that as it will, Do not do as a faithful Subject, to infift that he does no Cruelty if the pleafes to Demolish it?

The Sieur Tuggbe is not contented with this Arrogance, but has fo little an Opinion of our English Statesmen, that he pretends to inftruct our Sovereign, and Her Council, in what Political Views they ought to have upon this Occafion: But leaft his Affertions may prevail upon that numerous part of Mankind, which has a great while taken every Thing upon Content, I hall have the Patience to run through all he gives us as Arguments for our faving Dunkirk, and with the fame Tautology; and when He repeats the fame Thing, repeat alfo what I have Laid against it. To proceed then like a Man of great Gravity and Business.

In Answer to the SIEUR's First.

First, Do Trade in time of War, but cannot be the Object of Jealousy of the Dutch with refpect to their Trade to Germany and the Austrian Low Countries, because Newport and Graveling (which are capable of receiving as large Ships as ever are used in that Trade by us) can fupply thofe Countries with the fame Eafe; of courfe Dunkirk is not the only Harbour on this Coast ufeful to that Trade: As for fecuring the Scheld, that River was many Years before the two laft Wars with France poffefs'd by the Dutch, who Command the Entrance of it by Fort Lillo, which prevents all Foreign Ships from paffing up. Nay, fo far are they from permitting Foreigners, that none of their own Sea fhips, above

Unkirk was the Dread of the Dutch

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the Bulk of Schuyts or Billanders, which we call Smacks and Hoys, are ever allowed to go beyond that Fort. Mr. Tugghe fuppofes Us to a moft notorious degree Ignorant of common Geography, when he afferts that Dunkirk is the only Port from Oftend Weftward, by which Commodities can be brought into the Provinces of the Auftrian Low-Countries and Germany. There runs from Calais a Navigable River to Graveling, the River of Graveling runs to St. Omer; from the East Side of this River run two Canals, one through Bourbourgh to Dunkirk, the other directly to Winoxberg: There is a Canal from Dunkirk to Furnes, and another from Winoxberg to the fame Place; from Furnes the Canal runs to Newport, and from thence to Oftend and Bruges; from their Canals and Ri vers the Countries of French Flanders, Hainault, and Picardy, have their Water Carriage; nor is there any Carriage from Dunkirk to the Rhine, Lys, or Scheld, but through the fame Streams, except by open Sea: fo that Oftend, Newport, Graveling, and Calais, have the fame Water Carriage which Dunkirk has to any Inland Country, or any Place in the World. What Trade had we through Dunkirk, before, or during the two laft Wars? We can have no Trade through Dunkirk (but to the French Territories) which we had not in the laft Wars from other Harbours.

As to the Sieur's Second, We always carry'd on our Trade to the Auftrian Netherlands through Oftend and Newport, fince the Dutch got Poffeffion of the Scheld, the fame Conveniency we fhall have ftill; nor can the Port of Dunkirk, being left open, be any eale of Charges on our Trade, or give us a nearer Paffage; neither can

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the Demolition in the leaft obftru&t our Trade, because our Commodities will ftill pafs through the fame Inland Waters, which they must if they are fent through Dunkirk. If it is eafie for Her Majefty to obtain from the King a free PaffageCuftom Free for all Commodities from England, through Dunkirk, to the Auftrian Low Countries, the may with the fame eafe Obtain the fame through his other Ports. It will be good News to hear he makes no difficulty of granting fuch a Requeft, becaufe by the fame Rule, Her Majefty may obtain an Alteration in favour of Her Subjects in the Treaty of Commerce, which has been disapprov'd by the Parliament.

If we should at any time be prevented fending our Trade to the Auftrian Low Countries, any other way than through his Dominions, he will then find us under the Neceffity of carrying it on this Way, and demand Toll in a manner fuitable to his great Power and Force; and how fhall we deny it him?

If he should grant us this Paffage Custom-free, it may be bought too dear; for if we difmantle the Town, and leave the Ports undemolish'd, it is in his Power to take Poffeffion of it again at › Pleafure; and in cafe of another War we fhall be as much annoy'd in our Trade as we were in the two laft, and the Town can be eafily Refortified; he may have a very good View in this: But really I would not have him run the Rifque of it,tho' it may prove fo much for his Advantage; for we all know the Dutch are a fly People, and if the Town fhould be dismantled, and the Port left open, they may come and get the Poffeffion of it, and fortifie it again for their own Ufe, which I know, out of the great Concern he has

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for us, and the Welfare of our Trade, he would be utterly against.

As to his Third, It is a falfe Affertion to say that there is no other Port ferviceable to the Trade of French Flanders, Hinault, Artois, or Picardy, for there are many useful to this Trade, Oftend, Newport, Graveling, and Calais, whofe Waters run into the fame Canals that that of Dunkirk does, befides Boulogne, Eftaples, St. Valery and Diep; for the Trade to Picardy, all thefe Ports are capable of receiving as large Veffels as ever we made use of in this Trade, which are from 20, 60 or 100 Tuns at most.

As to the Sieur's Fourth, it is well known the Trade may be profitably carried on by other Places than Dunkirk; and an Eafe of Charge for fo inconfiderable a part of our Trade is not to be mentioned, in Competition with the hazard of fo great a part as, on a Rupture with France, that Place can moleft; the rest of this Article is already anfwer'd, because other Ports can convey our Trade to any Place that Dunkirk can.

As to Mr. Deputy's Fifth, If the Treaty of Commerce has preferved the Tariff of 1671 in the Conquer'd Countries, it is preferv'd to Graveling, and other Ports there, as well as Dunkirk.

As to the Sieur's Sixth, The Stress he lays on the Lift of 218 Ships which was printed in the Mercator, No. 29, with their Cargoes, has no Weight in it, because those Ships might have gone to the Neighbouring Ports; he is also unjust in arguing from that Lift, that the Trade of Eng. land there will very much Increase: Whoever looks over the Mercator, will find that their

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Loading confifted chiefly of Food and Firing, the whole he values at two Millions of French Livres; the Coals indeed they may always take, as they will other Commodities that Neceffity obliges them to, and which they have not of their own Growth or Manufacture, but a conftant Market of this kind is not to be expected; it is not to be fuppofed, because they took thefe Quantities of Corn and Provifions of us in their late famish'd Condition, that they will do the fame when they have plentiful Crops, and this whole Sum is but 100,cool. Sterling, of which the Provifions amount to at leaft 3 Quarters. Their Trade to us ftanding in a manner upon the Foot of a Prohibition, they could not well pay us any other wife than with ready Money; but if the Treaty of Commerce fhould pafs, and the Port of Dunkirk remain as it is, the Dunkirkers will foon find Commodities to fupply us with, tho' they have none of their own Growth. Mr. Tugghe does not do us Justice in this part of the Memorial, because he omitted to tell us of the Combination of Merchants, who made our People take their own Prices for our Goods, which were fold to Lofs, rather than to bring them back again through the Rifque of the Seas, and to run the Danger of their being Damaged, and of their Perishing. There might be other Obfervations made from their want of Corn, of the Advantage we might have taken of their Low Condition.

As to this Agent's Seventh, Mr. Tugghe with great Piety and Charity towards us, prays to God to avert a War between us and Holland, and represents a great many Dangers in it in regard to our Trade with French Flanders, Hai

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