Tuesday 2 July 1667
Up, and put on my new silke camelott suit, made of my cloak, and suit now made into a vest. So to the office, where W. Pen and myself, and Sir T. Harvy met, the first time we have had a meeting since the coming of the Dutch upon this coast. Our only business (for we have little else to do, nobody being willing to trust us for anything) was to speak with the owners of six merchantmen which we have been taking up this fortnight, and are yet in no readiness, they not fitting their ships without money advanced to them, we owing them for what their ships have earned the last year. So every thing stands still for money, while we want money to pay for some of the most necessary things that we promised ready money for in the height of our wants, as grapnells, &c. At noon home to dinner, and after dinner my wife and Jane (mighty fine the girle) to go to see Jane’s old mistress, who was to see her, and did see my wife the other day, and it is pleasant to hear with what kindness her old mistress speaks of this girle, and how she would still have her, and how the wench cried when she told her that she must come to her old mistress my wife. They gone, I to my chamber, and there dallied a little with my maid Nell … [to touch her thing, but nothing more. – L&M] And so to the office where busy till night, and then comes Mrs. Turner, and walks with me in the garden to talk with me about her husband’s business, and to tell me how she hears at the other end of the town how bad our office is spoken of by the King and Prince and Duke of Albemarle, and that there is not a good word said of any of us but of me; and me they all do speak mightily of, which, whether true or no, I am mighty glad to hear, but from all put together that I hear from other people, I am likely to pass as well as anybody. So, she gone, comes my wife and to walk in the garden, Sir J. Minnes being still ill and so keeping us from singing, and by and by Sir W. Pen come and walked with us and gave us a bottle of Syder, and so we home to supper and to bed. This day I am told that poor Tooker is dead, a very painfull poor man as ever I knew.
12 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Filling in the ellipsis
"They gone, I to my chamber, and there dallied a little with my maid Nell to touch her thing, but nothing more."
L&M text.
Terry Foreman • Link
John Evelyn's Diary
2d July, 1667. Called upon my Lord Arlington, as from his Majesty, about the new fuel. The occasion why I was mentioned, was from what I said in my Sylva
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylv… ] three years before, about a sort of fuel for a need, which obstructed a patent of Lord Carlingford, who had been seeking for it himself; he was endeavoring to bring me into the project, and proffered me a share. I met my Lord; and, on the 9th, by an order of Council, went to my Lord Mayor, to be assisting. In the meantime they had made an experiment of my receipt of houllies [ a mixture of charcoal and loam ], which I mention in my book to be made at Maestricht, with a mixture of charcoal dust and loam, and which was tried with success at Gresham College (then being the exchange for the meeting of the merchants since the fire) for everybody to see.
This done, I went to the Treasury for £12,000 for the sick and wounded yet on my hands.
http://short.to/2f316
cum salis grano • Link
a little re cycling
"Up, and put on my new silke camelott suit, made of my cloak, and suit now made into a vest. "
JWB • Link
Painfull=painstaking?
"Mr. Tooker, whom I have brought into the Navy to serve us as a husband to see goods timely shipped off from hence to the Fleete and other places..."Apr,5,'65
Bradford • Link
You're right, JWB, "painful" means "painstaking"---L&M Companion, Large Glossary.
Robert Gertz • Link
"Sir J. Minnes being still ill and so keeping us from singing..."
"Oh, God's sakes, Pepys! Not another round of 'Beauty Retire' on those damned pipes. I'm still ill."
***
No offense to poor Mrs. Turner but given we see no signs of ... in his encounters with her is it that her husband is rather formidable? or Sam finds her above the social bar for casual ... ? Or she is not exactly Sam's type? Perhaps even something to do with the name, since beloved cousin Jane's is Turner? More seriously I wonder if it's an indication...At least one can hope...That Sam requires some faint sign of interest on the lady's part? At least if she is above that social bar.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"and after dinner my wife and Jane (mighty fine the girle) to go to see Jane’s old mistress, who was to see her, and did see my wife the other day"
L&M: Jane Birch had been out of the Pepys's service between 1663 and 1666. The name of the mistress here mentioned is unknown.
Terry Foreman • Link
"then comes Mrs. Turner, and walks with me in the garden to talk with me about her husband’s business"
L&M: See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
San Diego Sarah • Link
"In the meantime they had made an experiment of my receipt of houllies [a mixture of charcoal and loam], which I mention in my book to be made at Maestricht, with a mixture of charcoal dust and loam, and which was tried with success at Gresham College (then being the exchange for the meeting of the merchants since the fire) for everybody to see."
John Evelyn and the Royal Society are trying to find an alternative fuel so the people of London can cook and be warm without the pollution made by seacoal. (I remember the killer smogs of the 1950's, so I guess it didn't work.)
john • Link
" that there is not a good word said of any of us but of me; and me they all do speak mightily of, which, whether true or no, I am mighty glad to hear"
Personal succour in bitter times.
