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<DATE>2008-02-05</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080145.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B06143">
<STC T="W">T1642B</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52612451</BIBNO>
<VID>179671</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 2 -->
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable The <HI>KNIGHTS, CITTIZENS,</HI> and <HI>BURGESSES A&s;&s;embled</HI> in PARLIAMEMT. The Humble Petition of the <HI>Captains, Commanders,</HI> and <HI>Owners</HI> of <HI>English Shipping,</HI> and other <HI>Sea-faring Men</HI> of this <HI>Nation.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Sheweth,</OPENER>
<P>_THat when your Petitioners fir&s;t &s;aw that Act of <HI>Parliament</HI> made in <HI>Anno</HI> 1651 . Intituled <HI>An Act for increa&s;e of Shipping; and incouragement of the Navigation of this Nation,</HI> They had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">opes that their then langui&s;hing condition &s;hould have bin thereby re&s;tored; But having found by continued &s;ad experience, that notwith|&s;tanding the good intendments ot that Act, The Navigation, and Trading Ships of this Nation, and con&s;e|quently the imployment of your Petitioners have dayly declined, and are now almo&s;t quite extinct;</P>
<P><HI>Your Petitioners thought it high time to adre&s;s them&s;elves to this Honourable Hou&s;e, and do begg leave to lay open be|fore you, the occa&s;ions by which the Parliaments good intentions, and your Petitioners good hopes have bin fru&s;trated.</HI></P>
<P N="1">Fir&s;t, That Act leaving the Trade of <HI>Europe</HI> open, to be Navigated by any Ships belonging to the Subjects of this Common-wealth, without any re&s;triction of the Nation, or quality of per&s;ons by whom the &s;aid Ships &s;hould be Sailed, hath &s;ince the War with <HI>Spain</HI> put all forraigne built Ships belonging to this Nation into the hands of <HI>Dutch Ma&s;ters</HI> and <HI>Marriners</HI>: Becau&s;e the Marchants who imploy the &s;aid Ships, &s;uppo&s;ed their Trade during this War could not be otherwi&s;e &s;ecured.</P>
<P N="2">Secondly, That Opinion of the Marchants hath occa&s;ioned from time to time their imployment of a multitude of Holland <HI>Ships,</HI> under pretended and fraudulent Bils of Sale.</P>
<P N="3">Thirdly, The Act of Parliament leaving the power of Seizure of Ships and Goods, (which by vertue of that Act were &s;eizable) to any per|&s;ons what&s;oever; the Proprietors of the &s;aid Ships and Goods, have appointed Confidents of their own, to make the fir&s;t Seizure of them: And by not Pro&s;ecuting &s;uch Seizure, have made null the good intention of the Law.</P>
<P><HI>By means whereof,</HI></P>
<P N="1">Fir&s;t, Your Petitioners and their Families are &s;adly impoveri&s;hed for want of imployment.</P>
<P N="2">Secondly, The mo&s;t part of the good &s;erviceable Ships of this Nation are decayed, and Men are totally di&s;couraged from building others.</P>
<P N="3">Thirdly, The educating of Seamen (to provide a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of them, both for the &s;ervice of the State, and Trade) is nece&s;&s;arily neglected.</P>
<P N="4">Fourthly, Va&s;t &s;ums of mony are drayned from the Stock of this Nation, by the Freights of tho&s;e <HI>Holland Ships</HI> on which the Trade is driven.</P>
<P><HI>For the Prevention of which inconveniences, your Petitioners do mo&s;t humbly pray, that it may plea&s;e this Honourable Hou&s;e to be a means, that it may be Enacted,</HI></P>
<P N="1">Fir&s;t, That no Ships may be deemed to belong to the Subjects of this Common-wealth as Owners, but &s;uch as are failed both out and home by a Ma&s;ter, and at lea&s;t three quarters parts of the Mariners who are Natives, Subjects of &s;ome of the Dominions thereof.</P>
<P N="2">Secondly, That the Statutes of the <HI>5th</HI> year of King <HI>Richard</HI> the <HI>2d.</HI> and the <HI>3d Chap.</HI> and of the <HI>4th</HI> of <HI>Henry</HI> the <HI>7th</HI> and the <HI>10th Chap.</HI> for the pre&s;ervation of the Navigation of this Nation, may be revived, and re-inforced.</P>
<P N="3">Thirdly, That no Fi&s;h what&s;oever taken by the Subjects of this Common-wealth, either at home or abroad, may be permitted to be tran|&s;ported to any forraigne Market, upon any forraigne Ships what&s;oever.</P>
<P N="4">Fourthly, That a perfect Regi&s;ter may pre&s;ently be taken of all forraigne Bottomes which do now really belong to the Subjects of this Common-wealth; and a &s;evere <HI>Prohibition</HI> be made, that no more may be bought for the future.</P>
<P N="5">Fifthly, That the Clau&s;e of the Act of the year 1651. For condemning the Ship, Gunns, Tackle, and Apparell, for the &s;ake of any pro|hibited goods that may be found in her, may be moderated and limitted &s;o as the Owners and Ma&s;ters of Ships belonging to the Subjects of this Common-wealth, may not &s;uffer for offences committed contrary to their knowledge and will.</P>
<P N="6">Sixthly, That tho&s;e provi&s;ions and remedies may by your wi&s;domes be &s;o effectually penned, with &s;uch &s;evere penalties and executions, as may either totally di&s;courage former tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors from attempting the like, or puni&s;h the new, according to their merrits.</P>
<P><HI>And then your Petitioners doubt not, but by the ble&s;&s;ing of God, you &s;hall in a &s;hort time &s;ee this Nation to abound again in the number of Trading-Ships, and Sea-men: To the re&s;toring of the Glory, Strength, and Wealth of the Nation.</HI></P>
<CLOSER>And your Petitioners, and their pre&s;ent di|&s;tre&s;&s;ed Families, &s;hall ever pray, &amp;c.</CLOSER>
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