THere is no one thing, most renowned Soveraign, of grea­ter necessity to maintain the Honour and Safety of this your Majesty's Realm, than by all convenient means to encrease Navigation, Shipping and Mariners, these be­ing a strength in time of War; and in time of Peace, Members most Profitable and Commodious.

But this can neither be had, encreased, nor maintained, if First, sure Harbours he not provided, as Safe Receptacle to Re­ceive and guard them from Storms, Enemies, &c.

[Page 2] This hath moved that Industrious Nation of the low Coun­trys in Holland, Zealand and Flanders, where, by Reason of their Sandy Coast, tho' God hath scarcely in any Place allow'd them any good Havens Natural, yet seeing the Necessity and Commodity of Harbours, they have, without regard of any Charges or Travel, with Infinite Expences, made many Havens Artificial, even in such Places as Nature denyed them all the hopes of help; Whereby we see they have drawn such Intercourse and Traffick both of Foreign Nations for Merchandize, and also by their Industry for Fishing, that in few Years (almost in our Age) they have been able to Build a Number of most Sumptu­ous, Rich, and Beautiful Cities, furnish'd the Coast with a great Number of Ships and Mariners, and are become the most Populous and Rich Nation the Sun did ever shine on; And not only the Sea Coasts, but also the Inland Countreys, by quick vent of their Commodities, do Participate of the same Benefit and Felicity; And such their Charges on Havens and Harbours bestowed, do yeild them the Fruit of Riches, Wealth, and Com­modity most plentiful throughout their whole Dominion.

But contrary-wise, with us this last Parliament, lamentable Relation hath been made of the great Decay of Mariners and Fishermen, to the Number of many Hundred Sail upon our Coast of England, even in this Age, and within Memory; And also of the present Poverty, and Desolate Habitation of many Fronti­er Towns.

Whereby it plainly appeareth, That as the Excessive Expence of the Low Countreys bestow'd on Havens, hath not Impoverish'd, but the clean contrary, greatly Enrich'd them by Incomparable Wealth and Treasure, with Number of Rich, Fair and Populous Towns; So our Sparing Mind, or rather greedy Getting, Gain­ing, and Enriching Land from your Majesty's Havens and Navi­gable Channels, hath utterly Destroy'd and Spoiled many good Havens by Nature left us, and thereby wrought very Beggary, Misery and Desolation in these your Frontier Towns.

[Page 3] And if we Search the very cause of the Flourishing State of London, which almost alone in Quantity, People, and Wealth in this Age or Realm is so increas'd, and contrary-wise of the Po­verty or rather Beggary and Decay of Winchelsea, Rye, Rumney, Hide, Dover, and many other Poor Towns, we shall find the Decay of these Havens, and Preservation of the Thames, the only or chief Occasion.

Hereby sufficiently appeareth how Incomparable Jewells Ha­vens, and sure Harbours are for Gaining, Maintaining and En­creasing People, Wealth and Commodity in any Realm.

And no lesser Strength and Security do they bring in time of War, as well by the Multitude of Mariners (a most Serviceable People) and Shipping, which they Breed, as also the Inhabita­tion of the Frontiers.

But in the whole Circuit of this your Majesty's Famous Island, there is not any one either in Respect of Security and Defence, or of Traffick or Intercourse, more convenient, Needful, or rather of Necessity to be Regarded than this of Dover, Situate on a Pro­montory next Fronting a Puissant Foreign King, and in the very streight Passage and Intercourse of almost all the Shipping of Christendom.

And if that our Renowned King, your Majesty's Father, of Famous Memory, Henry the 8th in his time, found how Neces­sary it was to make a Haven at Dover (when Sandwich, Rey, Cam­ber and others were good Havens, and Cal [...]is also then in his Possession) and yet spared not to bestow of his own Treasure, so great a mass in building of that Pier, which then Secur'd a Pro­bable mean to perform thesame: How much more is the same now needful, or rather of Necessity (those good Havens being extream­ly decay'd) no safe Harbour being left in all the Coast almost be­tween Portsmouth and Yarmouth: Seeing the same also may be perform'd without the Expence of your Majesty's Private Trea­sure, the present Gift of Parliament consider'd, and their ready Wills so plainly discover'd, to supply whatsoever charge shall be needful, whensoever by your Gracious Providence they shall see the Realm arm'd with such a Sheild, and endow'd with so great a Jewel.

