Thursday 4 June 1668
Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, where Mr. Clerke, the solicitor, dined with me and my clerks. After dinner I carried and set him down at the Temple, he observing to me how St. Sepulchre’s church steeple is repaired already a good deal, and the Fleet Bridge is contracted for by the City to begin to be built this summer, which do please me mightily. I to White Hall, and walked through the Park for a little ayre; and so back to the Council-chamber, to the Committee of the Navy, about the business of fitting the present fleete, suitable to the money given, which, as the King orders it, and by what appears, will be very little; and so as I perceive the Duke of York will have nothing to command, nor can intend to go abroad. But it is pretty to see how careful these great men are to do every thing so as they may answer it to the Parliament, thinking themselves safe in nothing but where the judges, with whom they often advise, do say the matter is doubtful; and so they take upon themselves then to be the chief persons to interpret what is doubtful. Thence home, and all the evening to set matters in order against my going to Brampton to-morrow, being resolved upon my journey, and having the Duke of York’s leave again to-day; though I do plainly see that I can very ill be spared now, there being much business, especially about this, which I have attended the Council about, and I the man that am alone consulted with; and, besides, my Lord Brouncker is at this time ill, and Sir W. Pen. So things being put in order at the Office, I home to do the like there; and so to bed.
8 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
The Royal Society today at Arundel House — from the Hooke Folio Online
Iune. 4. 1668. Iames Gregory presented Angeli de infinitis spiral: [ http://goo.gl/DvRvm ] Eschinards Optic: & centuria Prob: optic: cassini [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giov… ] demacalis in [Jupiter/tin] et Ephem: Satellitum. et Ephem mot [sun/gold] . & [Mars/iron] Reuol: circa Axem /&./ spina coelestis. et Riccij exercitatio geometrica -
Dr. King acc: of Anat expts.) Dan Coxes Paper Read) Stubs obseruations Read).
Boyles portable Baroscope to be made. mr. Boyles portable Barosc: to be made)
The Curator not being present the expts. appointed for this Day were referred to the next meeting. vizt. to mix Salt wth water & see how much it will be heauier, and for performing it to weigh salt in oyle of turpentine. and by knowing the difference of the weight of these 2 liquors to know how much the salt that is imbibed in water weighs in water. 2 mixing [aqua fortis] & Iron. 3 precip: [mercury] out of [aqua fortis] by salt. 4. Expt. in Air pump wth glowormes [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glow… ] 5. Expt. about floridnesse of Blood (Ball to giue his Obs: of Hook: eclip of the moon. & variation of the needle.
magalotti letter of Depriuing a dog of sense & motion.
http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/cell/Ho…
Terry Foreman • Link
Warrant by the Duke of Ormond, Lord Steward, to the Officers of his Majesty's Greencloth
Written from: Whitehall - 4 June 1668
Warrant by the Duke of Ormond, Lord Steward, to the Officers of his Majesty's Greencloth, for the passing, allowing, and paying, to George, Duke of Buckingham, all fees, wages, diets ... emoluments, allowances, and advantages, whatsoever incident to the place of Master of his Majesty's Horse, pursuant to his Majesty's Warrant appointing the said Duke to that office void by the voluntary resignation of George, Duke of Albemarle, which warrant bears date at Whitehall 29 May, 1668.
http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…
Chris Squire • Link
‘Pretty a. . . A.3. Used as a general term of admiration or appreciation.
. . b. Of a thing or action: fine, pleasing, commendable, etc.; proper, appropriate, or polite. Now freq. in negative contexts, passing into sense A. 3c.
. . 1667 S. Pepys Diary 1 Sept. (1974) VIII. 412 It is pretty to see how strange everybody looks.
. . C. int. Used as an exclamation of surprise. Obs.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 1 Oct. (1972) VII. 303 But pretty, how I took another pretty woman for her, taking her a clap on the breech, thinking verily it had been her.’ [OED]
Terry Foreman • Link
"...the Fleet Bridge is contracted for by the City to begin to be built this summer, which do please me mightily."
And please him for good reason! L&M note this bridge (on the site of later Ludgate Circus) and Holborn Bridge were the only ways wheeled traffic could cross the Fleet River in the City of London. The Fleet Bridge was now rebuilt 9 (rather than the prior 6) feet above the water to facilitate river traffic. Pepys does not mention that the infamous gradient of the approach down Ludgate Hill was thereby reduced (it had been worse!). This work will be finished in Spring 1669.
Carl in Boston • Link
I do plainly see that I can very ill be spared now
Pepys thinks he is so indispensable that he can scarcely take a vacation. He has his fingers in the breaking dike, holding it all back. Fortunately, he does go off for a vacation.
Bryan M • Link
"But it is pretty to see how careful these great men are to do every thing so as they may answer it to the Parliament..."
Is this the start the long and tortuous road to fiscal accountability by the executive branch of government? It is pretty indeed to see how far we have travelled and yet, how much further we have to go.
Second Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
'Charles II: June 1668', in Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1667-8, ed. Mary Anne Everett Green (London, 1893), pp. 418-468. British History Online
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
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June 4. 1668
Sir Wm. Jennings to the Navy Commissioners.
I send a receipt from Capt. Noble of the Fame, for an anchor lent him in necessity;
I desire that it may be demanded of him on his arrival in England, that I may not come to damage hereafter.
My provisions have proved very bad, and many of my men have fallen down;
I believe that to be the cause, for since being at Algiers, where I gave them fresh victuals, they all recovered.
I have endeavored to stop complaints by paying the short allowance every month, to my own ship and the Mermaid, but shall not be long able to do so, except orders be taken for money;
I have none of the King’s, and have been forced to supply sick men likewise.
The men gave freely for the redemption of slaves one month’s short allowance, so with their help, I redeemed 7. There are about 30 more which were taken under the English colours 4 years since;
I inquired not the number of the rest.
I beg that these slaves may be remembered in their solicitations to his Majesty, lest their stay there may prove of ill consequences; for they so assured themselves of their redemption, at the arrival of the ships, that the failing of it made them mad;
I hope I have satisfied them by good words for some time.
Pray order payment of my bill;
I shall bring sufficient vouchers for the disbursements.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 241, No. 36.]
This Captain wasn’t the Capt. Sir William Jennens (uncle of the to-be Duchess of Marlborough]. This Capt. Jennens goes to the Med. until 1670, with no mention of redeeming slaves from the Barbary Pirates.
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June 4. 1668
Estimate of sums due for victualling ships, paying wages, &c., amounting in the whole to 292,795l., to be charged on the Act for 300,000l.
Endorsed with a note by Sam. Pepys, that it was drawn from particular notes, directions, and calculations made at the Council Board, and the Committee of the Navy, by direction of his Royal Highness, being himself present.
[2 ½ pages. S.P. Dom., Car. II. 241, No. 41.]
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June 4. 1668
Portsmouth.
Ben. Johnson to Williamson.
Repair of ships named.
The Ruby has sailed for Newfoundland;
hoped she might have taken in men, or had money sent to her at Cowes, for all her ablest seamen had old tickets, whereof they were promised payment ere they departed, by a special order of his Majesty in Council, which was published;
but this not being observed, the poor wives and friends, who came down on that occasion, returned with as light purses as the seamen sailed with heavy hearts;
such a disappointment makes a clamour that many men are sorry to hear.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 241, No. 45.]
San Diego Sarah • Link
Meanwhile, somewhere else at Whitehall:
Wikipedia tells me "On 4 June 1668, Tangier was declared a free city by charter, with a mayor and corporation to govern it instead of the army. The charter made it equal to English towns."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eng…
Anyone know anything about this?