BRIEF OBSERVATIONS UPON THE Present Distresses of the Public. With some ACCOUNT of the Causes thereof, Viz. THE Corruptions in the Government.  
Humbly Presented to the Consideration of the Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled.  By ROBERT CROSFEILD. 
First, I Shall observe to your Honours, the Prodigious and Immense sums of Money that have been Expended this War in about seven years, which I Conceive is more than has been Raised in many Ages past, even down to the Norman Conquest, all which, together with the Ill Management, has brought the Nation to such distress, by the great Decay and Ruin of Trade, and Universal Poverty of the middle sort of people, That the poor are grown to such vast Numbers, and do daily increase to such a degree, That if a speedy stop be not put to our Grievances, they will in a manner ere long be ready to eat the rest of the people up alive; And further, it is sad to consider how a certain Cabal of Men, have made a prey of the public all this War, for 'tis Demonstrable that a Moiety of what has been Expended this Reign, (had it been Committed to the Management of wise and faithful Men) might with God's blessing have given Laws to Europe, and long before this time, have brought our Enemies to a lasting, honourable and well Grounded Peace. Whereas those that have hitherto been Entrusted, have Acted as if they were not willing to Conquer our Enemies too soon, but rather desired to turn the War into a Trade, and to squeeze out even the very Marrow of the People to Enrich themselves; for to our shame be it spoken, the Enemy at this day seems to be almost upon an equal Balance with us, and the War as likely to Continue as ever.  
Secondly, That whereas during this great Action, and the raising such vast sums of Money, there ought to have been the greatest Care and Strictness Immaginable to have examined Accounts and Punished all Tardy Officers, the direct Contra●y has been practised, hardly any Accounts having been Regularly or strictly Examined, Numerous, great and Notorious Frauds, and other Crimes passed over in silence, and those that according to Oath and Duty, have discovered and laid open any Miscarriages in the Government, have been shamefully oppressed, Persecuted and Ruined, for the Encouragement of Offenders, and the Terror of all honest Men, to avoid all Acts of Duty for the future. For,  
Thirdly, The present Navy-Board, has been publicly accused of horrible practies in wasting the public Treasure: 1. By fraudulent Contracts. 2. By Countenancing, Encouraging, and Advocating vast Embezelments of the 
* Amongst the various Naval Frauds, I shall give the following Instance. A certain worthy Citizen of London, discovered a parcel of Hemp, going under the Name of Raking or Flying, which was sold as such by the Navy-board for 16 Tun, 12 Hundred weight, at thirty Shillings per Tun, amounting to 24 l. 18 s. being Goods, as they pretended, that were useless for the King's Service. But on the contrary, this person proved that the said Goods were, Bona Fide, the Bands and Ribs of Hemp, and that Instead of the above said small quantity, there was found about 240 Tun, 70 or 80 Tuns of which was actually delivered, which the aforesaid Citizen proved upon Oath to the Navy-Board, and offered 15 l. a Tun for the same, but to no purpose, for the matter was stifled. And thus a great quantity of serviceable Hemp was embezzled and pretended to be sold under the Notion of Raking or Flying for only 24 l. 18 s. and then sold to the King again for good Hemp (as it really was) for about 3000 l. 
And this I can prove when required, and I offer it as an Instance of the Method of those gentlemen's Defrauding their King and Country under the Head of Embezelments, that none may wonder how they 〈◊〉 their Estates.   King's stores. 3 By driving a Mysterious and Diabolical Trade in the poor Sailor's Tickets, which are generally sold at 10 or 12 shillings in the pound loss, to a Cursed crew of Extortioners, kept up and Encouraged by the Navy-Board, who ought to suppress them, also thousands of poor Creatures are Robbed of their Right, by the horrid Customs of putting Queries and Runs upon the Sailors Pay, the blood of whose perishing families does now cry aloud for Vengeance against the Nation, their dreadful Miseries having been hitherto disregarded, though often laid open in Print, and offered to be proved.  
By all which Cursed Practices the Commissioners of the Navy, have gotten vast Estates: some of them, that were Clerks, and not worth Two Hundred Pounds at the Revolution, have openly and publicly laid out about Twenty Thousand Pound in purchases, besides the vast sums of Money lying by them: Whereas admitting they have been Commissioners of the Navy seven years, their Salary at 500 l. per Annum, is but 3500 l. And for such Men to make such purchases, besides the Charge of Maintaining their Families, keeping their Coaches, etc. I conceive is one clear Demonstration of the publicks being Cheated. But further, some of these Gentlemen have been accused, of being disaffected to the Government, holding Constant and Private Consults with the Kings known Enemies, such as pay double Taxes. All which crimes and many more too long to insert, have most part been proved before the Admiralty, etc. And the rest laid before them and offered to be proved, but have all been quashed in a strange and unaccountable manner, and the Navy-Board hath Contrary to Law, Justice, and the Interest of the Nation, been protected, and kept in their Employments, to this day; whereby they and all the Numerous Train of their subordinate offenders, have been Encouraged in their Crimes, to the great Ruin of the King and Kingdom.  
Fourthly, The Lords of the Admiralty (under whose Jurisdiction the Navy-Board is) have been publicly accused for Stifling, Concealing, and Encouraging their Crimes, and Discouraging and Ruining those that laid them open; part of which has also been proved against their Lordships, and the rest offered to be proved; But all has been strangely quashed, and their Lordships remain in Commission at this day, as if no Evil had been laid to their Charge.  