The foregoing Discourse was part of a Memorial, drawn up either by Sir Walter Raleigh or Sir Dudley Diggs, which I found among the Rubbish of old papers while I had the Honour to serve in the Office of the Ordnance, and was Searching after Light into the Ancient History and Services of Dover, to which Curiosity I had divers motives, viz. I had made several Essays to awaken his late Majesty King Charles out of the Lethargie he seem'd to me to be under, upon the French King's so loudly Alarm­ing us by the Profuse Expence he had been at in Fortifying his Coast, making Artificial Ports, and sparing no Coast where he had the least Prospect of Compassing Harbour and Defence for Ship­ping, and Improving his Naval Strength and Projects; which to me appear'd as so many Commets, whose Malevolence was Calculated, and could not fail, one time or other to fall on us. I had in those days, frequent occasions of Privacy with the King in his Closet, where I improv'd every Opportunity to Warm his Jealousy of the Growing Naval Power of France; And al­beit he gave me many a Gracious Hearing, and seem'd to take Pleasure in my Discourse on that Subject, and would often him­self Reason with great Sagacity on Naval Matters; yet I grew at length convinc'd, that I Labour'd in Vain, and had been all the while Blowing a Dead Coal, as by this short following Ac­count may appear.

In the Year 1682 Waiting one day on the King in his Closet, after some General Discourse, his Majesty was pleas'd to tell me that I had often hinted to him how busy the French King was on his Coast, and what Vast Designs he had conceiv'd for the Impovement of his Naval Power, which was Visible by his [Page 10] Fortifying of Dunkirke, in a most expensive manner, and Pro­jecting Extraordinary Works there, making Peers, Channels, Basins, and every Provision that Art can Suggest, and Money Compass, to Render that Place easy of Access, and make it a safe, Capacious and Commodious Harbour for Shipping. I told his Majesty, that not only at Dunkirk, Brest, and other Pla­ces where nature and Situation had given them some Help and Encouragement to Prosecute their Maritim Projects; but even every where else upon his Coast, in every Creek, Cove, or Inlet, where they can make Depth of Water, and give the least Harbour and Retreat for Shipping, they are, and have been on that Article equally Industrious; which, as I had often told his Majesty, seemd to me to have a very Evil Aspect on all the Ma­ritin States of Europe, but more especially his Majesty. That nothing (humanly speaking) cou'd prevent and defeat the Mighty Purposes of that Ambitious Monarch, so much as his want of Natural Aid towards the Increase of his Naval Strength; his Coast not yeilding him one good Port on all that Frontier which Regards us, which he most Providently weighing, had from an Harbouriess. Inhospitable Shoar, by Art, Industry, and a most Lavish Expence of Treasure, in a very great Degree, Repair'd; Insomuch that there is hardly 5 Leagues of Distance upon that Line, of their Coast Fronting ours, that does not yeild marks of their Care and Application. Barrs, Rocks and Shelves are remov'd, and Channels Opened and Deepned, to give safe and easy En­trance to such small Ports as they have by Nature. And in other Places where Art cou'd be thought to avail▪ they have spar'd no pains or Treasure to compass; Artificial Havens, Peers and Provisions of Succour for Shipping. They have also Built. Fortresses; rais'd Batteries, and Planted Cannon. Innumerable, all along their Coast, and perform'd every wise and needful Work to­wards the attaining their Ends of becoming Formidable by Sea, and all this against the Grain, and as it were in Despight of Nature, which yeilds them little or no Encouragment. While we on our Coast, where Providence is so bountiful, have been so very little on our Guard, that tho' Navigation be the Prime [Page 11] Jewel of the Crown, and is the Fountain and Foundation of both our Wealth and Safety; and without which we shou'd be a Contemptible Nation; have not only omitted to Improve the Tenders which Nature makes us for the Increase and Cultivat­ing of our Naval Power; But have in this last Age consented to see many of our useful Ports, Run to Decay, and at length to