A LETTER TO A Member of Parliament CONCERNING The four Regiments commonly called MARINER'S.  
LONDON, Printed for A. Baldwin in Warwicklane, 1699.   

A LETTER TO A Member of Parliament CONCERNING The four Regiments commonly called MARINER'S.  
SIR,  
IN my last I undertook to show that the Establishment of the four Marine Regiments is an useless Charge to the People, a Nuisance to the Navy, and dangerous to the Kingdom's Liberties.  
And in order to it I shall premise four things.  
The First I have already proved, That seven thousand Men are more than sufficient for Guards and Garrisons, and consequently these Mariners are not necessary for Land-service, nor can they be used to that purpose, the last Parliament having appropriated them to the service of the Navy only.  
The Second is, That every Country will breed as many Seamen as their Trade and the ordinary occasions of their Navy in times of Peace will give constant Employment to: for as Sir William Petty observes, The Wages of a Seaman is equivalent to that of three common Labourers; and therefore if our Acts of Navigation were duly observed, Men will naturally fall into the most beneficial Employment, till it becomes overstockt, and some of them for want of subsistence, are forced to seek out other Livelihoods, which is true not only in this but all other Trades.  
The Third is, That if by a War or any other Accident, more Seamen are bred in a Country than their Ships of War, and the bulk of their Trade will constantly employ, the Supernumeraries must go to other Trades, find out new Countries, beg, steal or starve, which I take to be the case at present of England: for during the War we maintained between forty and fifty thousand Men in the Royal Navy, and now we do not employ above ten thousand; so that near forty thousand Men bred in the Fleet are to seek out their Livelihoods elsewhere, and 'tis at present a miserable complaint amongst the Seamen, that many thousands of them want subsistence.  
The Fourth is a Consequent from the two last, that this Marine Establishment is no Nursery for Seamen, but rather the contrary: I do not say that in no Circumstance it may be so; for perhaps in a War where the occasions for Seamen are very great, or in a Country initiating themselves in Sea Affairs, such Regiments may be of use to bring Land-men to Sea, for bad Seamen are better than none at all; but in a Country thoroughly versed in Sea Affairs, where there are more Seamen than there are occasions for them, such an Establishment is so far from making Seamen, that they take up the room, receive the pay, and hinder the Employment of those that are actually made.  
Having premised these things, the Question in my Opinion will be, Whether Marine Soldiers are better than an equal number of Seamen? that is, Whether ten thousand Seamen, and three thousand Mariners, will be more beneficial to the Kingdom than thirteen thousand Seamen?  
Now I shall endeavour to show the contrary.  
First, There is a natural Antipathy between Seamen and Land Soldiers, as having different Customs, Manners, Oeconomy and Officers; nor, as Sir William Petty observes, 
Political Arithmetic, fol. 57  do the Seamen hearty rejoice at those Successes of which Land-men have any share, thinking it hard that they who are bred to miserable, painful and laborious Employments (and yet profitable to the Commonwealth) should at a time when Booty and Purchase is to be gotten, be clogged and hindered by any Conjunction with Landmen, or forced to admit those to an equal share with themselves. The truth of this has been abundantly demonstrated in the last War, when Sea and Land Soldiers were never sent any long Voyage together, but their differences have always defeated the Enterprise they were sent about, particularly in the Squadron commanded by Sir Francis Wheeler to the West-Indies, where the Resentments were carried so high between the Sea and Land Officers, that the whole Expedition was unsuccessful, to the loss of many thousand Men, and a prodigious Sum of Money.  
Secondly, The Charge of Mariners is by above a third part greater than an equal number of Seamen whilst they are used as such; for the Marine Soldiers on board receive the Wages of Sailors, and the Pay of the Officers amounts to 20933 l. besides, which is an useless Charge to the Kingdom, the Officers very seldom going to Sea with their Men, and when they do, are only a hindrance to the Seamen, and raise Factions in the Fleet; or if they happen to agree with the Sea Commanders, are of no use but to debauch with them, and hinder them from doing their Duty.  
Thirdly, Their Land Methods have mightily interfered with the Navy Rules, and introduced pernicious Notions into the Fleet Officers, such as Mis-ratings, false Musters, and other Abuses, which the Sea Officers formerly were ignorant of: and I have been often told by a Commissioner in the Navy-Office, that that Board always opposed them, as an Establishment that broke all the Rules and Oeconomy of the Navy; and how fond soever the Lords of the Admiralty may be of them now, we may remember the time when a spleenatick Gentleman in that Post publicly ridiculed them, calling them Water-Rats. And these poor Wretches have been worse used than if they were so, many of them being starved for want of Clothes and Sustenance; and indeed they have always been the miserablest Creatures in the Nation.  
