is much approved of, and many
thereof made. Thence to my office all the afternoon as long as I could
see, about setting many businesses in order. In the evening came Mr.
Lewis to me, and very ingeniously did enquire whether I ever did look
into the business of the Chest at Chatham;

[Pepys gives some particulars about the Chest on November 13th,
1662. "The Chest at Chatham was originally planned by Sir Francis
Drake and Sir John Hawkins in 1588, after the defeat of the Armada;
the seamen voluntarily agreed to have 'defalked' out of their wages
certain sums to form a fund for relief. The property became
considerable, as well as the abuses, and in 1802 the Chest was
removed to Greenwich. In 1817, the stock amounted to L300,000
Consols."--Hist. of Rochester, p. 346.--B.]

and after my readiness to be informed did appear to him, he did produce
a paper, wherein he stated the government of the Chest to me; and upon
the whole did tell me how it hath ever been abused, and to this day
is; and what a meritorious act it would be to look after it; which I am
resolved to do, if God bless me; and do thank him very much for it.
So home, and after a turn or two upon the leads with my wife, who
has lately had but little of my company, since I begun to follow my
business, but is contented therewith since she sees how I spend my time,
and so to bed.

4th. Up by five o'clock, and after my journall put in order, to my
office about my business, which I am resolved to follow, for every day
I see what ground I get by it. By and by comes Mr. Cooper, mate of the
Royall Charles, of whom I intend to learn mathematiques, and do begin
with him to-day, he being a very able man, and no great matter,
I suppose, will content him. After an hour's being with him at
arithmetique (my first attempt being to learn the multiplication-table);
then we parted till to-morrow. And so to my business at my office again
till noon, about which time Sir W. Warren did come to me about business,
and did begin to instruct me in the nature of fine timber and deals,
telling me the nature of every sort; and from that we fell to discourse
of Sir W. Batten's corruption and the people that he employs, and
from one discourse to another of the kind. I was much pleased with his
company, and so staid talking with him all alone at my office till 4 in
the afternoon, without eating or drinking all day, and then parted,
and I home to eat a