Majesty's navy (now in commission), who having seen a great variety of service in the navy, and many years commanded merchant ships, had often declared it his fixed opinion, that it would be impracticable to man the fleet without an impress; but upon reading Lieutenant Tomlinson's propositions, gave up that opinion, and acknowledged that it would be both practicable and easy, and must prove replete with advantages, as well to the royal navy, as to the merchants service. The following are the commercial testimonials :

Mr. Richard Maitland, lately a very considerable merchant in London, gave his opinion to a noble Lord [Earl of Dartmouth, when first Lord of Trade and Plantations] on the said plan, in the following words: " I cannot find out any objection which the merchants can possibly have to an act of parliament being founded on the principles of Lieut. Tomlinson's plan; for, in my opinion, it is calculated to promote the interests of trade and commerce, so very far beyond any thing of the kind, which I ever saw or heard of (though I have been consulted upon many schemes, written with a view to the same end), that I suppose the mercantile people in general, would be much favoured by such an act being passed. I acknowledge myself to be pretty well acquainted with the outlines of the naval service, therefore several objections arose to me in the course of reading it; but by the answers to the objections stated in that plan, all my objections were fully and satisfactorily answered in every respect, not superficially, but solidly and minutely. Finally, the distresses which Mr. Tomlinson has described trade and shipping to labour under, in times of impressing, are not aggravated, but strictly true." Several intelligent persons, well acquainted with the coal trade, concerned in shipping, and many years at sea, as masters and owners of ships, belonging to Sunderland and Shields, wrote Mr. Tomlinson the following letters :

ist Letter" I have taken all possible pains to get your plans dispersed from one to another, as fast as they could read them; and have the pleasure to acquaint you, that they meet with general approbation."

2d Letter-" When I got home I made your plan for manning of the navy, as public as possible, at Shields and in its neighbourhood, and very opportunely received the additional copies you sent me; and before I sailed again I had the satisfaction of knowing, that they had been read by almost all the owners and masters of ships, who are supposed capable of forming a proper judgment thereon, and have the pleasure

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to assure you, that your plan meets with general approbation at Shields."

The three following letters are from a gentleman of the committee of trade, at Sunderland, who has had much experience at sea.

Ist Letter" I laid your improved plan before a very respectable meeting, at our committee-room, about a week since, when it met with the approbation of all present. In the number of these was C. B. who told me he thought the plan, since the alterations, so perfect, that he would not only sign it himself, but use every means in his power to promote its success. He has since informed me, that he spoke with

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(our high sheriff) on the subject, who so highly approved your plan, that he promised to write in its favour to several members in parliament, as our county and city members, and to Sir W. M. &c. I hope to meet with the concurrence of most of our magistrates; and the little influence I have, shall be exerted in favour of a plan, as worthy of public encouragement and patronage, as it is promotive of public good."

2d Letter" Since my last, the sailors were desired to attend at the Long Room in this town (Sunderland); a great number accordingly came, when your plan was proposed to them. They seemed very sensible of the many advantages which would accrue to them, should it be carried into execution, and several warmly expressed their approbation of it, but were unwilling to sign their names, lest sonte secret design should be in agitation against them; and being apprehensive, from its being proposed to them at the present juncture, that it is only a temporary expedient to man the ships going to

America."

3d Letter" I have sent your paper, fully signed by the ship-owners, &c. of this place [Sunderland]: your plan is also universally approved of at Shields."

The following is a copy of what was signed at Sunderland, by 163 of the most intelligent persons in that town:-" We whose names are hereunto subscribed, who are at present, or have been, many years, owners and masters of ships in the coal trade, and in various other trades, having read and considered a plan for manning of the royal navy, in case of emergency, without having recourse to the usual mode of impressing the seamen, by Lieutenant Tomlinson: we are of opinion, that the said plan is calculated to answer the interests of trade in general, and of the coal-trade in particular, so essentially, that it has our sincere good wishes for its success in Parliament; and we do suppose, from our own experience, that it offers such encouragement for seamen, as will induce them to serve in his Majesty's navy voluntarily, and with cheerfulness and alacrity, when the safety of the kingdom, or the honour of the crown, shall require their services. And in the fullest confidence of the great utility of the said plan, we have hereunto set our hands under a common seal, this 14th day of January, 1776."

A writing exactly similar to the above, has been signed by near 100 owners and masters of ships, belonging to Shields and Newcastle, besides the above number of 163 belonging to Sunderland. A gentleman of Newcastle, who has lately written an ingenious commercial essay, says, "A nation possessed of numerous seamen, one would suppose, could seldom be in want of them to man its navy. Yet we find, that in England, we are generally obliged to have recourse to the arbitrary and expensive method of impressing. The chief probable causes why men do not enter, are the uncertainty when, if ever, they may be discharged; and the knowledge of the great increase of wages in the merchant service, always consequent on the breaking out of a press, and during the want of men for the navy. These causes Lieut. Tomlinson, in his excellent plan (which it is supposed will shortly come under the consideration of the legislature) has greatly

obviated."

