Merchant-Ships trading in and out of those Ports in defection to the Parliament with Ammunition Money and Goods that have been taken and made Prize by the Parliament-Ships to a large Sum and many that have been restored to well-affected persons and divers that on the earnest request of the Spanish French and Dutch Embassadours that have been delivered back unto them By which it doth appear that some shot have been made in anger and not onely at Sea but it is well known to the Parliament that the Navie hath not had the least share in preserving of Plymouth the Isle of Wight Hampton Portsmouth Weymouth Lyme Hull Wales and Ireland and divers other places which otherwise had been in the hands of the Kings Forces at this time Neither must we omit the great service done in the Downs in Anno 1642 where by the wisdom and valour of the Right Honourable Robert Earl of Warwick Admirall in the James Captain William Batten Vice-Admirall in the Saint George and a mixture of Sea-men Commanders of the best of his Majesties Ships then in the Downs At which time there was a Message sent from his Majesty by the hands of Sir John Pennington and Master Villiers directed to the Earl of Warwick therein requiring the delivery up of the Fleet into the hands of Sir John Pennington appointed by his Majesty to be Admirall This Message being spred amongst the Commanders and Sea-men in the Fleet it invited the greater part of the Gentlemen who commanded divers of those Ships then present to submit unto his Majesties Message and to stand upon their guard refusing all commands the Earl of Warwick laid upon them in obedience to the Parliament The names of the Captains and Ships on either side are hereafter expressed Commanders that submitted to His MAjESTIES Message Sir John Mince Rear-Admirall in the Victory Captain Fog in the Reformation Captain Slingsby in the Guard-land Captain Burley in the Anthelope Captain Wake in the Expedition Captain Fox in the Lyon Captain Hill in the tenth Whelp Commanders who continued in obedience to KING and PARLIAMENT The Right Honourable Robert Earl of Warwick Admirall in the James Captain Batten Vice-Admirall in the Saint George Captain Thomas Trenchfield in the Vnicorn Captain George Hatch in the Mary Captain Richard Swanley Charles Captain Brian Harrison Vauntguard Captain Richard Owen Entrance Captain Henry Bethell Mari-rose Captain Martin Martin Captain Thomas Ashley Sampson But it pleased God that by the integrity of the Sea-men who faithfully stood to that Noble Lord the Commanders of such Ships that revolted from the Parliament were quickly suppressed and reduced to his Lordships obedience who placed other Captains in their room which was a very great Service and indeed under God the protection of the Parliament and Kingdom for had his Majesty been possessed of that Fleet he would thereby have been Master of the Seas and blockt up the City of London in their Relief and Trade By which all men may see that the many hundred thousands of pounds which Master Burrell saith hath been spent is not wasted in vain as he maliciously suggesteth In the second place Master Burrell saith The Officers of the Navie have been advised how they may make part of the Navie able to subdue the Kings Men of War with the saving of one 4th part of that vast charge which hath been spent at Sea but in opposition to any good advice they will not be moved to reduce one of the old Ships for a triall and though the Kingdom perish they will persist in deluding the State commending and supporting the Title of a Royall Navie when in truth it is unserviceable I beleeve I may safely say contemptible in the esteem of Strangers Ans We cannot but wonder at the imbecillity of this man who contrary to the opinion of the ablest Sea-men and Ship-wrights of this Kingdom would cut down the best Ships in the Navie and make them nimble Frigates as if the three Frigates now building and near twenty more now in the Service were not by Gods assistance able to subdue half a dozen which are left untaken of his Majesties Men of War and the most of them of so small force that they are not considerable if any of the Parliaments Frigates meet with them And for saving of one 4th part of the charge we beleeve if he bring the Navie into such a posture as he pretends from Ships to Frigates he may very well save one 4th part of the charge both in men Victuals and Ordnance But we desire to know of this Dull Carpenter how he will do this without disabling the Navie And for supporting the Title of a Rovall Navie we dare presume to aver and maintain and that in despite of Malignants and all Enemies to the King and Parliament That no Prince in Christendom hath so many brave Ships for a defensive and offensive War as the Kingdom of England hath at this present having of the first rank 4 Ships that carry from 50 to 80 peeces of Ordnance 12 Ships of the second rank that carry from 44 to 50 peeces of Ordnance 9 Ships of the third rank that carry from 36 to 44 peeces of Ordnance and of