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A moft Humble Addrefs or Memorial prefented to Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, by the Deputy of the Magiftrates of Dunkirk to Her Majefty.

May it please your moft Excellent Majefty,

THE

HE Sieur Tuggbe, Deputy of the Magiftrates of Dunkirk to your Majefty, to • implore your Clemency in relation to the inC tended Demolition of the Fortifications and Port of the faid Town, had entertain'd Hopes that by the moft humble Reprefentations he had prefum'd to make, touching the extreme Mifery to which the faid Demolition will reduce Eighteen Thousand Families that make up that City, your Majefty's Mercy might have been moved, and that according to his most refpectful Requeft, he might have obtain'd the Prefervation at leaft of the Mole or Dikes of that Port. But he was as it were Thunderftruck by the Denunciation which my Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke made to him, that your • Majefty'did not think fit to make any Alteration in the dreadful Sentence you have pronounc'd againft that Town, and that 'tis your Majesty's Pleafure that Sentence fhould be executed in its full Extent. Tho' funn'd by this Blow, the Sieur Tugghe yet prefumes to approach once more your Majefty's awful Throne, being thereto encouraged by the Benefit your Ma jelly's Clemency pours down on all the Nations of the Earth; and with trembling to reprefent to your Majefty, that he does not demand that the Works that may ferve either for the Attack or Defence of Dunkirk be preserved,

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C either on the Landfide, or towards the Sea. 'The unfortunate Inhabitants of Dunkirk are no longer concern'd for thofe magnificent Works, that ftrike Terror on all the Beholders. The Magiftrates only beg the Prefervation of the 'Mole and Dikes that form and keep up the Har'bour, thereby to preferve to their People only their neceffary Subfiftence, by enabling them 'to carry on their Herring Fishing,and fome other 'fmall Trade along the Coaft.

Your Majefty endued with Native Clemency ' and Christian Charity, of which all Nations 'feel the benign Influence, defires not to return Evil for Evil; nor does your Majefty admit it in your Refolutions any farther than it is indifpenfably neceffary according to Political Views, and agreeable to the Welfare of your ' own Subjects. The Sieur Tugghe will pre'fume to obferve to your Majefty that the Prefervation of the Harbour of Dunkirk, in the naked Condition it has been Represented, will • neither be inconfiftent either with the Politi'cal Views of Great Britain, or the Welfare and Good of the British Subjects, but rather 'Beneficial to both.

• Dunkirk has had the Misfortune to become the Object of Great Britain's Indignation, either by the Sea Armaments the King made there,and 'which during the late Wars may have disturb'd the Tranquility of your Majefty's Kingdoms, and retarded the Execution of your Majefty's 'Projects, or by the Privateering of its Inhabitants, which has often annoy'd and molested the Trade of your Majefty's Subjects. But in the 'Condition to which your Petitioner begs its 'Harbour to be reduc'd, that is, divefted of all C

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its Works and Fortifications, and its Mole and Dikes only preferv'd, it will never be able, whatever War (which God avert) may happen for the future, either to form any Obstacle to your Majefty's Projects, or to disturb the Trade of your Majetty's Subjects, fince in • fuch a Condition it will be an open Town, both on the Land and Sea- fide, abandon'd to the first Invader, defenceless for whom foever fhall poffefs it, and which any Enemy may enter by Sea and by Land, in order to burn both the Ships that might be fitting out there, and · even the Town and Harbour. Thus in fuch a Condition Dunkirk neither will nor even ⚫ can be oppofite either to your Majesty's Politi'cal Views, or to the Welfare of your Maje. •fty's Subjects.

The Prefervation of the Harbour of Dunkirk without Works and Fortifications, may in fine be equally ufeful, and become even abfolutely neceffary, both for your Majefty's Political Views, and the Good of your Subjeas.

Your Majefty's Political Views, chiefly in Times of Peace, center all in the Increase of the Commerce of your Majefty's Subjects, and at the faine time the Welfare and Intereft of your Subje&s lie in the Improvement of their Trade. Therefore by proving that the Pre• fervation of the Harbour of Dunkirk will be not only advantageous, but also neceffary for the Commerce of the Subje&ts of Great Britain, your Petitioner hopes he shall prove all that's contain'd in his Second Proposition.

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'First, Dunkirk is become the Object of the Jealoufy of the Dutch, and the Dutch have wifh'd

wish'd for its Destruction upon no other View, but to affume to themselves alone all the • Commerce of the Auftrian Low-Countries and of all Germany, being apprehenfive_that "other Nations might fhare thofe Two Bran'ches of Trade with them, in cafe the Har'bour of that Town were preferv'd, because it is the only Harbour on the Coalt from Oftend • Weftward by which Commodities from foreign Countries may be brought into thofe • Provinces, which they defign to furround, as it were with a Wall of Brafs, in order to fe< cure to themselves all the Trade thereof by the Scheld, the Lys, and the Rhine. And as it highly concerns Great Britain not to be excluded from thofe Two Branches of Trade, fo it very much concerns Great Britain to pre'ferve the Harbour of Dunkirk, by which means C alone Great Britain can maintain its Commerce in the faid Provinces.

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Secondly, Suppofing that your Majefly's Sub'jects might, in fpite of the Defigns of the Dutch, 6 carry on their Trade in the Auftrian Netherlands, by the Harbours of Oftend and Newport, yet they will not be able to hold it long in Competition with the Hollanders, both by reason of the Conveniency and lefs Expence which the latter will find in carrying on their Commerce by the Scheld and the Lys, and the round about · way the other will be oblig'd to go. Whereas by preferving the Harbour of Dunkirk, the English would have that way Conveniencies almoft equal to thofe the Dutch have; efpecially if your Majefty would, as you eatily inay, obtain from the King a free Paffage Custom'free for all Commodities from England, from

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Dunkirk to the Auftrian Low Countries, by the Way of Life and Douay.

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Thirdly, If according to your Majesty's Re'folution the Harbour of Dunkirk be fill'd up, 'your Majefty's Subjects will thereby be excluded not only from the Trade of the Auftrian Netherlands, but alfo from that of French Flanders, Hainault, Artois, and Part of Picardy, because they will have no other Harbour on all that Coaft, to import their Commodities into those Four Provinces, that of Calais being unfer'viceable to that Commerce.

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Fourthly, If the Demolition of the Harbour of • Dunkirk fhould not difcourage your Majefty's Subje&s from the Trade of French Flanders, Hainault, Artois, and part of Picardy, and they fhould endeavour to fupply it by the Harbours of Oftend and Newport; they will however undergo infinite Inconveniencies to carry on that Trade, and thereby render their Commodities unmarketable, by reafon of the Expence of Carriage that will be treble, and by the treble Customs and Duties they must pay, viz. to the House of Auftria upon their Entrance into thofe Harbours, to the Dutch in their Paffage to Furnes, Ipres, Menin, and other Towns in their Poffeffion, and to the King at their Entrance into his Dominions : Whereas by entring thofe four Provinces by the way of Dunkirk the Expence for Carriage will be fmall, by reafon of the Conveniency of Canals, and they fhall only pay the fingle Duty of Importation to the King.

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Fifthly, By the Treaty of Commerce con'cluded between your Majefty, and his most Chriftian Majefty, the Tariff of 1671 has been

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