Fifthly, The present Commissioners for Sick and Wounded, have been likewise accused by Mr. Baston, one of their Clerks (who laid down his Employment) of horrible Crimes, of holding an unlawful Correspondence with the French all this War, to the betraying the King's Councils, and also using the French Prisoners here in so barbarous a manner, by cheating them of their Allowance of Victuals, etc. that thousands of our Poor English Captives in France lost their Lives, and Perished through the Cruelty of the French, only by way of Reprisal; also they were accused of Cheating the King in their Accounts, and using the Sick and Wounded Seamen barbarously in the Hospital at Plymouth, with other great Miscarriages; all which was twice fully proved against them, almost two years since, in a Judicial Manner, by his Majesty's special order: 1. Before the Lords of the Admiralty, and 2. Before the Lords of the Council, and two Reports made of the truth thereof; and also the aforementioned Crimes, have been a third time proved against them, before the late Commissioners for stating the public Accounts, where some of ●heir Witnesses appeared to be Notoriously perjured: And lastly the said Mr. Baston, at the opening the present Session of Parliament, Printed and Published, his case, (Containing only matter of fact) being a full Account of the Crimes three times proved against the said Commissioners, all which i● quashed, and Law, and Justice, stopped from taking place, and the said Commissioner. Viat Armis, Encouraged, supported, upheld, and kept in their Employments to this Day.  
AND now it may be considered, If the aforesaid Crimes had ever been called to sincere and hearty Examination, and any of those persons punished in earnest, that were found to be Criminal, than all the Corruption and Fraud in the Government might have been soon laid open: For the horrible Cabal of the Nation's Destroyer's, would have been divided, and they would have Impeached and Accused one another, when they saw the Government was resolved to proceed against them in Earnest.  
But on the contrary, all imaginable Care has been taken to hush up, and stifle all manner of Crimes, by discouraging, persecuting and Ruining such persons as have, according to Oath, and Duty, endeavoured to lay them open; and also the worst, and most abominable Criminals, Traitors to God and their Country, have been encouraged, protected, and preferred; All which pernicious Examples have tended not only to confirm Tardy Officers in their Wicked Practices, but also to debauch those few Honest Gentlemen that were left in public Employments: For it is in Effect giving Public Notice, with divers Evidences of woeful Examples, That the way to keep an Employment, and get an Estate, is to break the Law, betray one's Country, and act all manner of Wickedness. And that on the contrary, to practise Honesty, neither to Cheat King or Country, nor suffer others to do it, without discovering the same, and to discharge one's Duty faithfully, in all the Branches thereof, is the certain way to be utterly Ruined, Beggared, and Destroyed.  
And now certainly, no Considering Man can be much surprised at the breaking out of the present Damnable and Hellish Plot, to Assassinate His Majesty's Sacred Person, and subvert the Government: But rather admire the wonderful Providence of God, that his Majesty has sat safe in his Throne so long, in regard so great a Number of his known Enemies have been Thrust into, and hitherto Kept in his Service: And how our King or Country can be safe with so few real Friends, and so many and powerful Enemies both at home and abroad, is beyond my apprehension to Conceive; Nay, 'tis Demonstrably plain, that our Enemies at home, By their Superlative Covetousness, Fraud, Pride, Negligence, Ignorance, etc. Have done us much more mischief than all the power of France this War; for the Cabal of our Enemies at home are so Strong, and their Power so Great, That his Majesty's Royal Person with the Laws, Estates, and Liberties, of his loving Subjects, seems to be Besieged and Surrounded by them, and to call aloud for your Honour's Assistance to Disperse this Wretched Crew, before they grow too strong for the Parliament itself, Or till our wickedness spreads itself so far, that all come to be Offenders, and so our Crimes grow too Bulky to be ever Examined into at all, and reduce us to such a wretched Condition, as to verify the Words of the Poet Lucan, who says: Where all offend the Crimes unpunishable, And then our utter and final Ruin must unavoidably follow.  
God grant there may not be Cause to Record of this Nation in Ages to come, That notwithstanding the wonderful Revolution that God wrought for them, and Rescued them from Popery and Slavery; and notwithstanding the great advantage of a Wise, Good, Valiant, and true Protestant King to Reign over them, and also the Immense Riches they possessed, and all the other Advantages of the Strength, Number, Courage and Bravery, of their Forces, by Sea and Land, etc. all which was more than sufficient to have soon lowered their Enemies, and brought them into subjection. Yet were they, by their own sordid Covetousness, and Wickedness within themselves, shamefully brought to Beggary, Ruin and Slavery. I say, God grant we may not give our own Posterity, and other Nations, this Cause to Curse and Contemn us.  
The above Grievances have been publicly complained of, and offered to be proved, for these several Years passed, as also laid open in Print the last Session, and this Session of Parliament, by me and others, though hitherto quashed or overruled: And I having this Session of Parliament Exhibited a Petition and Articles in the House of Peers (where it is now depending) Complaining of the aforesaid Corruptions and Grievances; and having humbly prayed in my said Petition, That the Matters therein contained may be brought to a Legal Hearing, I do again make the same Humble Request in the behalf of my Country; (which has been, and is sorely Oppressed by the aforesaid Evil Practices;) and shall think it my Duty to persist in the same, until I be Legally heard, or Commanded by the Government to Cease: being able fully to prove whatever I have set forth.  
Clerkenwel-Close, March 17. 1695/ 6. Robert Crosfeild.  
FINIS.