the fourth rate 3 Ships which carry from 24 to 32 2 Ships of the fifth rate carrying from 16 to 20 peeces of Ordnance 3 of the sixth rate carrying from 10 to 16 peeces of Ordnance besides 20 Ships and Frigats which the Parliament hath bought and taken And if these Ships appear contemptible in the eyes of Strangers we shall refer it to the judgement of any moderate man As also whether it be fit that Master Burrell should publish to all Strangers That the Navie of this Kingdom is in an unserviceable condition when it doth appear to all men that it was never better managed nor in a better posture then now it is In the next place Master Burrell saith The Officers of the Navie do know that the Navie hath not performed any good Service for the Kingdom since these distracted Wars began yet such is their plotting that they will continue it in an unserviceable condition Ans The Officers of the Navie do know that the Navie hath performed many good Services for the Kingdom as it is set forth in our Answer to the first Article And our plotting hath never been otherwise then for upholding and maintaining the honour of the Navie In the fourth place Master Burrell saith That the Officers of the Navie being thus resolved to accomplish their own ends they suffer the Royall Navie to lie rotting at Chatham and Portsmouth at a dear rate a rate that exceeds all former Presidents and that they hire the worst of Merchant-Ships and Colliers to serve in their room and that he is hold to say they are more sluggish then any Ships in the Navie and some of those Ships are belonging to the Officers of the Navie and some to Parliament-men Ans To which we Answer That it is false for the
he saith the Officers of the Navie sent out their Prest-masters into Suffolk and Essex to presse 900 Sea-men and out of the River of Thames 200 Water-men but at the day of their appearing of all that number there appeared at Chatham but 224 whereof 124 were Water-men and then makes his Inference as if there were a scarcity and unwillingnesse in Sea-men and Water-men to the Service of the Parliament To which we Answer That we did send out Prest-masters to the foresaid places for 500 men and not for 900 as Master Burrell falsely saith to the end we might not make a scarcity of men in this City for the Merchant-Ships in regard we were to set out a Fleet of 6000 men whereas in time past our predecessors for such Fleets never prest lesse then 2000 men in the Countrey yet such was the willingnesse of the Sea-men and Water-men to serve the Parliament that the Ships are all mann'd long since and at Sea and we writ our Letters down to the Prest-masters to stay their hand and of those that were pressed came to Chatham as appears under the Clerk of the Checks hand 358 men besides Water-men By this the honourable Houses of Parliament may perceive the malice of this Gentleman who not onely strives to blast your faithfull Servants but as much as in him lies seeks to bring the honourable Houses in a dislike with the common Sea-men that so some rigid courses may be taken against those that hitherto have done them faithfull Service In the next place he falls foul of the Ship that carried over the Queens Majestie and inserts some words in Captain Battens Letter to the Parliament in these words If my life and all the Kingdom had lain at Stake I could not prevent her going over for saith he the Ship that carried her sailes two foot for my one Then he makes his inference and would have Captain Batten speak in his own language as if he would have said saith he that other Nations can make nimble Ships but England is grown dull and must be contented with sluggish and unserviceable Ships Then he further addes that if the Parliament had spent every year a million of Pounds they that have wasted one million in three years would not of themselves have endevoured to build or purchase one Ship or Pinace fo nimble as the Queens Ship Ans By this your Honours may perceive he still hammers upon one Anvill that is as much as in him lies to disparage the Navie-Royall and to infuse into Strangers minds how unserviceable they are that so he might blast the honour and reputation of the whole Navie which hath been and is both famous and terrible to all Nations and onely for this cause that so great a Ship as the Saint Andrew being foul at that time could not fetch up a clean tallowed Frigate new come out of Port having the advantage of the wind and being a speciall Sailor and fitted for that purpose to carry away the Queen And for the spending of so much money we know it is far short of that Sum yet thus much we dare aver that if these times be compared with precedent times when such Fleets have been set forth the honourable Houses will find by the Accompts that never more frugality was used then since the Parliament had the Navie in their hands In the next place he saith he was unexpectedly nominated a Commissioner for the Sale of Prizes and Prize-goods and saith he would have attended the Service faithfully but