To Captain Mootham, commander of the Foresight, Captain [Thomas] Bun
commander of the Essex, or which of these Vice-Admiral Lawson
shall appoint convoy to Bilbao
Whitehall, 27 June 1660
SIR
I am to advise you in your passage into the Bay of Biscay that you are to forbear to surprise, block or molest any of the Spanish boats or vessels which you shall meet with there. It was not thought proper to insert this in your instructions, wherefore you are desired to observe it as if it had. I am directed to give you private advice hereof and rest,
Your loving friend and humble servant
S. PEPYS SECRETARY
1 Annotation
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Joseph Throgmorton must be worried about loosing some valuable commodities -- or friends and family -- that are currently coming to him via a Spanish vessel. And Pepys is passing off this "request" like it's an official instruction.
Interesting that he roughed out the letter in shorthand first before committing it to paper -- I suppose this means Pepys wrote the final copy himself, and did not delegate it to Thomas Hayter, so it was secret. He had many opportunities to mail it from Whitehall or Westminster today so it would avoid any Navy Office scrutiny and would be given the highest delivery priority without question.