Thursday 29 October 1668

At the office all the morning, where Mr. Wren first tells us of the order from the King, came last night to the Duke of York, for signifying his pleasure to the Sollicitor-General for drawing up a Commission for suspending of my Lord Anglesey, and putting in Sir Thomas Littleton and Sir Thomas Osborne, the former a creature of Arlington’s, and the latter of the Duke of Buckingham’s, during the suspension. The Duke of York was forced to obey, and did grant it, he being to go to Newmarket this day with the King, and so the King pressed for it. But Mr. Wren do own that the Duke of York is the most wounded in this, in the world, for it is done and concluded without his privity, after his appearing for Lord Anglesey, and that it is plain that they do ayme to bring the Admiralty into Commission too, and lessen the Duke of York. This do put strange apprehensions into all our Board; only I think I am the least troubled at it, for I care not at all for it: but my Lord Brouncker and Pen do seem to think much of it. So home to dinner, full of this news, and after dinner to the office, and so home all the afternoon to do business towards my drawing up an account for the Duke of York of the answers of this office to his late great letter, and late at it, and so to bed, with great peace from my wife and quiet, I bless God.

15 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

The Royal Society today at Arundel House — from the Hooke Folio Online

Oct. 29. 1668. The curator produced an Instrument for measuring a second of time by the or for making the motion of the Sun to be perceiud euery second. It not being perfect the contriuer was desired to make it soe against next Day.

The same acquaintd the company that all the obseruations he could make of the Late eclipse of the sun which happend the 25th. instant was only to see the beginning was. 11h. 5'. matute + some seconds. whereas wing in his almanack has calculated the beginning. 11h. 17'. 09".

There was tryd an Expt. of falling bodys in a glasse cane about 4 foot Long Exhausted of air in which a fether Lett fall. came Down to the bottom in 4". but when the air was readmitted in "6. the glasse not being well exhausted & too short. a longer glasse to be gott, & be better exhausted -

The Curator mentiond an Expt. made by mr Boyle of including bellows in a glasse exhausted of air to see what effect the bellows working would haue on the subtile matter remaining in the vessele & whether it would cause any agitation therein, It was suggested by the Pt. whether a magnet would operate at a further distance in a thinner then a grosser air, or whether a very thick air would lessen its operation

The curator moued that Expts. might be made to see whether all hard bodys that Rebound doe not /Wallis psented this as his own. 1672/ soe vpon the account of hauing springy particles in them and that it might be inquired into - whether there be any body springy vpon other score then that it has air in it. The same concerning that if there were to be had a body absolutly hard and destitute of all springyness it would not Rebound at all, and it being said that such a body would not easily be found for making Expt. he answerd that it might be tryed comparatiuely. the same tooke notice that glasse was capable of condensation & Relaxation by pressure & taking off that pressure, and that the parts of glasse may be putt into a closer posture because they conteine air in them.

(2 Expt. of Dr Thruston of transfusion in a dog. also of cutting a kidney in a liue dog.)

http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/cell/Ho…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Mr Hooke has an unsuccessful experimental day, but is discussing "springyness."

Jesse  •  Link

re: Instrument for measuring a second of time by the or for making the motion of the Sun to be perceivd every second

I've some ideas but I wonder what this looked like. You can almost perceive the sun's motion on a second by second basis as it sets on the horizon.

"springyness" -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooke's_law

Chris Squire  •  Link

Hooke's Law: Ut vis, sic tensio. As every schoolboy once knew.

Chris Squire  •  Link

‘privity, n. Etym: Anglo-Norman priveté . .
. . 6. a. The fact of being privy to something; participation in the knowledge of something private, secret, or criminal (freq. implying compliance or consent).
. . 1638 R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1841) I. 31 This I thought not possible without my privitie.
1694 Ld. Delamere Wks. 75 That which makes a Man guilty of Treason or any other Crime is his Privity or Consent to it . . ‘ [OED]

‘commission, n.1 Etym: < French commission . .
. . 5. The condition of being authoritatively entrusted or given in charge. Hence in commission.
. . b. Of an office: Placed by warrant in the charge of a body of persons, instead of the regular constitutional administrator: some offices, as those of Treasurer and Lord High Admiral, are now permanently administered in this way by Lords Commissioners.
1668 S. Pepys Diary 5 Nov. (1976) IX. 351 An argument to insinuate the putting of the Admiralty into commission.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. iii. 166 The Treasury was for the present put into Commission . . ‘ [OED]

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"a Commission for suspending of my Lord Anglesey"

SPOILER: L&M note since Anglesey had been appointed for life by patent, there was some difficulty in sacking him outright, so he will be ordered "suspended and discharged" 2 November. This begins an appeals process we will see the start of this early November; but it will proceed until 1672, when he accepts a pension in lieu of office.

Here Pepys records the beginning of the takeover of the administration of the Navy (by the CABAL Ministry) -- the "putting in Sir Thomas Littleton and Sir Thomas Osborne, the former a creature of Arlington’s, and the latter of the Duke of Buckingham’s" instead of Anglesey

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Quite a pie for the Cabal to slice up...and there are the perks to be considered...

"Beautiful house you have here, Pepys. I understand the restorations were done generally with Naval funds?"

"Well, Sir Thomas...If accounts are..."

"No, just wanted to be sure we don't owe you anything. Can you be out by the 1st? The Duke did mention we've decided you're better off sited at Deptford? Oh, Molly...Have a gander at our new place...Mr. P's done a magnificient job."

"Mrs. Bagwell?!"