Ruine, and to become totally lost to the Nation; which a very little Foresight, and as little charge might have prevented, while the Evil was Growing; which at a long Run becomes in­curable. Among which Ports I instanc'd Sandwich, Dover, Rye, Winchelsea, &c. which were reckon'd heretofore as so many Bullworks against our Ambitious Neighbour. The King here­upon Reply'd, that he Confess'd he laid a little to heart the loss of the Haven of Dover; because it has fallen to decay mostly in his Reign; had yeilded him good Service in the First Dutch War, and in that which was made by the Parliament with that Nati­on, he was well assur'd that we had a Squadron of Cruizers which sail'd out of that Place, where they Fitted, Clean'd and Victuall'd, which did the Enemy more Dammage than any in the whole Channel beside. That therefore (if he thought that Haven cou'd be recover'd by any Tolerable Charge) he was then more than ever dispos'd to ingage in such a Work, inasmuch as that he was well assur'd, that not only all that I had said was true, but that the French King (to whom tho' he had signify'd already by his Ambassador, That the great Bustle he had made upon the Coast had given Jealousy and Distaste to the Nation, and was not very pleafing to him) had nevertheless Engag'd very lately in a New Expensive Work of the same Nature, with those I had mention'd) in the Neighbourhood of Galais, where great Numbers of Men were then actually Employ'd in Fortify­ing the Coast, and making an Harbour, and Basin for Reception of Shipping, &c. Which being just under his Nose, he said he had so much the more Reason to Resent it, and which he cou'd not do in a better manner than by attempting the Recovery of Dover Haven, wherein ifhe Succeeded; as it wou'd give an oc­casion of Ease to the Peoples Jealousy, so it wou'd obviate in [Page 12] some Measure the Danger that Threatned us from so Restless and Projecting a Neighbour. I Reply'd to his Majesty, with great Joy, that I thought it wou'd be a most acceptable Instance to the Nation, of his Care for their safety, and a useful Proof to the Murmuring People of his Just Dislike and Suspicion of the French King's Proceedings, and that I was in no doubt whenever his Majesty shou'd appear to go in earnest, about so Laudable and Needful a Work, that the Parliament wou'd Frankly Assist him towards the Expence.

His Majesty hereupon Commanded me to make a Journey to Dover to Survey the Port, and Enable my self by the best means I cou'd, to give him a true State thereof in order to a Pro­ject for the Recovery of that Harbour; which order I carefully executed, and on my Return waited on his Majesty with my Report, together with a Plan and State of the present Peer; an History of the Services that Place had yeilded the Crown; how it has fallen to Decay, and how with least Charge it might be Repair'd and Render'd useful again. I told his Majesty that the bare Customes and Duties he had lost by the decay of that Port, which for want of Entrance there, as had been Customary (there being no other in many Leagues together on the Coast) and which were therefore now Smugled and totally lost) wou'd be by many Degrees more than enough when recover'd (and which wou'd most certainly accrue upon Restoring the Harbour) to Repay the utmost Charge he cou'd be at for it's Re­pair and Improvement, which single Encouragement I thought was Incitement enough to go about so Noble, Useful and Repu­table a Work.

I told his Majesty that the Port was at that time become in­tirely useless, the Peer within being Fill'd and Choak'd up with Sand and Mud, and the Depth of Water lost; That there was a Bank of Beach at the mouth of the Harbour of many Thousand Tuns, which Bar'd up the Entrance. That the Town (which was wont to abound in Shipping, Seamen, Commerce, People and Plen­ty of all things) was become Poor, desolate and Dispeopl'd which was Visible every where, by their Decay'd Buildings and Ha­bitations, [Page 13] where half the Houses at least throughout the whole Town had Bills on the Doors; All which cou'd be ascrib'd to no other Reason than the Decay of their Harbour: touching the true Cause whereof, or the cure, the Inhabitants (with whom I had frequent Conference) cou'd give me little or no Light.