at his entrance into that trust he was unfitly opposed in the Sale of a nimble Pinace which by a strong hand was estranged from the Parliament without Candle-light and being so opposed he was much discouraged because he knew himself best able to serve the Parliament and thereupon desisted and came no more amongst them Answer That it is true he was nominated a Commissioner for Prizes and Prize-goods but not unexpectedly for he expected 300. l. per annum but after he had sat two or three dayes with us and heard that we were to receive nothing but our labour for our pains truly he then very unfitly left us and never sat more amongst us And for being opposed in the sale of a nimble Pinace which by a strong hand was estranged from the Parliament we wonder that all this time he hath not discovered it that so those persons may be punished according to their demerits and therefore we humbly desire the honourable houses of Parliament to cause this businesse to be examined and that Master Burrell do discover what Pinace that was and who it was that estranged her from the Parliament In the next place Master Burrell saith That before and since that time some nimble Ships and many Pinaces have been taken but most of them by disasters and if those Ships and Pinaces had been contrived into Men of War and set out in the room of those sluggish Ships which he complains of the Parliament would have been much better served with the saving half of that vast charge which hath been spent at Sea yet saith he it is certain the best of those Ships and Pinaces have been estranged from the Parliament which makes the abuse the greater and therefore makes a quere to examine what price was paid the Parliament for Plunkets Ship Ans It seems now Master Burrell will confesse that some nimble Ships and Pinaces have been taken by the Parliament Ships but yet to eclipse the taking of them he saith Most of them were taken by disasters which we confesse to be true for it was a disaster befell them that were taken And as for those ships that were taken they that were good Sailors and fit to be made men of Warre were fitted and equipped and are now in the service of the Parliament to the number of seven good Ships and sixteen Frigates and not estranged from the Parliament as Master Burrell sets forth and doubtlesse will save charges in regard the Parliament payes not fraight though not half the charge as Master Burrell saith And as for Captain Plunkets Ship if Master Burrell had inquired of Master Morris Thomson amongst other things he would have told him that she was stranded about Arundell by five States-men of warre and seized on by Sir William Wallers army and condemned in the Admiraltie as Prize to Master Thompson and others for losses received by the Dunkirkers so that as we conceive nothing was due to the Parliament yet we humbly desire the honourable Houses to examine Master Burrell because he saith It is certain that the best of those Ships and Pinaces were estranged that he may declare in whose hands those Ships and Pinaces are that so the Parliament may be righted and the offenders receive condigne punishment In the next place in his old ridiculous strain he falls a praising of Plunkets Ship for failing although he never saw her sail and dispraising of the great new Frigate before he knows what she
he be such a man as Master Burrell sets down that he was intended to leave the Kingdom and to seek employment in other Countreys truely he is not to be trusted by the Parliament for satisfaction of which it will be necessary to question him before he takes the command of Captain Plunkets Ship being appointed by her owners to be Commander of her in the States Service And as for Captain John Wild he hath been employed in the Service and what his deportment was we leave to the relation of the Right Honourable the Earl of Warwick but in his last employment he was Captain of the Cignet-Frigate upon the North-Coast where we were given to understand that in that Service he and Captain Wills in the Lucie took 4 Ships in Lynne-Deeps belonging to that Town when the Earl of Manchester was before it his Lordship having taken the Town the owners of the said Ships petitioned his Lordship for restoring of the said Ships and Goods upon which his Lordship was pleased to grant them their Ships and Goods again they paying the Captains 400 pounds salvage viz. 100 pounds amongst them and their Marriners in money and a bond of 300 pounds to pay to the Captains at a certain time which we understand they have received but ought in our opinions to be accountable unto the State in lieu of the Ships and Goods which were Prizes besides they pillaged the said Ships as by complaint to us from the owners By all which it doth appear he hath no cause to complain for his thirds And if he be such a man as Master Burrell makes him to be which we do not beleeve we leave it to your Honours grave Wisdoms to consider whether he be so fit a man as Master Burrell makes him being one of those as Master