REASONS, Humbly Offered to the HONOURABLE House of Commons, FOR bringing in a BILL, for registering all Bills of Sale of Ships, and Vessels of Burden, in a General Register Book, with some Objections answered.  
1. FOR want of a General Register Book, no Person, buying a Ship, or part of a Ship, can be sure of a Good Title; but must wholly rely on the Honesty of the Seller.  
2. ANY Person, having in himself the Title to a whole Ship, may( if he designs to Cheat) sell Twenty, or Thirty, Sixteenth Parts thereof, and thereby Cheat several Persons, and not be soon Discovered: And that such Cheats have been often Acted, many Eminent Merchants, and Trades-Men, in London, can Testify.  
3. SUCH Cheats, occasion Disputes, amongst the Owners of Ships, about their Titles; And thereupon, many Ships are stopped from their intended Voyages, and lie, and Rot before such Disputes, are ended.  
4. THESE Discouragements, and others, that proceed from them, make all Merchants; and other Persons, who have had the Experience thereof,( as much as possible they can) avoid being Owners of Ships; And rather choose to Hire Ships to carry their Goods, than to Buy, or Build.  
5. THE Hireing of Ships by Merchants, and not being Owners thereof, often proves very Prejudicial to them; For they cannot be so Truly, and hearty Served by the Masters of such Hired Ships,( who often prefer the Good of their Owners before the Merchants Interest) as they would be by Masters of their Own Ships. And, by this Means, many Disputes, and Controversies, happen between the Owners, and Freighters, of such Hired Ships: All which Inconveniencies, and Cheats, aforesaid, are great Discouragements of Trade and merchandise.  
6. A General Register Book, will manifest every Man's Title to a Ship; and will Discover, and Prevent the Cheats, aforesaid: It will Encourage the Building and Buying of Ships; and consequently Advance Trade and merchandise; and is much desired by many of the most Eminent Merchants in London, who have subscribed a Petition to this Honourable House, to bring in a Bill for that purpose.  
Obj. 1st. ANY Merchant, or other Person, who is Owner of a Ship, may have occasion to borrow Money, and to make a Bill of Sale of such Ship, or part thereof, to the Lender, for his security of Re-payment; and such Borrowers Occasions ought not to be known by all Persons, that will search the Register Book.  
Ans. SHIPPING is generally the least part of every Man's Estate, and therefore very few Mortgages are made of Ships, or parts of Ships: But when any are made, a General Register Book will be a Security to the Lender, and an Advantage to the Borrower; for it will encourage the Lender to lend his Money at easy Rates: And as for the Borrowers Occasions being known, it is more Reasonable one Man should suffer a small Inconvenience, than that Twenty should be Cheated.  
Obj. 2d. A General Register Book will be a Charge and Trouble to the Subject, and not answer the End pretended,( viz.) to discover and prevent the Cheats, aforesaid.  
Ans. SUCH Register Book may be Managed for a very small Charge, and without any Trouble to the Subject; and will Discover, and Prevent all such Cheats, as aforesaid, as will appear by some Heads of a Bill, drawn up for that purpose, and ready to be presented to this Honourable House, By  


Simon Baxter,  
Lewis Davis,  
Thomas tailor.