In this Audience, I gave his Majesty an Extensive Account of all things Relating to the Subject about which he had sent me: I presented him with a Draught of the then State of the Port of Dover, wherein was express'd the manner of it's Decay, and the present Ruinous Condition in which it was. I Endeavour'd also to explain to him how this Damage had come to pass, and by what means it had grown to that Head, as to have Render'd the Haven now almost lost to the Publick. From the Causes of the Disease, I proceeded to my Proposals for the Remedy, wherein I had the good Fortune to explain every Point of my Project, with Evidence enough to oblige his Majesty at that time to say that he was so well satisfy'd, that he was Resolv'd he wou'd not Defer the Work a Day. That as I had made every thing plain and intelligible to him; So above all, he was pleas'd with two most useful and Encourageing Propositions therein contain'd, Namely, That whereas in most great Works of that kind, Princes were Generally Oblig'd to Prosecute and go through the whole Expence (which for the most part was very great) before they cou'd Reap the least Profit of their Design, or be assur'd of the Success; While this Work on the contrary was so order'd and contriv'd by me, That he was sure to Re­ceive a present Profit from every Sum (be it more or less) which he shou'd at any time think fit to lay out, and that the Benefit wou'd be presently seen, and Gather'd, in Proportion to the Charge he shou'd be at; which he might Limit or Respite as he pleas'd, without Danger of Damage to the Work that should be done, or of losing the Advantage that should be once gain'd in case of discontinuing the same.

The Second Point that pleas'd his Majesty was; That where­as all Artificial Ports that ever he had heard of (which is most true) were Subject to Choak, and fill up with Sand or Sullage, and to lose by degrees their Depth of Water, without great Care and a continual Charge to prevent it; and which was the [Page 14] Cause for the most part of the decay and loss of such Ports to the Publick: That he perceiv'd I had plainly obviated that Evil, and by a New and very Demonstrable Invention had evidently Secur'd the Depth of Water for ever, which no Neglect cou'd hinder, or towards which any Expence or Annual Charge was Necessary.

I concluded with this General Incitement to his Majesty, That Multiplicity of Ports in a Maritim Kingdom, (such as his) was above all things to be wish'd; which in times of Peace was a great Means of Encouragement to our Naval Intercourse, and Coasting Trade, whereby our Capital City, became better sup­ply'd, and at Cheaper Rates, with all things needful; that Sea­men were Proportionably Propagated, Shipping and all the Incident Professions of Shipwrightry and Navigation increas'd and improv'd, &c. That in time of War, Shelter, and De­fence against an Enemy was by that means more at Hand, whereby our Commerce was better Preserv'd, our Frontier so much the stronger, and Cruizers had more dispatch; and were bet­ter Spread and Dispos'd at Sea; because wheresoever there are Ports Commodiously Situate, and in the Road of our Com­merce, there of course will be Men of War appointed and Enter­tain'd in times of Hostility, where they can Clean, Victual and Refit, whereby great Expedition (which is the Life of Action) wou'd be obtain'd, and half the time gain'd that was spent in going to Remote Ports, as the Thames, Chatham, Portsmouth, &c. Where, if the Wind hangs out of the way, Ships lye long on Demorage, become Fowl by Staying for a Wind, and lose many Occasions of Service, which in Ports lying upon the Edge of our Channel, as Dover does, can never happen; where you need no Pylotage, and are no sooner out of the Haven but you are at Sea.

In a Word, I Ended my Discourse to his Majesty, with assu­ring him that Dover promis'd every thing he cou'd hope from such a Port; was Si [...]uate the nearest of all others to a Great, Dan­gerous and Aspiri [...]g Neighbour, who had given so many Instan­ces of Wisdom and Foresight in the charge he had been at on that Line of his Coast which confronts ours, and which whenever his Majesty shou'd Chance to have a War with that People, [Page 15] wou'd be found to turn every way both Offensively and Defen­sively to Marvellous Account.