Bagwell, apologetic shrug...

***

Jesse  •  Link

re: better off sited at Deptford?

Pepys seems to be "the least troubled [about] it" which I take to be a sign of confidence in the job he's done.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Terry, many thanks for our periodic visits to the flying island.

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

'Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 5, 1661-1668, ed. W Noel Sainsbury (London, 1880), pp. 615-622. British History Online

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

October 1668

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1668. Oct. 29.
Flushing.
#1862. Serjeant-Major James Banister to Lieut.-Gen. Henry Willoughby.

Understanding of his safe arrival in Ireland, this is to acquaint him with what was written to Lord Willoughby, his father, in a short narrative of what happened in Surinam during his Government [see ante, No 1814].

According to instructions he demanded liberty for himself and all his Majesty's subjects that were desirous to remove with their moveable estates;
"which did so disrelish" the Dutch Governor and Council that they sent Banister prisoner to Zealand, away from his wife, children, and a considerable estate.

Arrived the 5th inst., and has been twice before the Lords of this Province, who took little notice of what he was charged with, but often questioned him as to his Honour and his Excellency's actions, to which he replied he was not to answer for any but his own.

Is ready to vindicate his Honour both here and at home, and desires to hear from him by the first opportunity.

Indorsed by Williamson.
1-½ pp. [Col. Papers, Vol. XXIII., No. 71.]
---
I'm thinking this must be Flushing, Long Island, New York.
https://flushingfriends.org/histo…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The volume of Domestic State Papers covering correspondence from Oct. 1668 to Dec. 1669 is at
https://play.google.com/books/rea…

THE SCAN SKIPS FROM PAGE 21 TO PAGE 24
@@@

Oct. 29 1668.
Certificate by Thos. Death and 4 others,
that they saw two English flags hanging on the foremast of the Peace, a Holland man-of-war, commanded by Capt. Gio. Van Brackell, on the 11th of Oct. 1668.
===
Leghorn,
24 Oct. 1668.
Attested before the public notary of Leghorn, 29 Oct.,
and certified by Thos. Dethick and Charles Longland.

Endorsed,
“Insolencies committed by Capt. Brackell at Leghorn.”
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 102.]

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Oct. 29 1668.
Deal
Rich. Watts to [Williamson].

A vessel from Malaga reports that the major part of their vines they make out in fruit, so that wine is scarce and fruit plentiful, which they did by reason of the new impost on wines in England;
also that they are laying a great tax on English commodities, to answer that of wine.

There are 80 sail of merchant ships in the Downs outward bound.

The Crown and three other King's ships have sailed for the river.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 103.]

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Oct. 29 1668.
Sir P. Honeywood to Williamson.

I suppose you have expected your colt, but he has the glanders and a canker in his nose;
he is under the hands of the best farrier in these parts, who doubts not but to cure him;
when he is in a condition to travel, I will send him.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 105.]

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Oct. 29 1668.
Edinburgh
Rob. Mein to Williamson.

The Scottish Commissioners for settling the staple at Dort have returned,
and Alex. Sandilands, one of them, is dead.

The Hollanders have offered to buy up all the Scotch coal and salt,
and Rob. Mill, provost of Linlithgow, has gone over to settle the trade.

The Commissioners for Trade between England and Scotland do not agree,
and the taxes on both sides are so heavy that they are obliged to trade with other countries, rather than with each other.

The imports from England exceed the exports to England by 50,000/. or 60,000/. a year.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 107.]

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Oct. 29 1668.
Navy Office
Sir Wm. Penn to the Navy Commissioners.

Sends the names of 5 vessels and of their commanders, who received prize wine for delivery to the ships;
but it does not appear how and to what ships they have disposed of it.

Desires an order to the messenger to bring them before the Board.

Requests that their bills may be stopped, if any of them have freight due,
until they give satisfaction.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 108.]
===
So Adm. Penn continues to work on the Victualling files in the Navy Office.

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Oct. 29 1668.
Navy Office
John Huntington, master of the Adam and Eve, to the Navy Commissioners.

Particulars of his voyage from Deptford to Sherwood and back,
to fetch timber from Stockwith, and thence to Hull,
between 27 Aug. and 30 Oct. 1668.

Desires order where to unload his vessel lying at Deptford.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 110.]

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Oct. 29 1668.
Victualling Office
Sir Denis Gauden to the Navy Commissioners.

Gave order for supplying fresh meat, or such as was lately salted, to the people
employed in weighing the wrecks, and was informed that it was observed,
but further inquiry shall be made.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 111.]

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Oct. 29 1668.
[BRISTOL]
Sir John Chicheley to Pepys.

So confident that the ticket of Percival Browne, which I lost, will never come to hand to be demanded, that if you will order a writing to be drawn, that the King may not twice pay it, I will sign it, upon delivery of another ticket to Mr. Dickinson, to whom the ticket formerly belonged.

I hope my bill for the 6 months' pay will be drawn like that of Sir [Wm.] Jennings and the rest of the commanders in the Downs.
Some will persuade me it is but to complete our commissions 6 months,
but Mr. Wren told me it was for 6 months over and above, in consideration of our expenses.
If it is not so, my voyage will be worse than I thought for, although with it I should be 100/. out of pocket.

If it is as bad as some say, we must advise better for the future.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 248, No. 112.]

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

I was just reading the notes on in-coming Commissioners Osborne and Littleton, and if Pepys disliked working with the current Board, he will find his hands really full with these two duking it out. And Penn had reason to be worried.

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