The Diary by Samuel Pepys (children's ebooks online TXT) 📕

On September 10th, 1663, Sir William Warren contracted with the Navy Commissioners to deliver Gottenburg and Norway masts at the several dockyards. The contract, among the State Papers, has annexed to it: “Tender by Sir William Warren of 150 Gottenburg and 300 Norway masts, with three ships loads of New England masts, to be delivered free of charge at Portsmouth, Chatham, and Deptford,” and “Account of the difference of price between the tenders of Sir William Warren and ⸻ Wood, the former being the cheaper” (Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1663⁠–⁠64, p. 270). ↩

See note 1803. ↩

John Evelyn mentions in his Diary (Sept. 25th, 1679) the excellence of the China oranges grown on his own trees, and later on he writes: “20 September, 1700. I went to Beddington, the ancient seate of the Carews, heretofore adorned with ample gardens and the first orange trees that had been seen in England planted in the open ground.” William Bray, the editor, says that oranges were eaten in this kingdom in the time of King James I, if not earlier, as appears by the accounts of a student in the Temple, which he had seen. ↩

Captain William Badiley wrote to the Navy Commissioners, February 9th, 1663⁠–⁠64, requesting “a warrant to enter 12 or 14 men to the Elias, which is now afloat.” On March 1st he wrote: “The Elias is ready to take in provisions, but wants men to stow them;” and on April 6th, 1664, he asked for “an order to remove the Elias” (Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1663⁠–⁠64, pp. 474, 502, 546). ↩

“Proceedings in the House of Commons on the reading by Mr. Clifford of the report of the Committee for Trade, at which it was resolved to represent to the House and to his Majesty the injuries done by the Dutch in India, Africa, and America, as the greatest obstruction to trade, and to request some course for redress and prevention. The House adopted the report, and added their resolution to support the King with life and fortune against all opposition; also a conference was desired with the Lords thereon, and Mr. Clifford and others were appointed to manage it.”

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“April 22nd, 1664. The following resolution passed both houses, viz.: ‘That the wrongs, dishonours, and indignities done to his Majesty by the subjects of the United Provinces, by invading his rights in India, Africa, and elsewhere, and the damages, affronts, and injuries done by them to our merchants, are the greatest obstructions of our Foreign Trade, and that the same be humbly and speedily presented to his Majesty, and that he be most humbly moved to take some speedy and effectual course for redress thereof, and all other of the like nature, and for prevention of the like in future: and in prosecution thereof, they will, with their lives and fortunes, assist his Majesty against all opposition whatsoever’ ”

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The following entry in the Calendar of State Papers (1663⁠–⁠64, p. 560), illustrates this: “April 18th, 1664. John Falkener to Sam. Pepys. Mr. [William] Acworth cannot supply deals for the ropeyard, having only eight score; so more will be wanting.” ↩

The description is insufficient to enable the bird to be determined with certainty, but Professor Newton informs the editor that it is most likely to have been a grackle of some kind. The Gracula religiosa, or mina, has a yellow collar, is easily tamed, and learns to talk and whistle with great facility. Professor Newton kindly contributes the following two interesting quotations, showing that minas were brought from India early in the eighteenth century; and he believes that, as the mina is a favourite cage-bird in India, it was brought over as soon as direct trade with that country was established. One of the earliest figures of the bird is by Eleazer Albin (Natural History of Birds, vol. ii, pl. 38) in 1738, who writes: “This bird imitates a human voice, speaking very articulately. I drew this bird at Mr. Mere’s coffeehouse in King Street, Bloomsbury. Sir Hans Sloan had one of these birds that spoke very prettily, which he presented to Her Majesty Queen Carolina. They are brought from East India.” George Edwards (Natural History of Uncommon Birds, vol. i, pl. 17), whose plate is dated September 25th, 1740, gives two figures, one from a bird he saw at a dealers in White Hart Yard, in the Strand, and the other from a bird which belonged to Dr. George Wharton, treasurer of the College of Physicians, adding: “For whistling, singing, and talking, it is accounted in the first rank, expressing words with an accent nearer human than parrots, or any other bird usually taught to talk. They are said to come from the Island of Borneo, and ’tis likely they come from thence and the adjacent parts. They are brought to us by the India Company’s ships.” ↩

In Sir W. Davenant’s The Playhouse to Be Let (supposed to have been acted in 1663), we find an allusion to the Red Bull:

“Tell ’em the Red Bull stands empty for fencers;
There are no tenants in it but old spiders.
Go bid the men of wrath allay their heat
With prizes there.”

J. Payne Collier was in possession of a printed challenge and acceptance of a trial at eight several weapons to be performed betwixt two scholars of Benjamin Dobson and William Wright, masters of the noble science of defence. The trial was to come off “at the Red Bull at the upper end of St. John’s Street, on Whitsun Monday, the 30th of May, 1664, beginning exactly at three of the clock in the afternoon, and the best man is to take all.”