Burrell saith that out of discontent would leave the Kingdom As for Captain Wappall he had almost starved his men upon the Coast of Ireland insomuch that they brought away the Ship for want of Victuals when Sir Charles Coote had most occasion to use him after the taking in of Slego the businesse being taken into examination before us and this is another of Master Burrells men that would leave the Land which if so are not fit men to be trusted by the State And as for Captain Hawkeridge we doubt not but the Right Honourable the Earl of Warwick knows him well and questionlesse if his Lordship had sound him so capable of employment as Master Burrell pretends he had been preferred as other men And as for his Giant Captain Hodges as Master Burrell calls him he alwayes served in a private Man of War by which employment he made so good use of his time that he hath purchased a great Ship with which he is gone for Venice laden with Merchants Goods and not out of any discontent as Master Burrell would have it but for his own advantage In the sixth place he saith That divers persons are employed in the Parliaments Service that have deserved punishment and in stead thereof have been preferred to places of trust and nominates Captain Shaftoe Ans Concerning Captain Shaftoe we did receive information that he released after he had taken one Leyton who afterwards as is said went into New-castle Captain Shaftoe after his coming to Town did acquit himself by divers witnesses of that crime and will be ready at all times being now Commander of Holy-Island to give the Honourable Houses further satisfaction As for his Bill for his Ships Pay mentioned by Master Burrell to be branded by Master Holland in regard of the crime above-said it is true it was so done by him against our consent long after he had signed it but in regard we could not lay any just charge to Captain Shaftoe and the money belonging to the owners and not to him for the Service of the Ship we could not in justice but take off the brand of the Bill Captain Shaftoe being a responsible man to answer any thing that afterwards should be laid to his charge and to our knowledge he is a man that hath been faithfull to the Parliament having done speciall Services in landing in Northumberland by the command of Captain Edward Hall with the Anthelopes men and his own being about 150 and coming to Colonell Hagerstons house being very strong summoned it and took part of the out-houses and after the Colonell himself thinking to escape away his horse was shot under him so taken as also his Son in the House where they found store of cloth for Souldiers coats for the Colonells Regiment which he was raising the taking of the said Colonell and bringing himself and some prisoners was the break-neck of that Regiment which was at that time an excellent piece of service In the next place he most desperately entred into the Port of Holy-Island the Castle and Island being for the King and having not above 100 men he first took the Town and the Island and afterwards summoned the Castle and had it delivered to the use of the Parliament for which good service the honourable Houses made him Captain thereof where he remains to this day And as for Master Hollands forbearing 14 moneths to sit in Commission for this and many other abuses as Master Burrell pretends we humbly desire that Master Holland may be examined what these abuses were and by whom committed that if so they may receive condign punishment In the seventh place Master Burrell chargeth Captain Peacock with treasonable practices and saith That he took a Vessell whereof was Master one Hixon laden with Arms and Ordnance for his Majesty and when Captain Peacocks men would have gone on board to search her he denied them and told the men she was laden with Apples bound for Scotland and after private conference in the Cabine together Peacock set Hixon at liberty and Hixon went into Newcastle while Peacock was in sight of him and there delivered divers pieces of Ordnance and other Ammunition for the King for which treachery saith Master Burrell Peacock did neither suffer punishment nor fine although the Articles against him were exhibited to the Officers of the Navie and proved against him yet notwithstanding the great complaint Peacok is lately made a Captain of one of the Parliaments Ships Ans As for the charge given against Peacock we found no just proof against him referring him to his defence presented to the honourable Committee of the Admiralty by which we doubt not but he hath given full satisfaction before their Honours admitted him into the service again being now Captain of the Warwick-Frigate In the next place Master Burrell chargeth one Bramble with cowardize and saith he was to convoy William Hazard in the Gift of God from Ireland with fifteen Masts for the Service of the Navie and Bramble commanding one of the Parliaments Frigates fortified with sixteen peeces of Ordnance met with two of the Kings Men of War and at the sight of them as Master Burrell saith