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Meanwhile, up the Essex coast:
The Battle of Landguard Fort (or the Attack on Landguard Fort) was a battle towards the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War on 2 July, 1667, where a Dutch force attacked Landguard Fort near Felixstowe. It was intended to clear the way for an attack on the English Royal Naval anchorage at Harwich.
After repeated attempts the Dutch attack planned by Adm. Michiel de Ruyter was repelled and as a result the planned attack on Harwich was abandoned. It was one of the last battles of the war before the Treaty of Breda was signed.
In the aftermath of the great Dutch victory on the Medway in June 1667 Michiel de Ruyter now had command of the Thames Estuary which allowed the Dutch to establish a naval blockade of London. Further attempts to operate in the Thames met with less success, and so at the start of July de Ruyter decided to attack Harwich, the next good safe anchorage up the coast from the Thames, and a naval base since 1657.
Before they could attack Harwich, the Dutch needed to neutralize Landguard Fort, the port's outermost line of defense. Landguard Fort is situated on a spit of land that runs south from Felixstowe across the mouth of the River Stour and River Orwell estuaries, and was built to protect the anchorage at Harwich, on the opposite side of the estuary.
The governor of Landguard Fort was Nathanial Darrell and was defended by 400 experienced musketeers of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment.
The Fort had 40 cannon and about 100 men, and officers for gun crews.
De Ruyter split two of his squadrons in the attack: one operated inside the estuary and one was out to sea, but as they moved forward they came across unexpectedly shallow water which meant that the attack from the estuary was totally abandoned, but the seaward squadron could fire a few shots at long range.
De Ruyter intended to support his attack with naval gunfire at relatively close range but pressed ahead anyways.
The Dutch now sent the marines into boats and some 1,500 marines and 500 sailors rowed to shore under the command of Col. Thomas Dolman (a hardliner Parliamentarian turncoat), the English commander of the Dutch land forces.
They landed on the coast to the north of the fort at Cobbold's Point. This put them out of range of the guns in the fort, but also meant that they had to split their forces.
The Dutch left the smaller part of their force at the cliffs -- the majority of them sailors -- leaving the marines to attack on their own. The marines marched south to attack the fort, but they had the hard task of dragging their cannons across shingle.
The English were prepared for this action; there had warnings of a possible Dutch attack after the defeat at Medway.
San Diego Sarah • Link
CONCLUSION:
The Dutch launched the attack; ladders were brought forward and in an action lasting 45 minutes the Dutch were repelled by concentrated English fire which caused loss.
The Dutch reorganized and launched a second attack.
A small English galliot joined the action, firing grapeshot at the Dutch on the shore. The shingle on the beach, sprayed by the shot, acted like shrapnel causing the Dutch many casualties.
Col. Thomas Dolman was killed in this attack which created confusion; less than 15 minutes later the leaderless Dutch marines retreated, leaving their ladders and other equipment behind. The English captured some prisoners and the Dutch suffered many casualties. The Dutch seaward squadron was only able to fire a few ineffective shots at long range.
While the Dutch marines had been attacking the fort, the sailors at their beachhead came under attack by the local trained militia, commanded by James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk and 3rd Baron Howard de Walden.
Continuous English fire lasted until 10:00 p.m. at which point the Dutch sailors decided that, with casualties rising and being unable to advance forward, to retreat.
The Dutch were trapped onshore by low water until around 2:00 a.m. on 3 July, giving 500 regular infantry under Major Legge time to arrive from Harwich.
Other English soldiers had also skirmished with the Dutch when they had retreated from the fort, but no British cavalry arrived. Legge's men were soon badly outnumbered as the defeated Dutch marines joined forces with their men on the beachhead.
No significant fighting took place and the Dutch were able to re-embark after 2:00 a.m., and by 6:00 a.m. their fleet had sailed away from Harwich.
Losses for the Dutch were moderate: they suffered less than 150 killed, wounded or captured. The English loss was no more than 10 men, but Gov. Nathaniel Darrel who was wounded in the shoulder by a musket ball.
After the failure of this raid the Dutch focused on blockade the Thames. De Ruyter sailed off to cruise the English Channel, leaving Adm. Jan Jansse van Nes in charge of the blockade, which lasted until the end of July.
Further hostilities were ended by the Peace of Breda, which was signed on 31 July, 1667.
The attack is noteworthy for being an early battle honor for both the English and Dutch marines. The Dutch Regiment de Marine (founded by Michiel de Ruyter in 1665) had won its first battle honor at Chatham during the attack on the Medway earlier in the year; they later become the Netherlands Marine Corps.
The garrison of Landguard Fort was provided by the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment, raised in 1664, and one of the earliest precursors of the Royal Marines.
The defense of Landguard was the Royal Marines first battle honor and it is recorded as the site of the last opposed invasion or attack of England.
The fort is open to the public.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat…