volution, several proposals were made in relation to the
establishment of a commerce in the South Sea, which were received with
approbation; and it is certain that king William gave instructions to
Admiral Benbow, when he went out last to the West Indies, to enquire
how far any of these projects were feasible. After the breaking out of
the last general war, all the world expected that the first thing the
maritime powers would have done, would have been sending a squadron
to these seas, either for the service of the prince whom they owned as
king of Spain, or for their own advantage. The people of this nation,
in particular, were so desirous of seeing the war carried on this way,
and on this side, that, to give them hopes, and to shew, at the same
time, that the legislature approved their sentiments, a bill was
brought in and passed, in the House of Lords, for the better carrying
on the war in the West Indies, which was lost, however, by a kind
of ministerial craft, in the House of Commons; and soon after, for
reasons which have never yet been explained to the public, all designs
of this nature were laid aside. The only expedition of this nature,
during the whole war, was that of the Duke and Duchess, under the
command of Captain Woods Rogers, already related, which was fitted out
at the expence of some private merchants of Bristol. On the change of
ministry, a prodigious clamour was raised on this head, and all of a
sudden a resolution was taken to secure all the advantages that could
be wished for to this nation from the trade of the South Seas, which
ended, however, only in erecting a company under that title.
The nation very soon became sensible that this would not do, and
therefore, as soon as our disputes with the king of Spain came to
a height, in the reign of the late king, George I. a design was
immediately set on foot for sending privateers once more into that
part of the world, which ended in the expedition of Captain Shelvocke
and Captain Clipperton, already related at large.

"By this short deduction of facts, I think it is demonstrably proved,
that, in the judgement of this nation, the most probable way of
humbling Spain, in case of a war, is to send a squadron into the South
Seas, and I will venture to say, that there is one reason why this
is now become more expedient than ever, which is, that we are now no
longer at liberty to send ships thither in time of peace, as we were
before the South Sea Company w