and hope to be under sail to-morrow morning

THIS is only to let you know I am arrived here, and again to return my thanks and acknowledgments for all your kindness.

"Tis some ease to my heart the Greyhound is at last arrived. I hope my letters will be delivered as if they had come sooner to justify my proceedings; and, pray, let all the slaves be carried in a body to the King, to return their thanks for his grace and favour to them. I had rather this were done before I come, that after so many ill impressions have been made to my prejudice, some may be likewise so, at last, to my good.

The Admiralty have already been playing off tricks with me, endeavouring to lessen my command, though, I hope, it is likely to continue but very short under them. However, I thought it too tame not to give them an answer, a copy whereof I have inclosed to you, desiring you would let the Duke know of their proceedings so unprecedented, which, I apprehend, were procured by Brisbane on purpose to put a slight on

me. But I hope the Duke will not think it for his service to let me be quite thrown off from the fleet, now he hath an opportunity to serve himself, and protect my future pretensions, in great measure at least; for, on Lord Brounker's death, he hath an opportunity to bring you to the Admiralty; and if my Lord Nottingham can help out Brisbane, Mr. Sheres, with your assistance, may again put some life into the sea-service. I have written to the Duke. If I have left any part of his favour, I hope he will think of it. Dear Sir, I am

Your most obliged, faithful, humble servant,

DARTMOUTH.

MR. HEWER TO PEPYS.

Downs, on board his Majesty's ship, the Grafton,
April 8, 1684.

HONOURED SIR,

YESTERDAY, about noon, we set sail from Portsmouth, and arrived here in the Downs about noon this day, where we found his Majesty's ships, the Falcon, Diamond, and Dartmouth.

My Lord has not met with any orders here; but at Portsmouth, Captain Wheeler waited on my Lord with an order from the Admiralty Board, to direct him to come up the river Thames. They wrote my Lord a letter of no

great moment, after the date of their order to Wheeler, without taking any notice of it; a disrespect and breach of the discipline of the navy in the highest nature. It has It has provoked my Lord

and

to resent it in such a letter as, though the style will not be well pleasing to them, yet it will make them sensible of their error or ignorance, and learn them how to behave themselves better towards a person of that worth and knowledge as Lord Dartmouth is, whose services, I presume, are better known to his Majesty and his Royal Highness than to suffer him to be so treated.

I presume, therefore, my Lord would not take amiss your communicating this matter to his Royal Highness by showing the enclosed copy of his letter to the Admiralty. It does so fully, in all respects, notice all circumstances, that I need not enlarge thereon further than to lament the misfortune of the navy, which I never expect to see again in order until his Royal Highness thinks fit to take it into his care, which all that wish well to the King, his honour, or government, ought to advise and promote all that may be.

Pray give my most affectionate duty to my mother, and services to all my friends. Hoping now to see you in a few days, I remain

Your ever faithful and obedient servant,
WM. HEWER.

Mr. Atkins presents you his very humble ser

vice. My Lord being now writing to you, designs to send you the copy of his letter. For despatch sake, I have let my Lord have that which I provided to send you.*

SIR,

SIR PETER PETT TO PEPYS.+

Sunday, May 11, 1684.

I

I JUST now find the use of my hand, and humbly, as your due, give you the first fruits. enclose Sir R. Lloyd's report about the pestiferous patent, and almost all that I spake of the same. 'Tis written by an ill-spelling amanuensis. I entreat you, in your perusal, to take no notice of anything therein as if ever intended by me to be blotted out, but to suppose a stet written on every dele. How it came to be blotted, de facto, to humour the caprice of one of the Admiralty, I

In the Court-book of the Clothworkers' Company is the following entry:

"1684, April 15.-Samuel Pepys, Esq. appointed to attend" (with others of the Court)" on his Majesty at Hampton Court, with a petition relative to the Quo Warranto, brought against this Company."

On " July 4, 1678," it had been "ordered that the arms of the Honourable Samuel Pepys, Esq. Secretary to the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, this Company's present Master, should be set up in one of their Hall-windows, with such an inscription as his honour shall give directions for."

+Accompanying papers of Transactions on Lord Clarendon's patent of King's Waste."-MS.

shall, to your diversion, tell you, when I have next the honour to wait on you.

There remains about half a sheet I spake to the Admiralty, which cannot be found for you till I have the use of my feet; nor the copy of the reasons of the Court of Aldermen against the patent: a copy of the shipwrights' I enclose. The Trinity-House's you may see there from Mr. Veagleman; and perhaps the City's.

I long to be able to wait on you or Mr. Hewer, to impart somewhat that may perhaps bring in a good revenue to Trinity-House.

God bless them and you; and, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

This Sunday.

MR. WARNER TO PEPYS.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR,

P. PETT.

March 11, 1685.

HERE is a faithful account of the loadstone, &c. as I took it, Saturday.

The stone, naked, weighed one ounce, fere three drachms. The stone, with brass and steel armour, weighs three ounces, fere four drachms. The anchor weighed fifty-seven ounces. Two tin halfpence and two tin farthings, laid on the anchor, while hanging at the stone, weighed one ounce, fere two drachms.

Monday, I filed away a little of the anchor, to

VOL. II.

E