REASONS Humbly Offer'd to the High Court of Parliament, For Suspending that Part of the Act of Navigation (during the War with France) which obliges the Master, and three Fourths of the Marriners (of his Ship) to be English.
I. BY alowing all English Ships (during the War) to be Man'd with Forreigners, (who shall not be liable to be pressed) the King will have those of his own Subjects now imployed in Merchants Ships, wholly in his own Service; by which his Navy will be supplied in time, without the necessity of staying for the Men that are Abroad, as heretofore, to the great Danger of the Nation.
II. The Ships which now lie by the Walls for want of Men, will then be Imployed, and Trade with a little assistance of Convoys, have its free Course again, to the great incouragement of the Subject, and inabling them to a chearful Payment of their Taxes.
III. By the Trade of the Nation, the King's Customs will be greatly increased, and by consequence the Burthen on the Lands lessened.
IV. The necessity which Merchants are now under, of imploying Forreign Shpis, so much to the Prejudice of the Nation, and Advantage of Strangers, will then cease; for these Forreign Ships will not now serve in any considerable Voyage, for less (suppose) than a Thousand Pound, which Thousand Pound, except about one Hundred Pound, is all carried out of the Land; whereas if our own Ships (which now lie by the Walls for want of Men) were Imployed, this Money would all remain in the Country, except some small matter which the Sea-men save out of their Wages, and it's much if it amount to Thirty or Forty Pound: Which considered, whether will it not be more to the Advantage of the Nation, to Imploy English Ships Man'd with Forreign Sea-men, then Forreign Ships, who taking the advantage of our want of Men, demand, and at this time actually have more than double the Freight which our own Ships would serve us for, if they might but be so Man'd.