What greater honour to your Majesty, than, like as you are, in right of inheritance, lady of the narrow seas, so to be able indeed to maintain that seigniory, and to put the same in execution at all times, so far forth as your Highness shall find convenient?

What greater honour to your Majesty, than to be the founder of so notable a monument, lying in the eye of almost all the shipping of Europe? A thing, to which your Majesty's father aspired, with the expence of so great a mass of his own treasure.

What greater honour, than to be able, in time of peace, or war, to protect friends, and offend enemies, more than any other prince in Europe?

Seeing, then, it hath pleased God to leave unto this realm such a situation for a port and town, as all Christendom hath not the like; and endowed the same with all commodities by land and sea, that can be wished to make the harbour allure intercourse, and maintain inhabitants; and that the same, once performed (in all probable discourse of reason) shall bring such increase of commodity, not only for augmentation of your Majesty's particular revenues, but also of welfare and riches to the whole realm in general, the same also being a thing so needful, or rather of necessity, as well for succouring and protecting friends, as annoying and offending enemies, both in war and peace; and that it hath pleased God, in his providence, to reserve the same, as an ornament of your time, to be now performed by your Majesty, and left, as an honourable monument of your happy reign, to all posterity: Methinks, there remaineth no other deliberation in this case, but how most sufficiently, and with greatest perfection possible, most speedily the same may be accomplished.

And, in discharge of some part of my bounden duty to the advancement of your Majesty's service, having not only heard, by the examination of the most ancient and skilful mariners and inhabitants in Dover, the true estate of all alterations there, for these forty years past; but also myself seen and sounded all the channels, shelves, and roads there, and set them down exactly in plat: Having also conferred the sundry opinions of strangers, and also of our own nation, for the repairing, or making a new haven there; and comparing the same with what myself have seen put in execution, in sundry places of the Low-Countries, for making havens. artificial, I have, in the end, resolved upon one form of plat, which, of all others (as well for the use and commodity, when it is finished, as for the possibility, or rather for the facility in making; for the probability, or rather assured certainty of continuance; for avoiding great waste of timber, and saving a great mass of treasure) I find and judge of most perfection. And, albeit the Flemish plat, in former conference of commissioners, was adjudged, of all others then offered, the most probable; yet, upon due consideration, this plat, I presume, will appear in all respects more commodious, more feisable, more assured to continue, of far less cost in maintenance, and at least twenty-thousand pounds lesser charge in making, as by the articles of explanation and charges

more evidently may appear. This, which I humbly present to your Majesty's gracious consideration, as a matter of great moment, both in peace and war, for your Highness's service; for the great comfort of all the navy of your realm; and a monument most honourable, and none of the least, to all posterity, of your Majesty's most gracious, prosperous, and happy reign.

The foregoing discourse was part of a memorial, drawn up either by Sir Walter Raleigh, or Sir Dudley Diggs, which I found among the rubbish of old papers, while I had the honour to serve in the office of the ordnance, and was searching after light into the ancient history and services of Dover; to which curiosity I had divers motives, viz. I had made several essays to awaken his late Majesty, King Charles, out of the lethargy he seemed to me to be under, upon the French King's so loudly alarming us by the profuse expence, he had been at, in fortifying his coast, making artificial ports, and sparing no cost, where he had the least prospect of compassing harbour and defence for shipping, and improving his naval strength and projects; which, to me, appeared as so many comets, whose malevolence was calculated, and could not fail, one time or other, to fall on us. I had, in those days, frequent occasions of privacy with the King in his closet, where I improved every opportunity to warm his jealousy of the growing naval power of France; and albeit he gave me many a gracious hearing, and seemed to take pleasure in my discourse on that subject, and would often himself reason, with great sagacity, on naval matters; yet I grew at length convinced, that I laboured in vain, and had been all the while blowing a dead coal, as by this short following account may appear.

