A PROPOSAL for a General Satisfaction, in relation to George Oldner's Invention, to prevent Ships from Foundering or Sinking at Sea, &c. To which is added an ANSWER to a PAMPHLET, entitled, An Epistle to a Member of Parliament. As also the other Advertisements; ( viz.)  

WHEREAS on Monday the 9th of this Instant January the Books for taking Subscriptions for Shares were laid open, pursuant to the former Proposals and Advertisement, and a considerable Number of Shares( notwithstanding the Papers and Pamphlets) were then Subscribed accordingly, and many more Subscriptions daily offered on the aforesaid Terms; but the Patentees and present Proprietors being willing to remove all Objections that are or can be made against their Proceedings in this Affair, and fully to satisfy the World of the Sincerity of their Intentions therein, that this useful and necessary Invention may no longer be wanting to the public, do propose and agree to the following Variation from the former Proposals and Advertisement; ( viz.)  
1st. That 25 s. per Share only be paid down at the time of Subscribing, into the Hands of Sir Thomas Cuddon, Knight, and Chamberlain of the City of London, or his assign, as Trustee, until the Committee be chosen: And that all Money so advanced be paid into the said Committee or their Order, when chosen, for a Stock to be applied only for the managing and carrying on the said Invention and Letters Patents, as in the former Proposals.  
2dly. That one third part of all clear Profits arising by Means of this Invention, shall be divided among the Patentees and present Proprietors only, until the remaining Sum of Eight Pounds Fifteen Shillings per Share be fully paid and satisfied, and no longer; and the other two third Parts of the said Profits to be divided in common to all Persons concerned, according and in Proportion to their several and respective Interests therein.  
3dly. That all Persons who have already subscribed for Shares, shall be subject to these Conditions only, or may retract their former Subscriptions, and subscribe de Novo, if they see meet.  
4thly. That the present Proprietors shall, upon Account of this Variation, have equal Liberty with all other Subscribers, of disposing of their Shares; except the Patentees, who are to retain so many Shares as to qualify them to be of the Committee, as in the former Proposals, yet nevertheless subject to an Election.  
5thly, That in Case the said Invention should not answer, after the Experiment has been made in a large Ship at Sea, which the Patentees and present Proprietors have no manner of Reason to doubt or question, yet to demonstrate their Sincerity and Fairness, are content that all Money so raised for a Stock, as aforesaid, with the Produce thereof, shall be equally divided and paid back to the Subscribers only; the Charges and expenses 
Which according to the nearest Computation that can now be made, is presumed will not exceed 5 s. per Share at most, and probably not half so much, which is an inconsiderable Adventure for so great a Probability of so large Profits and universal Benefit, and Proposals of Insurance will in a short time be made to the Subscribers accordingly. ( signed and allowed by the Committee) first deducted.  
6thly, That pursuant to these present Conditions and Agreements, the Books for taking Subscriptions for Shares in the said Invention, shall be opened again on Tuesday the 24th of this Instant January, at Robin's-Coffee-House in Exchange-Alley, London, from Ten to One, and from Three to Seven a Clock, and shall continue open until Saturday the 28th ditto inclusive.  
Dated January the 13th, 1698/ 9.   

An ANSWER to the Nameless Pamplet, assuming a Title of An Epistle to a Member of Parliament, concerning Mr. George Oldner's Invention; to prevent Ships from Foundering or Sinking at Sea, &c. it being presumed the Author was rather commanded by his Interest, than by a Member of the House of Commons.  
