their repeated orders and instructions, and after leading me on for near half a century, to employ my whole time and make long voyages for perfecting the Invention, they can never be permitted now to come and say the Invention itself is good for nothing. Sould any one however continue to propagate such an opinion, I beg leave, in contradiction to it, to offer that of Sir Isaac Newton, and that of Martin Folkes, Dr. Halley, Dr. Smith, Mr. Graham, and eight other persons of great eminence, both publicly given to the House of Commons and to be found in
in his power to suppress the Invention; in which ignoble purpose he was too well supported by the party that clashed with the Mechanics, who, as is seen, uniformly rejected the opinion of the only man that understood the subject, and employed a person who, though an excellent workman, had not inventive powers, and did not affect them. These premises produced suitable consequences; and finding the Timekeepers were not come into use, they conceived there was a good opening to advertise (by Act of Parliament) rewards for improvements in the Lunar scheme, and for discoveries of the Longitude by it. How they learned so much assurance from Alma Mater, we know not, but as has been shown, they would have excluded the Mechanics altogether from competiting with them, had not the Admirals and the Civilians refused to concur in so sinister a purpose.—It should not be omitted that they were killing two birds with one stone by this device; they were taking their revenge for having been publicly defeated only the year before, by the humane perseverance of George 3rd in befriending their injured opponent: and there is nothing irregular in the supposition, that it was designed all who heard of this fresh application to Parliament, should infer his Majesty had exerted himself in an useless cause.