In the year 1682, waiting one day on the King in his closet, after some general discourse, his Majesty was pleased to tell me, That I had often hinted to him, how busy the French King was on his coast, and what vast designs he had conceived for the improvement of his naval power; which was visible by his fortifying of Dunkirk in a most expensive manner, and projecting extraordinary works there; making piers, channels, basons, and every provision that art can suggest, and money compass, to render that place easy of access, and make it a safe, capacious, and commodious barbour for shipping.' I told his Majesty, That not only at Dunkirk, Brest, and other places, where nature and situation had given them some help and encouragement to prosecute their maritime projects; but even every where else upon his coast, in every creek, cove, or inlet, where they can make depth of water, and give the least harbour and retreat for shipping, they are, and have been, on that article, equally industrious; which, as I had often told his Majesty, seemed to me to have a very evil aspect on all the maritime states of Europe, but more especially his Majesty That nothing (humanly speaking) could prevent and defeat the mighty purposes of that ambitious monarch, so much as his want of natural aid towards the increase of his naval

strength, his coast not yielding him one good port, on all that frontier which regards us; which he, most providently weighing, had, from an harbourless, inhospitable shore, by art, industry, and a most lavish expence of treasure, in a very great degree repaired; insomuch that there are hardly five leagues of distance, upon that line, of their coast fronting ours, that does not yield marks of their care and application. Bars, rocks, and shelves are removed, and channels opened and deepened, to give safe and easy entrance to such small ports, as they have by nature. And, in other places, where art could be thought to avail, they have spared no pains, or treasure, to compass artificial havens, piers, and provisions of succour for shipping. They have also built fortresses, raised batteries, and planted cannons innumerable all along their coast, and performed every wise and needful work towards the attaining their ends of becoming formidable by sea; and all this against the grain, and, as it were, in despight of nature, which yields them little or no encouragement: Whilst we, on our coast, where Providence is so bountiful, have been so very little on our guard, that, though navigation be the prime jewel of the crown, and is the fountain and foundation of both our wealth and safety, and without which we should be a contemptible nation, have not only omitted to improve the tenders, which nature makes us, for the increase and cultivating of our naval power; but have, in this last age, consented to see many of our useful ports run to decay, and at length to ruin, and to become totally lost to the nation; which a very little foresight, and as little charge, might have prevented, while the evil was growing, which, at a long run, becomes incurable.' Among which ports, I instanced Sandwich, Dover, Rye, Winchelsea, &c. which were reckoned heretofore, as so many bulwarks against our ambitious neighbour. The king hereupon replied, That he confessed he laid a little to heart the loss of the haven of Dover, because it has fallen to decay mostly in his reign; had yielded him good service in the first Dutch war; and, in that, which was made by the Parliament with that nation, he was well assured, that we had a squadron of cruisers, which sailed out of that place, where they fitted, cleaned, and victualled, which did the enemy more damage, than any in the whole channel beside. That, therefore, if he thought that haven could be recovered by any tolerable charge, he was then, more than ever, disposed to engage in such a work, inasmuch as he was well assured, that not only all, that I had said, was true, but that the French King (to whom, though he had already signified, by his ambassador, That the great bustle, he had made upon the coast, bad given jealousy and distaste to the nation, and was not very pleasing to him,') had nevertheless engaged very lately in a new expensive work, of the same nature with those I had mentioned, in the neighbourhood of Calais, where great numbers of men were then actually employed in fortifying the coast, and making an harbour and bason for reception of shipping, &c. which being just under his nose, he said he had so much the more reason to resent it, and which he could

not do in a better manner, than by attempting the recovery of Dover haven; wherein, if he succeeded, as it would give an occasion of ease to the people's jealousy, so it would obviate, in some measure, the danger that threatened us from so restless and projecting a neighbour.' I replied to his Majesty, with great joy, That I thought it would be a most acceptable instance, to the nation, of his care for their safety, and an useful proof, to the murmuring people, of his just dislike and suspicion of the French King's proceedings; and that I was in no doubt, whenever his Majesty should appear to go in earnest, about so laudable and needful a work, that the Parliament would frankly assist him towards the expence.'