1st. BEcause in the very beginning, he complains of the Liberty of the Press, for suffering Trifles and Whimsies to be published, and tells you, the whole Nation seems to have run a gadding, every little Trifler setting up for Wit, politics, or Projects, openly declaring himself to be one of the Number, as at the same time to be guilty of an Impertinent Libel of Folly and falsehood, so jumbled together, That for the most part it bespeaks nothing but Prejudice and Ill-Will, angry and aggrieved, as is supposed, that honest and well-meaning Men should undertake to serve the World with a much better Invention, than this wonderful Politician with all his Wit and Art, could ever attain to be Master of; and the very Subject he gives the Honourable Person a single Instance of( tho' indeed one might have expected a variety out of the multitude of Pamphlets complained of) is by himself justified in the Front of his Discourse, to be a Noble Undertaking, if it can ever be accomplished; and yet( having not patience to see whether it can or no) irritated by his Anger and Folly, falls out with it almost in the very same Line, and terms it a monstrous and unaccountable Air of whimsy and Confidence, the Inconsistency of which unaccountable piece of logic needs no Mathematical Demonstration to such as understand English, so rudely and ungentilely has he attacked this Noble Undertaking in his whole Discourse( and apparently without the least Knowledge of it) letting the World see, That as Passion has overcome his Reason, he obstinately will be so irrational as to think nothing can be effected by Art, but what comes within the Compass of his Imagination, and at last when his mighty Capacity cannot comprehend it, makes it a Foundation whereon to build a Creed for 
Vid. Hor. Flace. satire. 5.  Judaeus Apella, which Quotation,( though far from his Intention) so aptly agrees with, and makes so much for our Purpose, that it plainly appears, he as equally understands Authors as he does George Oldner's Invention.  
2dly, He finds fault with the Method of proceeding, Slenderness of the Experiment and Privacy of the inventor, tho' this last be fully answered in the printed Proposal, page. 4th, Paragraph the 2d; and as to the Experiment made in the River in so small a Vessel, which has given old Commanders and Surveyors of the building of many Ships and Vessels Satisfaction, that it will answer in a large Ship; which they offering to venture their Lives on the Experiment, shows the greatest Faith of Performance and Reality of the Invention that is possible; nor can it be denied, That in many cases, that which answers in the little will answer in the great, whereof Instances sufficient might be given: But our scribbling Author is so disingenuous, to conclude the contrary of this Invention, when at the same time, he knows nothing of it; and his saying the Marginal Note is an acknowledgement of the most Honourable Person not being present at the Experiment, is false, as may appear by the same, there wanting only his seeing the Model loaden, yet did see her swim empty, and several other Persons of good Note, whom we are persuaded the World will allow better Judges in the matter than this Pamphleteer, who slily insinuates a Suspicion of their Wisdom or Integrity. Surely, if the present Age had not abounded with selfish and mercenary Persons, the World might have been persuaded this scribbler, had out of Tenderness to them, and to prevent their being imposed upon, took all this Pains, and been at this Charge, and not for his more considerable Invention,( as he calls it) notwithstanding which, it is hoped, when it shall be humbly offered to the great Wisdom of the Honourable House of Commons, it will meet with a much more favourable Reception, than this self-inconsistent piece of politics is willing it should.  
3dly, His accusing the Patentees of Disingenuity, for reciting a Copy of a Certificate given by the Surgeons in so general Terms, That the Bilge-water is pernicious to the Health and Lives of Men, and therefore as applicable to ours as to any other Invention whatsoever, and assignable to that which best answers the end, shows rather this Author's disingenuous Construction of the good and public Spirits of the Naval Surgeons, in granting the said Certificate in so universal a manner to encourage all thinking Men to the Perfection of so great a Benefit, than that it should be confined to one single Invention and no more; but his quarreling thus, as he does, without Reason or good Manners, gives us to think he's in fear,( as well he may) that the Service proposed by his Invention, will be far more effectually performed by ours.  
4thly, His Objection against the Experiment made in a Model, and not in a large Ship already built, to all ingenious Persons who have perused the 4th page. of the Proposals, we hope and believe to be so satisfactorily answered, as that if he were not of a peevish and prejudiced Temper, he would not have urged it.  
5thly, His Objection relating to the safe Arrival of a Ship with such Breaches, in Holland not to be a sufficient Testimony, unless she returned, shows his little Knowledge of our Intentions, we having designed a farther Voyage than a return from thence to England. Likewise his asserting it to be said by one of the Patentees, that all this is to be done with the Use but of Two Pumps, is false; and shows( for the Reasons he objects) how far he is to seek in the other parts of our Invention; Pumps, by his Paper, appearing to be his sore place. Yet neither his Railing or Ignorance shall pump the Patentees to discover to him their Secret.  
