on at White Hall,
and that every where people do speak high against Sir W. Coventry: but
he agrees with me, that he is the best Minister of State the King hath,
and so from my heart I believe. At night come home Sir W. Batten and
W. Pen, who only can tell me that they have placed guns at Woolwich and
Deptford, and sunk some ships below Woolwich and Blackewall, and are
in hopes that they will stop the enemy's coming up. But strange our
confusion! that among them that are sunk they have gone and sunk without
consideration "The Franakin,"' one of the King's ships, with stores to
a very considerable value, that hath been long loaden for supply of the
ships; and the new ship at Bristoll, and much wanted there; and nobody
will own that they directed it, but do lay it on Sir W. Rider. They
speak also of another ship, loaden to the value of L80,000, sunk with
the goods in her, or at least was mightily contended for by him, and a
foreign ship, that had the faith of the nation for her security: this
Sir R. Ford tells us: And it is too plain a truth, that both here and
at Chatham the ships that we have sunk have many, and the first of them,
been ships completely fitted for fire-ships at great charge. But most
strange the backwardness and disorder of all people, especially the
King's people in pay, to do any work, Sir W. Pen tells me, all crying
out for money; and it was so at Chatham, that this night comes an order
from Sir W. Coventry to stop the pay of the wages of that Yard; the Duke
of Albemarle having related, that not above three of 1100 in pay there
did attend to do any work there. This evening having sent a messenger to
Chatham on purpose, we have received a dull letter from my Lord Bruncker
and Peter Pett, how matters have gone there this week; but not so much,
or so particularly, as we knew it by common talk before, and as true. I
doubt they will be found to have been but slow men in this business;
and they say the Duke of Albemarle did tell my Lord Bruncker to his face
that his discharging of the great ships there was the cause of all this;
and I am told that it is become common talk against my Lord Bruncker.
But in that he is to be justified, for he did it by verbal order from
Sir W. Coventry, and with good intent; and it was to good purpose,
whatever the success be, for the men would have but spent the King so
much the more in wages, and yet not attended on board to have done the
King any service; and as an evidence of