ts; nor do I believe
that any measures can be proposed of equal efficacy, and less severity.

Mr. SANDYS replied, in substance as follows:--Sir, whether the
precedents produced in defence of this bill, will have more weight than
the arguments, must be shown by a careful examination, which will
perhaps discover that the order sent to the magistrates of Bristol
conveyed no new power, nor such as is, in any respect, parallel to that
which this bill is intended to confer.

They were only enjoined to inquire with more than usual strictness,
after strollers and vagabonds, such as the law has always subjected to
punishment, and send them to the fleet, instead of any other place of
correction; a method which may now be pursued without danger,
opposition, or complaint.

But for my part, I am not able, upon the closest attention to the
present scene of affairs, to find out the necessity of extraordinary
methods of any kind. The fears of an invasion from France, are, in my
opinion, sir, merely chimerical; from their fleet in America the coasts
of Britain have nothing to fear, and after the numerous levies of seamen
by which it was fitted out, it is not yet probable that they can
speedily send out another. We know, sir, that the number of seamen
depends upon the extent of commerce, and surely there is as yet no such
disproportion between their trade and ours, as that they should be able
to furnish out a naval armament with much greater expedition than
ourselves.

In America our forces are at least equal to theirs, so that it is not
very probable, that after the total destruction of our fleet by them,
they should be so little injured, as to be able immediately to set sail
for the channel, and insult us in our own ports; to effect this, sir,
they must not only conquer us, but conquer us without resistance.

If they do not interrupt us in our attempts, nor expose themselves to an
engagement, they may, indeed, return without suffering great damages,
but I know not how they can leave the shores of America unobserved, or
pour an unexpected invasion upon us. If they continue there, sir, they
cannot hurt as, and when they return, we may prepare for their
reception.

There are men, I know, sir, who have reason to think highly of the
French policy, and whose ideas may be exalted to a belief that they can
perform impossibilities; but I have not yet prevailed upon myself to
conceive that they can act invisibly, or that they can equip a