A worthy alderman of Liverpool, who bears the character in that borough, of being the principal promoter of all the late improvements in the navigation there, after deliberately considering Mr. Tomlinson's original plan, wrote to him as follows: "I have heard and read many schemes to prevent impressing, and I acknowledge your scheme to strike the nearest to the mark, of any thing I ever met with, especially that main inducement, of seamen not being liable to serve again, after three years service: this I communicated to a Sunderland seaman, who is a harpooner in a Greenland ship belonging to me, when he bluntly answered: "Master, if seamen were to be set at liberty, after serving three years, the navy would never want men."-The alderman after that says, " I had so great an opportunity of seeing the disinal effects of impressing at this port, during the time of eight regulating captains, that I am assured the impressed men here, who were delivered to the guard-ships, lay in forty pounds a man, great numbers making their escape, even whole tenders' crews; and many

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many merchants vessels, with their cargoes, were lost, by the seamen quitting their vessels. My spirits sink at the thoughts of it, and no person can more ardently wish for a scheme to be found to prevent the calamities which attend impressing; and though (speaking only for myself), I would rather have trade suffer for a time, than government should be in danger, through want of seamen, yet every thing in reason, should give way to prevent the calamities above described."

And in justice to the said alderman's attention, to perfect a scheme of this sort, he made seven objections to certain clauses in Mr. Tomlinson's first plan, and nearly the same having been made also from some other sea-ports, they were all obviated in a revised edition; therefore Mr. Luttrell did not mention those objections. Mr. Luttrell then acquainted the House, that as the authenticity of so material a parchment as he would next produce, was necessary to be established on the best grounds, he had desired a person to attend, who, from his own knowledge, would confirm the voluntary and uninfluenced motives, which occasioned the signature of no less than 513 seamen, at one house, in favour of the principles whereon the bill is founded.

He properly observed, that names were not obtained to the same parchment, in a manner usual with ministerial addresses; these men having their own happiness and advantages immediately at stake, would not easily be brought to sign any thing repugnant to those objects.

Mr. Hance Newsam, the witness at the door, and whose character was so well established, by a most respectable justice of the peace in the neighbourhood (whose letters Mr. Luttrell produced), would convince Parliament, that these seamen had not been wrought upon by money, liquor, or any undue influence, but from their own feelings, and a real sense of what tended to their own interest, as well as that of their country. And the said evidence could farther prove, that many thousand more seamen would have signed, but from an apprehension that the bill would miscarry, and that then their signatures might ensnare them to serve under the present coersion and hardships.

Another important fact, that witness would likewise have established, that there are some thousands of seamen in the interior parts of the northern counties, who would most cheerfully, and instantly, have entered upon the conditions of the plan on which the bill is founded. Mr. Luttrell was likewise inclined to call witnesses to the bar of the House, who could could have spoken to the following fact, which must have somewhat disconcerted those members, who confidently assured Parliament that seamen were at liberty to chuse their own ships, and had little reason to complain of their servitude.

Several of the crew of the Glasgow man of war, after having been five years in America, and stood an engagement with commodore Hopkins, which was here dilated into a signal triumph, notwithstanding their dutiful petition to return in the same ship, and under those officers to whom they were attached by their common dangers and victories, or else to be allowed to enter on board some one of the ships (not half manned) in Plymouth harbour, and destined for a foreign station, were cruelly forced, without once setting foot on shore, to return again across the Atlantic, in a foundering transport, the most ignominious service imaginable to seamen of their description, with unknown officers, double duty, and a prospect of American captivity. The company of another man of war, which a few months since returned from a foreign voyage, and was dismantled at Deptford, after being abroad five years, only solicited two years pay, and a month's leave visit their friends after so long an absence; and, by way of assurance to the admiralty that they would return to whatever ship they should be ordered, after the expiration of that month, they would leave three years pay in the hands of government; but, astonishing cruelty! they were denied this reasonable, this needful request, and a tender was sent alongside the ship, when they were all taken out of her, and put on board the Prince George of ninety guns, to take the chance of such service as she might be ordered upon. However, the ministerial side of the House, now being extremely clamorous for the question, and the Speaker seeming to wave the necessity of calling in such evidence to the bar, Mr. Luttrell concluded with the following motion, that " Leave be given to bring in a bill for the more easy and effectual manning of the royal navy, in times of war, and for giving encouragement to seamen and sea-faring persons, to enter voluntarily into his Majesty's service, &c. &c."

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Sir Edward Astley seconded the motion, and pointed out the cruelty of impressing seamen, from their wives and families, and after long voyages made to the West Indies. He said, it was a most cruel, oppressive, and barbarous practice; and if at all legal, could be justified only on the ground of necessity. That it was a duty incumbent on the legislature, to