THE ANSWER OF THE COMMISSIONERS of the NAVIE To a scandalous Pamphlet published by Mr ANDREWES BURRELL Printed by WILL. BENTLEY Anno Dom. MDCXLVI To the Right Honourable the High Court of PARLIAMENT SOme dayes past there came to the hands of us the Commissioners of the Navie a Pamphlet published in print by Andrewes Burrell concerning the Navie a businesse then depending before the Honourable Committee of the Admiralty We much wondered at the boldnesse in the manner of subscribing and at the Scandals through the whole body of the Pamphlet he daring to direct it unto your Honours and therein scandalizing the Navie-royall of the kingdom and all the Officers of the same as Admirals Vice-Admirals and Rear-Admirals Commissioners Collectors Trinity-house and others yea and beyond this some of your Members and in truth the honour of both Houses of Parliament We are confident those aspersions and brain-sick Notions so plainly discovering his discontentednesse and self-ends and so apparently tending to the destruction of the Royall Navie will not get the least credit with your Honours But lest this Pamphlet should work such ill effect abroad that after your Honours happy government protection and defence of this Kingdom in these Civill Broils by the Navie Royall as with Walls and Bulworks from all forraign Invasion your Honours proceedings should upon this mans writing be calumniated by the disaffected party here at home and your Royall Navie formerly so formidable become contemptible to forraign States and Princes and we knowing that the great affairs of State will not afford time unto your Honours to take a particular examination of this businesse to the discovery of the folly and desperate malice of this Gentl. and we being intrusted by your Honours in the government and care of the Navie Royall have thought it not the least part of our duties to make bold by our Answer unto this Pamphlet to present unto your Honours the true state of the Navie to discover the destructive effects so much aimed at and desired to the Navie in the Pamphlet to stop the mouths of Enemies and ill-affected to satisfie the well-affected and to vindicate the honour of the Parliament whose provident and prudent care for preservation of the Navie and guarding of the Seas in these times of danger we shall make appear to exceed all former Ages Master Burrell in the beginning of his Preface begins to tell a Story That he was forced out of his Countrey for his affection to the Parliament and of his taking the Covenant and of being pressed every Lords day to discover what he knew to be advantageous or hurtfull to the Parliament when indeed and in truth the one was because he would contribute little or nothing to the Parliament having lived here a long time obscurely and the other because for his private advantage and advance of his Fortunes he would be an Officer of the Navie But at last being rowsed up as he saith by Church-men he complained to the Right Honourable the Lord Say the Navie was sluggish and did sail so sluggishly that it could not perform those Services which the Parliament expected and to that purpose presented a paper to his Lordship intituled Observations upon the Navie by Andrews Burrell which paper he presented to the Earl of Warwick and from his Lordship it was sent to be disputed before us the Commissioners of the Navie with whom saith he it died Answer Now may it please the honourable Houses of Parliament That it is true we received an Order from the Right Honourable the Earl of Warwick as also from the Honourable Committee of the Navie to send for Master Burrell to hear his opinion concerning the reducing of the Navie into a better posture as he pretended for sailing We likewise sent for all the Master Shipwrights of England Captain Batten being present with us Being come together we demanded of Master Burrell in what manner he would do this great work His Answer was He would cut them down to one Tire of Ordnance by which means they should sail a great deal better We demanded of him What he would do to adde quality to them for in cutting them down without doing something under water would be to small purpose His Answer was That he would keep that private to himself We desired him to give it in writing how he would perform this Service if he did make a triall of one of the old Ships in regard it would be a great charge to the State which he promised to do but never came near the Office more nor ever heard we more of him till now that he hath set out this Scandalous Libell And indeed what he propounded to us which was to cut down the first second and third Rate-Ships and to bring them to one Tire of Ordnance is so ridiculous and will so disable the Navie that it will make them in case of forraign invasion in capable either to offend the Enemy or defend themselves all other Princes Ships of the first second and third Rate having two or three Tire of Ordnance Besides as they are now built having great Floors and great Breadths if