6thly, As to his Objection of their falling the Price of their Shares, and his asserting their Mistrust of the Sufficiency of the Invention, because of their condescending to accept Payments for their Shares after an Experiment is made, and Rewards obtained, is false in Fact, and shows how little Skill this weak Author has in common Sense, and therefore we may say with him, that as Truth loves the open Light, and Error and Imposture lurking Holes, we leave the Reader to judge whether they who have put their Names in the Front, and declare themselves openly, or he that has put neither Name, nor Place where to be found, acts fairest, And as to Mr. Lurting's and Mr. Warren's going to the Streights or West-Indies, they are still as ready on a good Account, though not to satisfy the impertinent Demands of every mercenary scribbler. But the Envy and Opposition this Invention meets with, is one very great Argument, amongst the rest, to convince us of the Value and Greatness thereof; and if this Author was really just, and as kind as he would seem, he would never have writ so much upon a Mistake; but have first fully informed himself, least he should injure his Friends as well as Mankind; for if the Invention be real, and he obstructs its Progress, he not only bereaves Mankind of the Benefit, but the Subscribers of the Gain they might have reaped thereby, so that as on one hand he may save them the loss of One Pound, so on the other hand he may hinder them the Gain of Ten Pounds; and to such as know the Invention, the last is much more likely than the first. Then he goes on with his Presumption to make us the Authors of the News in the Flying-Post; which News, though true in itself, as may be made appear by credible Witnesses, yet we don't think ourselves obliged to answer for Informations given to the News-Writers.  
7thly, He at last, like a Man a little come to himself, considers what Errors the Heat of his Passion, and the Disappointment he hath met with, hath drawn him into, returns and says, he would do any thing rather than lessen the Reputation of any Proposal that should tend to the Advantage of Mankind; the Consistency whereof, with the Contents of his Epistle, both before and in the next Paragraph, concerning the World in the Moon, we recommend to the reasonable part of Mankind to consider, and doubt not but Truth and Reason will prevail over Malice and Folly, and submit the whole to the judgement of the Impartial; who no doubt but will apparently see( as at first hinted) this Author was biased merely by his Interest and therefore deserves to have what he has written to be shrewdly suspected, and conclude answering his False and Scandalous Epistle, referring the Reader to the other Papers Printed, concerning this Invention.  
As to the Advertisements of Mr. Lurting and Mr. Warren, concerning the Certificate under their Hands, we can do no less than as a Demonstration of our Sincerity, aclowledge that their Testimony and Caution against the evil Practices of scandalous Stock-jobbing, &c. is highly commendable, and also join with them therein; but there is one thing to be noted, That the said Mr. Lurting and Mr. Warren( as we believe) through misunderstanding, conceived that People had ground to think by the printed Proposals, that the Experiment had been made and approved by a Ship at Sea, which was never by us pretended to by Word or Writing, in any wise whatsoever, as may plainly appear by the Certificate, and hope, That that will be a sufficient Demonstration, and may serve to satisfy and undeceive any that may have so mistaken it.  
Secondly, We own that neither they nor any other, which signed the Certificate, were in any wise concerned in dividing the Invention, and Letters Patents into Shares, neither did they or we ever say, That they were bona fide worth 20 l. per Share, tho' there are several concerned that do value them as mentioned in the printed Proposal, and some at a far higher Rate; and are very uneasy and unwillingly joined with us in our new Method, they judging that we much undervalue the Invention, in proposing the Shares at so easy a Rate.  
We are bound to return them Thanks for the Justice they have done us, in owning the Ingenuity and Goodness of the Invention, for the Security of Shipping, and their conscientious Care to prevent rash and unthinking People from prejudicing themselves, is commendable, which cannot( as they themselves may be sensible) now accrue, by any being concerned in our Invention.  
And as to the little Advertisement signed S. R. though scarce worth our taking notice of; for if the Author's Pretensions are real, he need neither be ashamed, nor afraid to own it, with his Name at length; for if he can add any thing further to what Mr. Oldner pretends to, he should not conceal it with that pr●●ence, on purpose to hinder the World of partaking of what Mr. Oldner-offers, but his Thought( as himself owns) being still imperfect, the World may 〈…〉 as long without this Invention, as hitherto it has been for him.  
☞ Note, That we were threatened with the Pamphlet entitled, An Epistle, &c. and the Advertisement signed S. R. before they were published,( which now have styly stolen into the World, like Foundlings into Parishes) for not admitting the Authors thereof into our Invention Gratis.