His Majesty, hereupon, commanded me to make a journey to Dover, to survey the port, and enable myself, by the best means I could, to give him a true state thereof, in order to a project for the recovery of that harbour; which order I carefully executed, and, on my return, waited on his Majesty with my report, together with a plan and state of the present pier; an history of the services that place had yielded the crown; how it has fallen to decay; and how, with least charge, it might be repaired, and rendered useful again. I told his Majesty, that the bare customs and duties he had lost, by the decay of that port, which, for want of entrance into it, as had been customary (there being no other, in many leagues together, on the coast) and which were, therefore, now smuggled, and totally lost, would be, by many degrees, more than enough, when recovered (and which would most certainly accrue, upon restoring the harbour) to repay the utmost charge he could be at, for its repair and improvement; which single encouragement, I thought, was incitement enough to go about so noble, useful, and reputable a work.

I told his Majesty, that the port was, at that time, become intirely useless, the pier within being filled and choaked up with sand and mud, and the depth of water lost; that there was a bank of beach, at the mouth of the harbour, of many thousand tons, which barred up the entrance; that the town (which was wont to abound in shipping, seamen, commerce, people, and plenty of all things) was become poor, desolate, and dispeopled; which was visible every where, by their decayed buildings and habitations, where half the houses, at least, throughout the whole town, had bills on the doors: All which could be ascribed to no other reason, than the decay of their harbour; touching the true cause whereof, or the cure, the inhabitants, with whom I had frequent conference, could give me little or no light.

In this audience, I gave his Majesty an extensive account of all things relating to the subject about which he had sent me. I presented him with a draught of the then state of the port of Dover, wherein was expressed the manner of its decay, and the present ruinous condition in which it was. I endeavoured, also, to explain to him how this damage had come to pass, and by what means it had grown to that head, as to have rendered the haven now almost

lost to the publick. From the causes of the disease, I proceeded to my proposals for the remedy, wherein I had the good fortune to explain every point of my project, with evidence enough to oblige his Majesty, at that time, to say that he was so well satisfied, that he was resolved he would not defer the work a day. That, as I had made every thing plain and intelligible to him, so, above all, he was pleased with two most useful and encouraging propositions therein contained; namely, that whereas, in most great works of that kind, princes were generally obliged to pso ecute and go through the whole expence, which, for the most part, was very great, before they could reap the least profit of their design, or be assured of the success; while this work, on the contrary, was so ordered and contrived by me, that he was sure to receive a present profit from every sum, be it more or less, which he should, at any time, think fit to lay out; and that the benefit would be presently seen, and gathered, in proportion to the charge he should be at, which he might limit or respite, as he pleased, without danger of damage to the work that should be done, or of losing the advantage that should be once gained, in case of discontinuing the

same.

The second point that pleased his Majesty, was, that whereas all artificial ports, that ever he had heard of, which is most true, were subject to choak, and fill up with sand or sullage, and to lose, by degrees, their depth of water, without great care, and a continual charge to prevent it; and which was the cause, for the most part, of the decay and loss of such ports to the publick: That he perceived, I had plainly obviated that evil, and, by a new and very demonstrable invention, had evidently secured the depth of water for ever, which no neglect could hinder, or, towards which, any expence or annual charge was necessary.

I concluded with this general incitement to his Majesty, That multiplicity of ports, in a maritime kingdom, such as his, was, above all things, to be wished; which, in times of peace, was a great means of encouragement to our naval intercourse, and coasting trade, whereby our capital city became better supported, and at cheaper rates, with all things needful; that seamen were proportionably propagated, shipping, and all the incident professions of shipwrightry and navigation, increased and improved, &c. That, in time of war, shelter and defence against an enemy was, by that means, more at hand; whereby our commerce was better preserved, our frontier so much the stronger, and cruisers had more dispatch, and were better spread and disposed at sea; because, wheresoever there are ports commodiously situated, and in the road of our commerce, there, of course, will be men of war appointed, and entertained in times of hostility, where they can clean, victual, and refit; whereby great expedition, which is the life of action, would be obtained, and half the time gained, that was spent in going to remote ports, as the Thames, Chatham, Portsmouth, &c. where, if the wind hangs out of the way, ships lie long on demorage, become foul by staying for a wind, and lose many occasions of service,