ropose, for supplying the
defects, and redressing the inconveniencies, of the laws by which
sailors are at present levied for the royal navy; for how should lawyers
be more qualified than other men, to explain the particular advantages
of such expedients, or to answer any objections which may happen to
rise?

It is well known that it is not easy for the most happy speaker to
impress his notions with the strength with which he conceives them, and
yet harder is the task of transmitting imparted knowledge, of conveying
to others those sentiments which we have not struck out by our own
reflection, nor collected from our own experience, but received merely
from the dictates of another.

Yet such must be the information that lawyers can give us, who can only
relate what they have implicitly received, and weaken the arguments
which they have heard, by an imperfect recital.

Nor do I only oppose the admission of lawyers to our bar, but think the
right of the merchants themselves, in the present case, very
questionable; for though in general it must be allowed, that every
petitioner has a claim to our attention, yet it is to be inquired
whether it is likely that the publick happiness is his chief concern,
and whether his private interest is not too much affected to suffer him
to give impartial evidence, or honest information. Scarcely any law can
be made by which some man is not either impoverished, or hindered from
growing rich; and we are not to listen to complaints, of which the
foundation is so easily discovered, or imagine a law less useful,
because those who suffer some immediate inconvenience from it, do not
approve it.

The question before us is required, by the present exigence of our
affairs, to be speedily decided; and though the merchants have, with
great tenderness, compassion, and modesty, condescended to offer us
their advice, I think expedition preferable to any information that can
reasonably be expected from them, and that as they will suffer, in the
first place, by any misconduct of our naval affairs, we shall show more
regard to their interest by manning our fleet immediately, than by
waiting three or four days for farther instructions.

Mr. SANDYS answered to this effect:--Sir, the merchants of London
whether we consider their numbers, their property, their integrity, or
their wisdom, are a body of too much importance to be thus
contemptuously rejected; rejected when they ask nothing that can be
justl