Fourthly, instead of making Landmen Sailors, they have made Sailors Landmen; more Seamen having been inveigled to be Mariners, than Mariners made Seamen: and though the Officers have had 40 s. a man for Recruits, yet Men pressed for the Fleet have been taken into the said Regiments upon that account, and the Money put into their own Pockets.  
Fifthly, They are a dead Charge to the Navy on shore, and burdensome to the People, being quartered up and down in the Inland Countries; nor could they ever be obliged to any work in the Yard, though it has been often proposed, and one of their Establishments required it: and indeed, though there have been several Establishments made, yet none have been observed: and some People will be so ill-natured as to say, That nothing was designed by that Noble L— d who has the honour of this Invention, but to be a Colonel of one of the Regiments.  
Sixthly, They are dangerous to the Kingdoms Liberties, as hath been abundantly proved in the several Trades wrote concerning Standing Armies; where it is demonstrated beyond the possibility of a Reply, that small numbers of Men may and have destroyed the Liberties of potent Nations: how much more easily then in England, where besides these Mariners, who will be called to Land when they have occasion for them, our Kings will have 7000 Men for Guards and Garrisons, 12000 in Ireland, 5000 in Scotland, and almost 6000 in Holland, which in all amounts to 33000 Men? A dangerous and dreadful Force, and such a one as our Apostate Whigs (if I may use another man's Expression) in any Reign, wherein they were not in the Ministry, would have thought sufficient to have enslaved the Nation.  
Now I think it lies upon them to show what great Advantages the Mariners will bring to the Kingdom more than an equal number of Seamen, which may balance these Inconveniences, and justify the introducing an Establishment into the Navy, to which the Seamen have not been accustomed.  
I must confess, I could never hear any Reason, or rather Pretence for it, which did not move my Laughter and Scorn; nor would I condescend to answer them seriously, but that the Subject itself is above Ridicule, though these Gentlemen and their Reasons are below it.  
REASON I. Marine Regiments kept in constant Pay will be more ready upon any Emergency or sudden Occasion than Seamen, who perhaps will be then difficultly raised.  
ANSWER. I have supposed before, that in the room of these Mariners we are to employ an equal number of Sailors (which I have showed will be less chargeable to the Kingdom by above a third) than I presume it will be granted that Seamen actually on Board will be as ready as Mariners, whereof a great part will be always on shore.  
REASON II. That these Mariners do not take up the room of Seamen, but the Men of War must have their full Compliment of Sailors, and these Mariners into the bargain.  
I shall desire to be excused from making any Answer to this Argument, till the Gentlemen of this new way of Reasoning are pleased to show, that their Mariners do not receive as much Pay, eat as much Meat, lie in as many Hammocks; in short, eating, drinking, standing, lying, or sitting, take up as much room as if they were better Seamen. I must own 'tis my Opinion, they will not be contented with the Accommodation Seamen are accustomed to, especially their Beau-Officers, who will think themselves but ill used unless they have Cabins made on purpose for them.  
REASON III. Mariners are more proper to make Insults upon the Enemy's Coasts than Seamen, who are not under so good a Discipline for Land-Service.  
ANSWER. Our own Experience is contrary to this; for they have been employed together but once upon Land-Service during the late War, which was at the Siege of Cork; where a few Seamen, under the Conduct of the Duke of Grafton, did gallanter Actions, and better Service, than the whole Body of the Mariners either performed at that time or ever since. But supposing what they say were true, we have no War, nor any occasino to make Insults upon our Enemy's Coasts; and must we be at a great Charge and Hazard to keep them up till the Lord knows when, to be sent the Lord knows where, to do the Lord knows what? Besides, have they ever been made use of to that purpose? And what reason have we to believe that shall be done hereafter, which was never attempted in eight years' War? But if this were practicable, we may at any time qualify Land-Soldiers for such Service, by keeping them only on Board till their Sea-sickness is over.  
REASON IU. Marine Regiments are properer than Seamen to defend the Decks of our Ships, and annoy the Enemy with Smallshot.  
ANSWER. It has been always observed, that Sailors have been better Marksmen than Land-Soldiers, as having through the course of their Lives been used to Arms, not only in Sea-Service, but in their Voyages, and the several Ports they come into, by exercising themselves to shoot at Wildfowl: But if this were not true, what hinders but it may be made a part of Sea-Discipline, to exercise them by turns on board? unless we think there is an intrinsic Virtue in the Word Mariners. And if this were impracticable too (as I said before) Land-Regiments in case of a new War may at any time be fitted for that purpose, by only keeping them on board till they have digested their Sea-Qualms.  
REASON V. Besides the Service they do at Sea, they may be useful when they are put on shore, by working in the King's Yards.  