they should be cut down they would be so unruly Ships in the Sea that in a Sea-gate they would roul so much that no man would be able to ply the Ordnance or stand upon the Deck Besides if they should meet with a Storm be in danger to roul their Masts by the Board as appeared by the Rainbow and Vantguard which were built in 86. little more or lesse after this Modell proved so defective Ships in the Sea that they were forced to bring on another Deck upon them The Victorie in 87 was cut down for a triall at the instance of Sir Iohn Hawkings from three Decks and an half to one Tire of great Ordnance which being done the Queen commanded in 88 that he should go Commander of her because he was the Projector but when he came up to the King of Spains Ships with two Tire and three Tire of Ordnance they tore his Ship and kill'd his men so fast that he was not able to endure the Spaniards broad Sides but was forced to leave them So that when the Ship came home the Queens Majestie understanding how much the Ship was disabled by cutting down her Decks gave Order for her Decks to be built again and ever after she carried two Tire of Ordnance fore and aft And indeed the Ships of the Navie of the first and second Rate are the best built Ships in the World both for defence and offence carrying two Tire of Ordnance and if not laden with Victuals but kept light and clean will saile as well as any Ships of their burthen and force that do belong to any Christian Prince having been a terror to their Enemies witnesse Anno 88. for if there had not been such Ships at that time but such reformed Ships as Master Burrell endevoureth to have the Spanish Armado doubtlesse had overrun them and
with their strength of Ordnance having two and three Tire would have been too hot for their coming near them yet such was the strength of our Ships most of them having two Tire of Ordnance and well mann'd that by the blessing of God we gave them the overthrow And ever since the Navie hath been preserved and built in a better posture then in those dayes and more serviceable for the honour and preservation of the Kingdom And because your Honours may be satisfied how necessary great Ships are with two Tire of Ordnance for the defence of this Kingdom we shall onely instance in two Ships which are yet lively in our memory In Anno 1640. Don Antonio de Kendo came into the Downs with a Fleet of Ships from Spain and having rid there some time the Admirall Van Trump with six of the best Ships in Holland attended the motion of Don Antonio his Ship the rest of his Fleet consisting of eighty Sail attended the rest of the Spanish Fleet Don Antonio when he had refreshed his men and fitted himself weighed Anchor out of the Downs the Admirall of Holland did the like with six Ships and coming without the Goodwyn-Sands the Admirall of Holland came up with the Admirall of Spain as far as his transome but received such entertainment that he durst never more come up with him nor any of the Ships in his company notwithstanding the Admirall of Spain stayed for them with his top-Sails down and main yard a crosse such great force had this great Ship with two Tire and an half of Ordnance that the Hollanders durst not deal with her The Admirall of Portugall being another great Ship of that Fleet with two Tire of Ordnance fought with sixteen States Men of War almost a whole day yet never could take her and being offered any quarter that they would demand scorned it At last when the Hollanders saw they could not take her two of their Men of War desperately ran aboard of her with two Fire-Ships where they all burned together untill they were consumed And indeed if they had not used that Stratagem they had never destroyed her By this your Honours may perceive the great difference between Ships of two Tire of Ordnance and one Tire as Master Burrell would have them In the next place he makes a long Narration of the Sally Fleet where Captain Rainsborow was Commander and saith He findes in his Iournall these words We did give them chase all day and at night we lost them which great deficiency saith he renders the Navie to be in a contemptible condition Ans Now let any Sea-man judge whether Captain Rainshorow's Fleet could be in a fit condition to chase light and clean Vessels that came out of Sally that night when he had been two Moneths from England and grown foule and four Months Victuals in Besides those small Vessels which he chased were when he first saw them two Leagues from him which was a long chase to fetch up and would hold a good Sailor chasing all day Besides if the Men of War had contemned them as Master Burrell saith why did they run from them and would not fight For by their running away it is evident they were not contemned but feared And yet he confesseth that Fleet performed better Service then Englands Navie did in 44 years before In the next place because we will touch onely what concerns our selves Master Burrell discovers where the fault hath been That the Navie hath not been reformed