ld me
that the officers of the Ordnance would deliver his gunner's materials,
but not compound them,
[Meaning, apparently, that the Ordnance would deliver the charcoal,
sulphur, and saltpetre separately, but not mix them as gunpowder.]
[The want of ammunition when the Dutch burnt the fleet, and the
revenge of the deserter sailors, are well described by Marvell
"Our Seamen, whom no danger's shape could fright,
Unpaid, refuse to mount their ships, for spite
Or to their fellows swim, on board the Dutch,
Who show the tempting metal in their clutch.]
but that we must do it; whereupon I was forced to write to them about it;
and one that like a great many come to me this morning by and by
comes--Mr. Wilson, and by direction of his, a man of Mr. Gawden's; who
come from Chatham last night, and saw the three ships burnt, they lying
all dry, and boats going from the men-of-war and fire them. But that,
that he tells me of worst consequence is, that he himself, I think he
said, did hear many Englishmen on board the Dutch ships speaking to one
another in English; and that they did cry and say, "We did heretofore
fight for tickets; now we fight for dollars!" and did ask how such and
such a one did, and would commend themselves to them: which is a sad
consideration. And Mr. Lewes, who was present at this fellow's discourse
to me, did tell me, that he is told that when they took "The Royall
Charles," they said that they had their tickets signed, and showed some,
and that now they come to have them paid, and would have them paid before
they parted. And several seamen come this morning to me, to tell me that,
if I would get their tickets paid, they would go and do all they could
against the Dutch; but otherwise they would not venture being killed, and
lose all they have already fought for: so that I was forced to try what I
could do to get them paid. This man tells me that the ships burnt last
night did lie above Upnor Castle, over against the Docke; and the boats
come from the ships of war and burnt them all which is very sad. And
masters of ships, that we are now taking up, do keep from their ships all
their stores, or as much as they can, so that we can despatch them, having
not time to appraise them nor secure their payment; only some little money
we have, which we are fain to pay the men we have with, every night, or
they will not work. And indeed the hearts as w
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