ANSWER. By their Establishment I presume the Design is to have a certain proportion of them at Land, the rest at Sea: And since it is all one to the Argument what number that is, we will suppose that two Thirds shall be always at Sea, and one Third working in the Yards by turns. Now I have already showed, that the two Thirds at Sea are more chargeable, and less useful, than an equal number of Seamen: and if I can show that the Third at Land will be as chargeable and less useful than an equal number of Artificers, than I think I have made it appear that they are neither good for Sea or Land, and consequently fit only to be disbanded.  
I confess by their Establishment their Pay at Land is but Eight Pence a day; but I presume if they hinder them from working any other way by employing their whole time in hard Labour, they will increase their Allowance, as they do when they send them to Sea; which by the way is always done when Soldiers are set at work in the Garrisons, or elsewhere. If they do this, their own Pay will be equivalent to the Hire of common Labourers, or very near it. But suppose they do not increase it, I have showed before, that the Pay of the Officers is above a Third of the whole Pay of the Regiments, supposing every Company to be full: but if we can have such unbecoming Thoughts of them (which I can never believe of such honest Gentlemen) as that they will make false Musters, than the Officers Pay, in probability, will amount to half, which being thrown in, will make their Wages much above the Rate of common Artificers: then the Question will be, Whether Men that for the most part have been bred up in Idleness, picked up at Hab Nab, whether Fish, Fowl, Ottar, or Seaweed, are likely to do better Service in the King's Yards than Artificers that exercise their own Trades, which from their Youth they have been accustomed to: To which I shall give no Answer.  
But what shall the Officers do in the Yards? Shall they work there too? or shall they stand in the way of the Workmen, and see the Soldiers work at a Trade that neither of them know any thing of? Indeed if this Subject was less serious, these Gentlemen would tempt us to be very merry.  
REASON VI. These Mariners, besides working in the King's Yards, will defend them against any sudden Insult.  
ANSWER. There is no need of their Assistance; for the King's Yards, if new Methods have not been introduced into them, are under the best Oeconomy and Conduct in the World.  
First, There is a certain number of Guard-Ships (I think three) to guard every Yard.  
Besides the Guard-Ships, there is on board every Ship that is in ordinary an established number of Men to do constant Duty there.  
Every Watch, Scout-boats are sent out to hale each respective Ship, and observe that the Watch is duly kept.  
There is in every Yard such an established number of Watchmen (I think sixteen) to give notice of any approach of danger; and upon the ringing of a Bell, all the Workmen and Seamen are to appear under the Officers of the Yard, to defend it: And there would not be a Man the more by employing the Mariners, for we must then turn off just an equal number of other Workmen.  
To give a full account of the Establishment of each Yard would be very tedious, therefore I shall only say in short, that the Constitution of the King's Navy, and especially of his Yards, was the noblest in the Universe, and under that Oeconomy we not only defended ourselves, but beat all the World, and road Masters of the Sea for many Ages; but what Trophies we have raised to our Country since these new Politics came in fashion, the Lords of the Admiralty can best tell.  
Indeed if the Gentlemen I oppose did not think our Understanding of a piece with their own Honesty, they would not put such a scorn and affront upon it as to talk at this rate; With what face can they pretend to use them either to work in or defend the King's Yards? Did they ever use them to either of those purposes in eight years' war, when there was much more occasion than there can be in peace? and what reason have we to believe they should do it now? But any thing must be said or done to get them; as Polybius says of War, the true reason is always concealed, and the most plausible one given out.  
The Establishment of Marine Regiments is thought so useless in Holland, that this very Winter they have rejected them; and it is plain that our Courtiers themselves, whatever they pretend, think as meanly of them as I do, for they have disbanded the old Regiments that were trained up in eight years' War (which if ever they would have been good for any thing might have been in that time) and in their room have called a few Land Regiments, with near three times the number of Officers, by the name of Mariners; and as these new Seamen have never been at Sea before, so they have been kept at Land ever since, and quartered up and down the Country against express Acts of Parliament; so that the dispute now is not whether we shall destroy an Establishment already made, but whether we shall make a new one in full peace.  
I must confess it to be my opinion that some Courtiers design them only for Land Regiments, and call them by a new name to deceive unthinking Men, who are taken only with appearances. But I doubt not but your Honourable House of Commons, the Guardians of the People's Liberties, will let the whole World see that they are neither to be awed by the vain terror of foreign Invasions, perverted by Places, or deceived by false Appearances; that they know how to honour and reverence his Majesty, and yet punish corrupt and wicked Ministers: In short, that they know the difference between English Subjects and French Slaves.  M●●o, Qui vult decipi decipiatur. 
THE END.   

Newly published,  
A Confutation of a late Pamphlet entitled, A Letter balancing the Necessity of keeping up a Land-Force in times of Peace, with the Dangers that may follow on it. Price 6 d. Sold by A. Baldwin.