Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A35158
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Justice perverted, and innocence & loyalty oppressed, or, A detection of the corruptions of some persons in places of great trust in the government which would have been laid open the last session of Parliament, according to the intentions of both Houses, had it not been prevented.
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Crosfeild, Robert.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing C7245; ESTC R7496
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24,562
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31
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with a Merchant on behalf of the King for Stores for the Use of his Majesty's Navy but the Goods delivered were not of half the Value as by Contract they ought to have been Yet notwithstanding they were received by order of the * Captain Wilshaw Commissioner upon the place but an Officer of Trust seeing how grosly His Majesty was abus'd therein would not admit of it upon which the Commissioner highly threatned him and in some measure oblig'd him to a Compliance which was to His Majesty's Damage two or three hundred Pounds Another Contract was made and great part of the King's Timber brought into the Yard as Merchants Goods which an Officer by the Yard observing refus'd to receive Whereupon a great Dispute hapned between the said Officer and the Commissioner and other Officers who were all very angry with him that he should dispute the Matter and never left the Affair till they had gain'd their End which was to His Majesty 's very great Loss Another fraudulent Contract was made on behalf of the King wherein a Person 's Hand was forged a * Captain Wilshaw All prov'd upon Oath before the Lords of the Admiralty Commissioner being concern'd but they were detected therein yet His Majesty suffer'd 2 or 300 Pound Damage and had much more had it not been discovered A great deal more of this nature might be recited but I think here are sufficient Instances to convince all Men of the evil Practices of the Navy-board in reference to Contracts But to proceed Sometime after the Embezlement of the King's Stores in Portsmouth-Yard broke out the Commissioners of the Navy were at the Admiralty-board and then and there did approve of the Prosecution of such Persons as had embezled the King's Stores tho before they had done what in them lay to prevent those Discoveries and used their utmost Endeavour to ruin the Gentleman that was the occasion of bringing those Deeds of Darkness to Light tho the Facts were so plain they could no longer withstand it But before that Matter came to trial there were far greater Discoveries wherein most of the Officers of Portsmouth-Yard were concerned as likewise some Commissioners of the Navy as has been related so that when the Trial at the King's Bench Bar came on they appear'd in a body in the face of Justice to bring off the Criminals whose Prosecution they had before approv'd which they effected by setting up a false Book of Loans and thereby impos'd upon the Court and Jury then the Attorney-General could do no less than bring a Noli Prosequi to stop all farther Proceedings His Majesty having been at vast Charge in that Prosecution and no good ensued upon it so that there were three other Informations * Wherein a multitude of Persons were concerned as Offenders which at that time were dropt and nothing done therein to this time There 's another Business also of the very same Nature The Mayor of Portsmouth was fin'd 200 l. at Winchester Assizes for not returning the Recognizance in his hands Upon which the Commissioner * Capt. Wilshaw now Commissioner in the Straits of Portsmouth sends an Attorney along with the Mayor to go after the Judg to Salisbury where he interceded with the Judg in the Name and by the Order of the Commissioner to excuse the Fine which was accordingly done and the Commissioner bore all the Charge of that Journey All prov'd upon Oath before the Lords of the Admiralty and the very original Note the Attorney gave him of the Charge is now in the hands of the Lords of the Admiralty So this Affair as well as the other fell and never came to any thing I shall relate another Passage of near kin to the foregoing A certain Person here in Town a Sail-maker by Trade apply'd himself to Sir Richard Haddock Comptroller of the Navy and acquainted him that there were very great Embezlements made of the King's Canvas to that degree that it was a very great Injury to the Trade in general by being under sold And he told the Comptroller how and by what Means the Persons might be taken with the Goods upon them Prov'd upon Oath before a Commission of Council and if he would grant him a Commission he said he would undertake the Matter himself And after near an hour's Discourse Sir Richard slighted it telling him That Kings and Princes were born to be cheated and so there was nothing done therein And for Satisfaction of the Navy-board I can shew a large List of Seizures that have been made no ways relating to the Portsmouth Business yet no Prosecution either against Buyer or Seller But during these Contests in reference to the Embezlements of Portsmouth-Yard it must be acknowledged the Lords of the Admiralty gave all imaginable Encouragement to such as were instrumental in those Discoveries with assurance of their Favour which they enjoyed so long as the Right Honourable the Earl of Pembrook my Lord Cornwallis and Sir Richard Onsloe were in Commission but when their Lordships and Sir Richard left that Board the Scene soon chang'd and the Interest of the Navy-board prevail'd Yet in the end notwithstanding all the ill Actions of the Commissioners of the Navy their Lordships might have dismist all such Officers their Employment being under their Jurisdiction as appeared to be Criminal and thereby given a great check to those horrid Embezlements that were made yet nothing was done therein But on the contrary the Commissioners of the Navy fell with great Violence upon those Gentlemen who had made those Discoveries and suspended them their Employments and there was Subordination endeavour'd and set on foot by a Commissioner * Captain Wilshaw and other foul Practices used against them too long here to insert whereby to throw them out of their Employments which after some time they did effect yet no Crime but their Faithfulness to His Majesty and their Trust could be prov'd against them And the Lords of the Admiralty who ought to have protected them from the Violence of the Navy-board slighted them and turn'd them off with all imaginable Scorn and Contempt and to add to their Affliction many of the most notorious Criminals were preferr'd The Navy-board having by these foul and wicked Means crush'd all those Persons that had made any Discoveries of embezled Stores there must from thence consequently ensue infinite Embezlements and from that time I find not any Officer hath dar'd to oppose them who have ever since acted as they please without Controll But to proceed Sometime after these unjust Successes of the Navy-board one Mr. George Everet Shipwright observing the great Abuses committed in the King 's Yards by the Mens wasting their Time and their daily Destruction of Timber and Plank applied to the Lords of the Admiralty and made a Proposal to them whereby to save His Majesty 100000 l. or more per Annum in the building and repairing the Royal Navy and gave such