place he takes Pains to insinuate his own mighty Apprehensions, That the trusting the Affairs of the Royal Navy any longer in the present Hands, may be of Fatal Consequence, in regard they may embarrass the Naval Affairs, and retard the Enterprizes thereof, by ordering Squadrons and Cruizers in such Stations where they cannot be Serviceable; but sure I am, he cannot be­lieve, (unless he is an Original of down-right Folly) that these Gentlemen will so little regard even their own Safety, as wilfully to do what may prejudice their Country; whereas others, (whoever they be that suc­ceed) for want of the Experience which a Nine Years War, and an Industrious Application, must give, (thô otherwise Persons of greatest Probity) may unadvisedly fall into such Errors as my Author mentions. Besides, Are not the future Actions of these Gentlemen, as lia­ble as any others, to pass the strictest Scrutiny of that Great and Wise Assembly which our Country has made choice of? These Things weighed together, wherein does appear the Advantage a Change will introduce; unless the worthy Gentleman, with whom I am now in Contest, be silenced with the Offer of the Chair? His Qualifications, for which I did vainly hope to find in [Page 7] the Body of his Book, since on the outside he borrows the Name of a Sayler.

However, I find he would have them out, Right or Wrong, because they have been so long In; as if the length of a Man's Service to his Country and Prince, Renders him Guilty of an unpardonable Crime: But then I hope he will be-friend his Country, by Nominating a Set of those un-erring Gentlemen he has in his Eye, to Fill their Places. For my own part, I cannot think a Thousand Pounds a Year, is so very Tempting, (especially, where a Man has a Competency of his own to afford him Bread) as to Induce many Men to Expose themselves to the the constant Clamour and Reproach, which I doubt will always attend the Actions of those that Fill this unlucky Office; nor can he, in Common Justice, think it Reasonable, that others should have the Benefit of that in Peace, which these Gentlemen have Toyl'd for in War; wherein, tho' their many Services are now forgotten, and Crimes daily laid to their Charge, yet I cannot find any Facts prov'd, able to Stagger me in my Opinion, that in Consideration of the length of their Service, and Experience in the Business, they are the most proper Persons to carry on the Affair with which they are at present Intrusted,

I cannot omit taking notice, that in several Pages of the First part of this Gentleman's Book, he Insinu­ates the Hardships done to the Seamen, during the late War, and particularly, in the turning them over, after having made one Foreign Voyage, into Ships bound on another, without suffering them to come on Shoar to tell their Grievances; to which I dare bold­ly say, that had there been more Instances of this [Page 8] kind, than he can be furnish'd with, from those Per­sons whose Materials stuff up his Book, yet the fre­quent want of Men, and the many Services which the greatness of the Action requir'd them for, might suf­ficiently excuse it. For my own part, I wish all Ima­ginable Happiness and Satisfaction to these poor Peo­ple, who Wade thorough so many Difficulties and Hazards for the Bread they Eat; and I would not have them Despair of finding Advantages and Ease in Peace, which they could not Enjoy in War: But I should be much to blame, did I not tell this their pretended Champion, that he shews himself rather an Enemy than a Friend to the Government, by publish­ing a Doctrine like this, in regard it may tend more to Its Prejudice than he is capable of Judging, though perhaps not to that Degree as he does wish.

Lastly, As to what he Insinuates relating to the Victualing the Fleet in the Streights, under Command of the Earl of Orford, and particularly that part where­in he says, It was call'd the Vinegar Fleet, by reason of the sour Wine the Saylers drank; I refer my self to any of these Men, he says were so sourly Treated in that Expedition, whether the Wine which was daily delivered to them, was not as good, as what the Ad­miral himself, or the Captains drank at their own Ta­bles. Which being matter of Fact, I do not think it worth my while to expose any other parts of his Igno­rance or Malice on that Subject.