A. D. 1694. ' 66^ 



brafs, (lately brought off* from the interloping intereft) which two laft- 

 named gentlemen, refufing to difcover to whom the laid fecret-fervice 

 money was given, were, together with Mr. Charles Bates and Mr. James 

 Craggs, committed to the tower of London by the houfe of commons 

 in the year 1695. And although, in obedience to an ad of parliament 

 of this year, Sir Thomas Cooke made a difcovery of many things to both 

 houfes of parliament, yet it did not give entire fatisfadion, as may be 

 more fully feen in a printed coUedion and fupplement of the debates 

 and proceedings of parliament of the years 1694 and 1695, upon the 

 inquiries into the late briberies and Corrupt pradices, (quarto, 1 695) con- 

 cerning which we fhalljuft obierve, that fundry fmifter arts at that time 

 ufed, were afterward pradifed on a limilar occafion in the famous year 

 1720: fuch, for inftance, as Sir Bafil Firebrafs's contrading with the 

 Eafl-India company to put (i. e. to oblige that company to receive of 

 him) L6o,ooo India (lock at 150 per cent, when the charter fhould be 

 granted, although their flock was then only at 100 per cent: whereupon 

 the company paid him the difference, being L30,ooo ; the difpofal of 

 which laft fum Sir Bafil Firebrafs could never be brought to difcover. 

 Great fums were alfo laid out for the refufal of flock at certain prices 

 on the fame fuppofition. Refufal of flock was a contrad for having the 

 option of demanding flock at a fixed price ; as the put of flock was a 

 contrad by which, for a premium paid down, the contrador obliged 

 himfelf to take a fixed quantity of a flock, at a future time, for a fixed 

 and higher price therein fpecified. Thefe new-fangled or cant terms 

 were firfl; brought into ufe by this company ; and in this way of flock- 

 jobbing dayly bargains were made for many fucceeding years, fo as to 

 be fince reduced into a kind of fcience ; but mofl eminently in the fa- 

 mous year 1720, and fome years after, till all fuch time-contrads and 

 bargains for flocks were made penal by ad of parliament. Great fums 

 were alio laid out by the managers to anfwer the company's contrads 

 for fale of flock, &c. The houfe of commons had alio impeached the 

 duke of Leeds, then lord prefident of the council, on the laid account ; 

 but the prorogation of the parliament put an end to it. Some years 

 after all this buille was over. Sir Thomas Cooke had Li 2,000 beflowed 

 on him by the general court of this company, by way of compenfation 

 for his former fuiferings on their account. 



This year the noble and magnificent hofpital at Greenwich, for the 

 reception of decayed failors ferving in the royal navy, was founded. 

 King William and Queen Mary had for fome time had this much at 

 heart; and they accordingly made a grant of the royal palace at Green- 

 wich, (a part of which, on the weft fide, had been begun to be rebuilt 

 for a royal palace by King Charles II) as alfo of a large adjoining fpace 

 of ground, for this end. King William, after Queen Mary's death, on 

 the 25th of Odober 1695 appointed by patent a number of commif- 



