Mr. RIDER's ANSWER TO The False and Scandalous Reflections and Allegations in Warner's CASE; and PETITION of the Mayor and Jurors of Deal.  
THE two first Paragraphs relating to Warner's Project, begun without any Grant, or Lawful Authority, contrary to the Letters Patents granted to Mr. Burditt, and Mr. Rider, in order to destroy their Right, having been debated and determined already by this Hourable House, will need no further Reply.  
And although Mr. Burditt's Name, as a Promoter of this Undertaking, be first mentioned in the Grant; his Share, by Agreement, is and was to be but one Fifth Part, after all Charges and Expenses are deducted; for by Mr. Rider's Interest, and with his Money, the same was procured, who is not only concerned as a Patentee, but, till his Mortgage be satisfied, is also the sole Proprietor thereof, in his own Right, and not my Lord Griffin's, as is falsely suggested.  
That the Granting Patents for New Inventions, and Works of this nature, together with the liberty to break up Highways, Streets and Passages, for Public Uses, notwithstanding Warner's Opinion to the contrary, are Rights belonging to the Prerogative of the Crown; and without breaking up the Highways, Streets and Passages between the North River and Deal, the said Town and Port cannot be supplied with Fresh Water, as it hath been represented to this Honourable House already, when Warner's Bill was rejected, to make way for Mr. Rider's.  
It's a sign of a very bad Cause, when false and scandalous Reflections and Allegations are made use of the support it; and of a worse constitution, when Interest, which is too apt to blind Corporations, can prevail with them to commit such gross Mistakes under their Hands, as are contained in the Petition presented to this Honourable House by the Mayor and Jurors of Deal, to obstruct Mr. Rider's Proceed.  
But plainer Proofs, and stronger Evidence cannot be had to justify the Patentees Proceed, and confute and detect the False and Scandalous Reflections and Allegations in the said Petition and Case of Warner's, than the very Proposals and Contracts to which they refer themselves, Subscribed by One Hundred Sixty Eight of the Inhabitants of the said Town of Deal, made between Edmund Clifford of Grays-Inn, to whom the Patentees Assigned their Interest, and the said Subscribers only; notwithstanding what is alleged and insinuated in the beginning of the Petition, and middle of Warner's Case to the contrary.  
Nor were there any other Person or Persons employed in the proposing, procuring or taking the said Subscriptions, than Mr. William Feudall, His present Majesty's Store-keeper at Deal, and Mr. Robinson, who was not sent thither on this Account, as is falsely alleged, but had been there some Months before, in order to retrieve a Hovy sunk in the small Dowas, and therefore recommended by Henry Sawyer, Esq a Councillor of the Temple, as a proper Person to Supervize this Work, and Assist Mr. Feudall in procuring the said Subscriptions; as by the Testimony of Captain Smith, who engaged Mr. Feudall in this Undertaking, and was twice down himself during that Transaction, to view and lay out the Ground between the North River and Deal, will appear.  
Which Contracts and Subscriptions were taken on or about the 13th. of December, 1694. and were in the following Month of February finished, and sent up to Mr. Sawyer, as by the Dates of the said Contracts and Letters from the said Mr. Feudal and Robinson most evidently appear, which was Twelve Months before the late Plot: And yet 'tis positively affirmed, both in the Petition, and Warner's Case, That the said Subscriptions were taken by Cole, alias Hall, together with Robinson and Gellibrand, at the time of the late Plot when search was made after them, and by no other Person.  
What Credit therefore can be given to Men who take the liberty to asperse others in so false and scandalous a manner? And to make this more monstrous, Twelve of the Subscribers to the Petition are Subscribers to those very Contracts which apparently contradict the Petition in Point of Time, and Matter of Fact.  
That Robinson's Name is mentioned in Sir John Friend's Trial, on Examination appears to be true, but not as a Party concerned in the Plot, as is alleged: But suppose he had been employed about the time of the Plot, and had been guilty to Treason, Murder, or any other Capital Crime, that ought no more to affect this Undertaking, than Mr. Rider's Confinement in the Fleet that time, with many more innocent Gentlemen; unless his being deprived of his Liberty then, can be thought a good Argument now to deprive him of his Right also, though never concerned, directly or indirectly, in any Plot or Design against the King or Government.  
The next Paragraph contains a false Recital of Mr. Rider's Case, and from an Inference grounded on that Foundation, Warner would Insinuate, that the 2500 l. raised by Mr. Rider, some months before the Revolution, to defray the Charge and Expense of the Patent, and Undertaking, was applied eight Years after in a Correspondence with France; which no body sure but Warner would offer to this Honourable House, for a Reason to obstruct Mr. Rider's Bill, brought in by their Order, after the Matter of Right had been contested and determined by them.  
And that no New Objection of Warner's may be left unanswered, Mr. Sawyer beforementioned was the Person who proposed to Mr. Rider to Raise Money to Carry on and Accomplish the said Work and Undertaking; and upon that score became concerned in the Management. But a Dispute arising between them, Whether the Money that had been Raised, or what was to be Raised, should be first satisfied; for want of an Accommodation in that Point, the Work was obstructed, after the Engineer had made his Computation, the Ground was laid out, and the Subscriptions were procured, as by the several Draughts, Computations, and Subscriptions most plainly appear. Which Objection is now out of doors; since Mr. Rider is Resolved, and has Undertaken to Carry on the said Work himself, in a better and more certain manner, for the Use both of the Town and Shipping, than Warner can pretend to; whose chief Expense hath been in sinking a Well; which, in the Opinion of the most able Engineers, will never supply both the Town, and Shipping with fresh Water, when any number of Men of War and Merchant Ships are riding and abiding in the Downs.  
And unless better Arguments can be produced, to support this Inconsiderate Undertaking of Warner's, than hitherto appears, Mr. Rider hopes he shall not meet with more Obstructions to deprive him of his Right, and hinder so good and necessary a Work; which is the Design of that False and Scandalous Petition, and Malicious Case of Warners.