and how the Right Honourable the Earl of Warwick hath been misled by the Officers of the Navie and the Brethren of the Trinity-house who should have advised his Lordship to make choice of nimble Ships for Warlike Service that if the Brethren of the Trinity-house were so knowing as they seem and so well affected as they ought they should have sent forth for their own Adventure one Ship and one Pinace that should have sailed as nimbly as the Queens Ship Such an example saith he peradventure would have moved the dull Officers to hearken to the reducing of part of the Navie into a serviceable posture for these times and to make choice of better Ships which they have hired at dearer Rates For Answer thereunto We wonder much at the boldnesse of this sick-brained man that he should question the judgement of that noble Earl to be misled by us as if his Lordship were not a Sea-man himself to discern what is fit to be done for the making of fit and nimble Ships for Service better then Master Burrell who scarce ever saw salt water and consequently never saw Service And for the affection of the Trinity-house we are confident that divers of that Corporation have set out many Ships and Pinaces for the Publike in these distracted times to their great losse and hinderance as some of the Members of the honourable House of Commons can witnesse but never heard that Master Burrell nor his Associates set out any Ship or Pinace in defence of the Parliament of England since these Wars began And for the reducing of the Navie into such a posture as Master Burrell would have it we hope never to be guilty of so great a disservice to this Kingdom And although Master Burrell saith we have made bad choice of Ships and at dear rates to serve the State we shall make it appear to the honourable Houses that they have been the best Merchants Ships in this Kingdom and taken up at no other rates then hath been given long before we came in Office in the most peaceable times In Folio 4 Master Burrell quarrels with the Trinity-house and talks of Toles and fair Immunities coming in by the industrious Sea-men and chalks them out their duty to take care for the common Sea-men and not to suffer thousands of them in discontent to run out of the Kingdom Ans As for the Toles and Immunities which the Trinity-house receive they receive it with one hand and pay it with the other to the widdow and fatherlesse of that Corporation and to such as have received wounds and hurts in the Parliaments and Merchants Service for which they have two pence a voyage out of every common Sea-man and no more if the voyage be three years long yet the malice of Master Burrell would make the world beleeve the Trinity-house receives much when indeed their whole comings in since these distracted times doth not releeve half the poor belonging to that Corporation And for the common Sea-men they need not be discontented having had an Augmentation of four shillings in a Moneth more then ever any King or Queen in England gave them besides other Immunities granted them by the Parliament Neither do we beleeve that any are gone over except such as are Malignants and Enemies to the State which are better out of the Kingdom then in it In the next place he roves by way of Multiplication in which it seems he is not skilfull for instead of 500
wil be as he doth all the rest of the Navie Then he falls to telling of a story and saith he believes that all the Ships in the Navie in three years have not taken so many Prizes as Plunkets Ship hath taken in these two years and that some of those Prizes were very rich but by estranging that Ship of Plunkets the Parliament hath lost all those Prizes Ans Your Honours may perceive what Master Burrells intentions are by his language that is still to dishonour the Royall Navie calling them sluggish and praising of Flunkets Frigate for a nimble Saylor when there is twentie sail of Frigates and Ships now in the Parliament service that fail as well and many of them better And whereas he falsely saith that Plunkets Ship hath taken more Prizes in two years then the Parliament Ships have taken in three we shall referre your Honours to the Collectours for Prizes and Prize-goods and they will tell your Honours that the Parliament Ships have taken a hundred and ten Merchant Ships and thirty nine Men of War have been taken and sunk which had his Majesties Commission besides many Spaniards French and Dutch that have been delivered back at the earnnest request of the Ambassadours And we never heard of more then six Ships taken by Captain Plunckets Frigate and most of them being Merchant Ships In the next place he begins a large discourse that in November last he understood that there was three Frigates to be built for the State and that he was designed to build one and was shewed a paper from a principall Ship-wright which be had received from the Officers of the Navie directing him how he should build one of the Frigats that when she was built she would never do any good service