having made Observations of some Miscarriages in the Publick during the late Wars , and finding it is morally Impossible to bring the Offenders to Punishment , unless this Honorable House will vouchsafe to take cognizance thereof ; and being no way doubtful of your Honours good Intentions of Redressing Publick Grievances , which like a raging Pestilence or violent Torrent , running many years without controle , has greatly impoverished and almost ruined this Fruitful and Populous Kingdom . True it is , that War begets Poverty , but the present and extreme Poverty of this Nation , proceeds not from the War it self , but from the Warriers , viz. those imployed in the management thereof , who has made the same not only expensive but tedious and doubtful . I do not intend to make repetitoins of what Sums has been given by Parliament to prosecute the War with Vigour , and what Sums has been given to carry on the War with France , this Honorable House hath no need of Intelligence thereof ; and therefore I shall omit that , and give your Honours a hint of what I have observed in general , during the said War , viz. how his Majesties Royal Undertaking has been betrayed and obstructed , his Publick Treasure profusedly wasted and purloyned , his Trading Subjects and Seamen oppressed and ruined , his truly loyal and faithful Subjects discouraged and rejected , the War retarded and prolonged , Justice perverted , and his Royal Perogative contemned and rejected ; his Enemies and Criminals , the occasion thereof , supported and protected , to the almost Ruin of his Majestys great and glorious Undertakings ; whereby this Nation is miserably faln from that glorious Prospect it had in the beginning of the Revolution . But passing by the particulars of each Grievance , as being too many to enumerate at present , I shall only present your Honours with what I have observed touching the imbezling of PRIZES , and Prize GOODS , together with some Proceedings of the Commissioners for Prizes ; whereby it is notorious Evident , that his Majesty has been Defrauded of several hundred thousand Pounds , and the Seamen and Mariners almost wholly deprived of their Shares and Proportions allowed ( by the late Act ) for their incouragement . And altho this Honorable House ( with intent to discover those Frauds ) has been pleased to order the said Commissioners , to lay before them , an Account of what Ships has been taken during the War , and how they have been Sold , and how the money arising thereby has been applyed ; and that the said Commissioners pursuant thereunto , have produced an Account thereof , yet it is morally impossible your Honours can have a true state of that matter from them , for the following Reasons , to wit , several Ships has been taken this War which with their whole Cargoe and Furniture has been Imbezled by the Captors , and no returns made thereof to their Office : other Ships has been taken and put into the Custody of others the Kings Officers , and not entred or accounted for in the said Prize Office , or elsewhere : And this liberty of imbezling and purloyning of Prize Ships and Goods , has chiefly hapned through the indifferency and negligence of the Commissioners , who not regarding his Majesty's Interest , or their own Duty 's , have frequently conniv'd at their Offences ; for when discoveries has been made to them of this kind , they have been pleas'd to Brow-beat the discoverers , and to tell them , that the matter discovered was committed a great way off , or a great while agoe , and that the Person accused for such Imbezzlement had given them an account upon Oath of what he had taken ; and that that was sufficient for them . So that the King , and Mariners , was thereby defrauded of their Shares and Proportions , and the Discoverers ( tho promised a Reward at first ) was only looked upon with an evil Eye , and branded with the Name of an Informer . True it is , to please the Discoverer , and send him a wild Goose chase , they have somtimes put the King to a considerable charge to condemn such Ships , and the Discoverer to the charge and trouble of producing Evidence to prosecute the same , rewarding the Discoverer with a no●-payment of such Shares and Proportions of Prize Mony as he was justly intitled to receive . But after all , the same has lay dormant , being buried in Oblivion , and the Imbezlers never call'd to any further account : whereby his Majesty hath not only been defrauded of immense Sums of Money , but the Marriners and Seamens shares of Prize Money , who by the ill usage of their Commanders are Q and run , is remaining in the hands of the said Commissioners , or paid to their Captains , as a reward for their severity . So audacious have they been in countenancing and carrying on those Clandestine Pr●ctises , that when some Commanders has been justly multed a considerable Sum for such Immbezzlements , at another Board they have been pleased to refund and pay them , out of the publick Cash , at their Office . Other Prize Ships and Goods being delivered into their custody , hath suffered the same fate , several prodigious Imbezzlements having been likewise made of their Cargoe , to the great prejudice of his Majesty , and others concerned , who notwithstanding their utmost endeavours , could not prevail with them to enquire into those miscarriages , in order to make Restitution for the same ; whereby several Offenders ( by such Imbezzlements ) are grown so flush and full of mony , that it is a task of the greatest difficulty to bring them to a Tryal in any of his Majesty's Courts , upon the greatest Breach of the Law . These and many other illegal Practises , too many here to enumerate , has frequently been occasioned through the ill conduct of the Officers for Prizes ; which , the better to cover the crime , they have Retaliated themselves , with an extraordinary Reward for their signal Services , as by their Books of Accounts will evidently appear : To which I humbly refer , and shall only hint , that it would be a Work of singular Use to his Majesty , and the Publick , to Examine their particular Accounts , of Disburstments , Contingencies , promiscous , incident , and accidental Charges , together with their great Salleries and Rewards , with their little , or no attendance , whereby the mystery of the whole matter may soon be unfolded , if this Honorable House will be pleased to command a Discovery thereof : which being most humbly intimated , may readily be proved .

The premises thus truly stated , the Consideration thereof is most humbly offered and submitted to this most August and Honorable Assembly ; from whence a Redress of all our Grievances are desired and expected .