is a stranger
almost should do more than we ourselves could) that the appraisements
made by our officers were not above half of what he had been offered
for one of them, and did make it good by bringing a gentleman to give us
L700 for the Wildboare, which they valued but at L276, which made us
all startle and stop the sale, and I did propose to acquaint the Duke of
York with it, and accordingly we did agree on it, and I wrote a severe
letter about it, and we are to attend him with it to-morrow about it.
This afternoon my Lord Anglesey tells us that the House of Commons
have this morning run into the inquiry in many things; as, the sale of
Dunkirke, the dividing of the fleete the last year, the business of the
prizes with my Lord Sandwich, and many other things; so that now they
begin to fall close upon it, and God knows what will be the end of it,
but a Committee they have chosen to inquire into the miscarriages of
the war. Having done, and being a little tired, Sir W. Pen and I in his
coach out to Mile End Green, and there drank a cup of Byde's ale, and so
talking about the proceedings of Parliament, and how little a thing
the King is become to be forced to suffer it, though I declare my being
satisfied that things should be enquired into, we back again home, and I
to my office to my letters, and so home to supper and to bed.

18th. Up, and by coach with Sir W. Pen to White Hall, and there attended
the Duke of York; but first we find him to spend above an hour in
private in his closet with Sir W. Coventry; which I was glad to see,
that there is so much confidence between them. By and by we were called
in and did our usual business, and complained of the business yesterday
discovered of our officers abusing the King in the appraisement of the
prizes. Here it was worth observing that the Duke of York, considering
what third rate ships to keep abroad, the Rupert was thought on, but
then it was said that Captain Hubbert was Commander of her and that the
King had a mind for Spragg to command the ship, which would not be well
to be by turning out Hubbert, who is a good man, but one the Duke of
York said he did not know whether he did so well conforme, as at this
lime to please the people and Parliament. Sir W. Coventry answered, and
the Duke of York merrily agreed to it, that it was very hard to know
what it was that the Parliament would call conformity at this time, and
so it stopped, which I only observe to see how the Par