but saith Mr. Burrell that which troubled the Ship-wright most was the price for saith he if they give a slight price they must expect slight Frigates Then saith Master Burrell I took the paper into consideration and I acquainted the Ship-wright with my dislike of it and told him I would move the Lords of the Admiraltie so to order the businesse that those Ship-wrights that did build them should build without direction from the Officers of the Navy and that they should have an indifferent price for them which was that which Mr. Burrell aimed at because he would build one Then he sets forth the manner and form of his Petition to the Lords of Admiralty in two sides of paper and tells their Lordships of ten Whelps built by the direction of Sir Iohn Pennington and rakes up the ashes of his dead body and saith the builders were so misled by him that all those vessels proved sluggish Then he layes down positive rules and directions how the Frigates should be built as punctually as Archimedes the Mathematician but still hath a care of his interest and desires that the Builders might not be disheartned in the price of them Then he propounds 300l to be deposited that is to say to each builder an 100 l. and the Frigates to sail into Downs and from thence to the Isle of Wight and then round about the Island and so to Ports-mouth and that Frigate that cometh in there first to be reputed the best Frigate for service and that the Ship-wright that built her should have the 300 l. for his service Then saith he before I offered these propositions to their Lordships I conferred with Master Pet and Master Castle whether they were willing to build two of the Frigates upon the forementioned tearms or not and if they would build each of them one be would build the third So when I found saith he Master Pet and Master Castle to like my propositions I presented them to the Honourable Earle of Warwick and Lord Say and proved before their Lordships that if the Frigates were built according to the directions of the Officers of the Navie the Frigates would prove unserviceable to the State But saith Master Burrell this took no effect Soon after came forth other directions worse then the first That one of the intended Frigates should be built 70 Tons bigger then the other two whereas by my propositions they should be all of equall burden And secondly Master Pet Iunior should build the bigger and Master Pet senior the two lesser Frigates by which subtile plot saith he all emulation was laid aside For answer to the needfull of what Master Burrell hath falsely suggested In the first place your Honours may perceive what Master Burrell drives at the first is a good price not for the good of the Kingdome but for his own ends because saith he I was designed by their Lordships to build one In the next place he would brand the Commissioners of the Navie in giving directions for the building of unserviceable Frigates when indeed they gave no directions for them but gave the Master Ship-wright order to draw out their own dimensions which accordingly they did which we have ready to produce under their hands And if the ten Whelps built many years since proved deficient it doth not follow these Frigates now a building should prove no better Saylors But Master Burrell in that strikes at the Commissioners of the Navie wounding us through Sir Iohn Penningtons sides as if these Frigates would be unserviceable because he falsely suggests we gave directions therein And for his propositions to try their Sailing round about the I le of Wight to Portsmouth is so ridiculous that we need not trouble our selves about it for all Sea-men know that there can be no triall of Ships in that place the tydes running counter and one Ship may be in the tyde and the other out which may make great difference and indeed lies more in the skill of the Pilot then in the Ship in observing the setting of the tides and consequently to take the advantage of it by which your Honours may perceive how Master Burrell will undertake to tell your Honours that which he understands not And for his proposition to the Lords to build those Frigates by the great their Honours utterly refused it knowing it a dishonour to the Parliament to build Ships out of his Majesties yard having the best Ship-wrights in the Kingdome to perform that service and one who had given such testimony of his Art and skill in building of a Frigate for the right Honourable the Earle of Warwick that a better Saylor is not in England nor Dunkirk but the Lords told Master Burrell if he would build one to trie his skill he should have his Majesties yard at Portsmouth to build in with timber plancks and materialls needfull which Master Burrell refused to do and saith it was a dishonour cast upon him and for no other cause but that he could not build one by the great that so he might get two or three hundred pound by the Parliament And if the other Shipwrights are discontended as Master Burrell saith because they did not build them by the great