That Dover stands on a Promontory which Survey's, and might be made to Command the greatest Thorough-Fare of Naviga­tion in the World, where no ship can pass unobserv'd, or escape the danger of being attack'd, when there shou'd be cause, and was of the same use by Sea as a Passe is by Land. And, that there was no Design his Majesty cou'd Entertain for it's Strength and Improvement, that was not Compassable by Art, and that did not promise a Plentiful Return of Profit and Honour, of any the Greatest Sum he could spare to lay out upon it.

I departed at that time from his Majesty full of hopes, that what I had done and said on this Subject, wou'd have produc'd the good Effect of some speedy Resolution; but taking the Li­berty some days after to remind him therein, I found him, to my great Disappointment, much calmer than I had left him, and receiv'd this short Answer, That it was a Noble Project in­deed, but that it was too big for his present Purse, and wou'd Keep Cold. Shortly after I was Dispatch'd to my Business in a remote Country, and from that time to this have neither said nor heard any thing of Dover.

Now the Remark I wou'd make on this Sudden and Sur­prizing Coldness of the King's, is namely this, That the long Audience I then had of his Majesty, chanc'd to be in a certain great Ladies Appartment in White-Hall, where I had no sooner began my Discourse, and produc'd my Papers, when Mons. Bar­rillon, the French Ambassador, came in; who I observ'd to Listen with great Attention to what was debated; asking the said Laay very earnestly many Questions about the Subject Matter of our Conference, who I perceiv'd to Interpret to him every thing that was said on that occasion, as did the King afterwards in my hearing; Explaining the whole Project, and the Contents of the several Designs; Expressing his great Approbation of the Re­port I had made him; whereupon making Reflection on this Occurrence, I was no longer in doubt touching the cause of my Disappointment; but that it was not the French Kings Inte­rest, and therefore not his Pleasure, that we shou'd proceed on this Work, and that so Noble a Project shou'd thus Die in the [Page 16] Birth, who wou'd have been contented (I make no Question) to have given ten times the amount of the Cost to defeat so Na­tional an undertaking, which look'd with so threatning an aspect on those great Scheams of Naval Power which he has since put in Execution, and is Prosecuting to this day; And I think it there­fore becomes every hearty English Man to Conclude that such an Incident as I have here produc'd, ought to superadd one new and So­lid Argument of Incitement to those that have been urg'd towards some solemn deriberation on so promising and Important a Sub­ject; and if our Forefathers, in those darker times of Queen Eliz. saw a Reason for their Speculations on this Article, then when their views were narrow, their motives less, and the means to at­tain their purpose hardly to be compass'd through the Limitted Fonds of Treasure in those days, and the insufficiency of Under­takers to conceive, design, and Prosecute Works of that sort, so Magnificent; So new and out of the way of the Worlds Practice; It may therefore be hop'd, that now, when our motives of Dan­ger, &c. are so visible, and so much Stronger; the means of ob­taining so Noble an end every way more within our reach; while we behold by what Arts and Means, and with what Profusion of Treasure, a Neighbouring Prince pursues his Maritim Projects, and since we have seen and felt with what Effect he has suc­ceeded in his Aims to Rival us by Sea, and in a word, while we know he must naturally ever be more than our Match by Land; and that nothing at this day can insure our safety, but a Demon­strable Superioriry of Naval Strength. What greater Wisdom and Precaution can we Manifest, or how can we more laudably pub­lish our Attention to the Publick Welfare, than by Seasonably obviating the Evils that seem to Threaten us by the growing Naval Power of France, towards which no one step we can make, promises better Fruit than this proposal of Recovering and Improving the Haven of Dover, which is by Nature Situate to our wish, and in my Humble Opinion is capable of being made by Art so useful to our selves and Friends, and so effectu­al to bridle, prevent and Annoy our Enemies; that were the Argument duly weigh'd, I am perswaded we shou'd think no Sum too great to be so Employ'd.