On the thirty-seventh day more papers were laid before the house, being
three several orders issued by the admiralty to the commanders of his
majesty's ships in the ports of Portugal, or such as shall have occasion
to put into the said ports; also an estimate of the debt of the navy;
which were referred to the said committee, and the house went into it,
and came to several resolutions, which were reported the next day, and
are as follow.
The first resolution was, that it appeared to the committee, that
notwithstanding the repeated applications of the merchants for cruisers
to be properly stationed for the protection of the trade of this nation
from the privateers of Spain, the due and necessary care has not been
taken to keep a proper number of his majesty's ships employed in that
service, more especially in and near the Channel and soundings; for want
of which, many ships had been taken by the enemy, some of them of
considerable value, to the great loss of many of his majesty's subjects,
the great advantage and encouragement of the enemy, and the dishonour of
this nation. II. That the detention of the ships bound to Portugal for
near twelve months, by the refusal of protections for some time, and the
delay of convoys afterwards, gave our rivals in trade an opportunity of
introducing new species of their woollen manufactures into Portugal, to
the great detriment of this kingdom.
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