Newdigate family collection of newsletters

This day the Commons read a 3d time and passed a Bill to prevent false and double returns In parliament and another to make Salt water - afterwards severall pressmasters were examined and referred to the Law to be punished and Captain Winter of white ffryers was referred to the Lord Chief Iustice the House was afterwards in a Grand Committee for encouraging privatiers and the same to be reported on Thursday - ordered that the Last Supply Bill being the review of the poll be considered in a grand Committee on ffryday - The Lords haue been all this day examining the Affairs of Ireland and there being more witnesses they are to be heard to Morow at 1 a Clock

28 Feb. 92/3

To The honorable Sir Richard: Newdigate Baronet at Arbury near Coventry 4

L.c.2146

London March the 2d: 1692

Sir

A person who had never opportunity till now has made his Escape from ffrance: & came Straight to whitehall & given Satisfactory account of the Enemyes late & present posture of Maritime Affaires & sayes that Monsieur Chateau Renalt was with 19 Men: of warr actually gon to meet 22 of the Thoulon Squadron & Carryd with him some secrete orders from the King And hee Sayes they are not to goe directly to Brest but Hault in halfe the way & there to Expect the English & Dutch Squadron bound to the Streights

His Maiestie has sent his orders to the Office of Ordinance to gett the 2 traines of Artillery ready to bee Shipped with all the Materialls of warr by the last of this Month

Circular Letters are sent to all Lords Livetenants to disarme all persons suspected that will not take the Oaths & secure all service also horses in any of theire possessions & to have the Malitia of the Kingdome in a readines to march vpon the first notice

Edingburgh the 23 on the 20th past all the Recruites here were shipped for fflanders

Wee had an account from the Bass that one Mr Day adventured to goe in a Boat with 4 men thither to discover the Condicion of

the Informacion of the Affaires of Ireland it appeared for these 4 last Yeares there hath been Illeguall & Arbitrary proceedings in that Kingdome & resolve to Address the King to certifye the same The Lords have passed the Game Bill And alsoe that for takeng Bayle in the Countrey together with the Mutiners Bill with Amendments which the house: of Commons have Ingrossed a Bill to take away Lotteryes and alsoe a Bill vpon East India Commodityes

of the place pretended to them that hee was a ffreind to King Iames & had news to tell them from ffrance: but the Garrison being Iealous searched him & vnluckly found in his Pockett one of King [Toms] passes vpon which they secured & laid him in Irons but Sett the men a Shoar & burnt the Boate

Sir Thomas Levison who is now Said to bee Gentleman of theire Maiesties forces in this Kingdome is Expected here from London to Morrow

Plymouth: the 26^o vltima wee have an account from Marizon that the post Boy in his way thither from Penzance in Cornwall was 3 dayes agoe Attacked & robbed of his Maill by 6 persons in disguise who not only took & wounded him soe that his life is despaired of vpon which the Countrey are in pursuit of them

Yarmouth: 27th past the Master of the Danish Shipp lately driven Ashoar att wexenham sayes that when hee came from Norway vnbart agreat ffrench: Privatteer was in the port of H leary with his Squadron where hee was Inclosed by 5 English & Dutch Men: of warr

Harwich 28th Yesterday the Gray hound ffrigatt Sayled hence with 2 Mailes for Holland & some Recruites for fflanders

Theire Maiesties came this day to Towne & summoned an Extraordinary Councell ths this Evening & I am told the Circuits are putt of for affortnight the Iudges being to Assist with theire Opinions in Parliament = This day was an Eleccion of Member of Parliament: for this Citty & the Poll fall betwixt Sir William Ashurst & the present said Maior = The house: of Lords this day vpon heareing

Wee have an account from Whitby in Yorkshire that some ffrench: Privatteers of Considerable force lately mett off of that place 22 laden Colliers vnder Convoy of an English ffrigatt who Exchan =ged severall Guns with them but the Privatteers falling in with the Colliers took Severall of them but the ffrigatt is Safely arrived in - Harbour

Two persons are appoynted vnder the great seale to give discharges for money not Accompted in the Exchequer Levyed on dissenters

Dartmouth the 26 past Yesterday a Prize of 16 Guns taken by the Soldadoes was brought in here in theire way to Spithead the Soldadoes alsoe took 3 other Prizes which were Seperated in bad weather

Letters Yesterday from Hull Advise that some ffrench: Privatteers have lately taken Severall Shipps from that Coast among them the Ostery Man: of warr Ketch Tis alsoe Confirmed that 5 of the Amsterdam Squadron is taken by them

The 3 ffrench: Merchants who were detayned here by way of Reprisall for as many Imprisoned att Paris formerly mencioned are to departe the Kingdome in 4 or 5 dayes att farthest & 4 others were ordered to departe with them but vpon great Intercession made by some att Court they have obtained Leaue to Continue here

Yesterday being St Pattyes day theire Maiesties wore each of them a Leek & came to the Chappell att whitehall where the Bishopp of London preached & the said [Ioward] of Effingham Carryed the Sword before theire Maiesties = A person being fined 20^s by the Iustices att Hixes Hall this Sessions for disturbing Dr Burges att his Meeting house & refuseing to pay itt was Yesterday Committed to New Gate ==

but deferred the Earl: of Pembrookes Bill till tomorrow The house of Commons this evening went in a Body & presented the King in the Banqueting house .theire Address to dissolve the East India Company his Maiesties Answer ed that hee would take speciall Care of the Trade of the Nacion & particularly of that Afterwards the Spanish Embassador had Audience with his hath on his head & was Conducted back in great state

2 March 9 2/3 News Letter

To The honorable Sir Richard: Newdigate Baronet at Arbury 64 near Coventry

London March 4^th: 1692

S^r

Tis ordered to pass under the great seal of Ireland to Constitute the Mayor of Dublin Charles Deering John Weaver William Mulleneux and John Mehust Esq^re to be Commissioners for Inspecting and examining all the Stores of warr and provisions and also all Such Lands goods Chattells & as are or ought to have been forfeited to their Ma^ties and to have full power to Lease out all forfeited Lands for 7 years to Commence from the 25 of May next. The said Commissioners are to have 400^£ per Annum Sallery and M^r Deering the Secretary a 100^£

Yesterday Morning nigh the Hermitage a ship of about 100 tunns which was this week sold for 390^£ being a prize took fire and burnt to water Edge but tis said the goods on board being not determined may occasion a dispute in Law

They write from Dover that one of our privatiers of 10 Guns Lying near the Peer a French privatier of a bigger force come with full saill boarded took and Carryed her off with the Liueten^t and 40 men on board.

Portsmouth the 2d 15 men of warr

[continued from margin overleaf:] {And ordered it to be Engrossed = The House Afterwards Resolved itself Into a Grand Committee on the Bill for paying the Debts due to the Orphans And went through most of it and will be on the same again on Munday = This day wee rec^d a Forreign Maile but bring nothing materiale}

are gone home a Cruizing upon some considerable undertaking the Narlborough privatier has taken and sent to Dartmouth a portugall ship which she took Laden with Contraband goods going to France

Chester the 1st March 2 Gentlemen of Different sentiments relating to the Government drinking in the Crown taverne they opposed each other to that degree that they drew, and the Williamite had the good fortune to kill the Jacobite

yesterday the house of peers took into consideracion the peticion of the Ld Mohun complaining that Mrs Mumfort had brought an Appeall of Murther against him desiring their Ldshipps Opinions in the Case and after 3 hours debate thereon it not appearing that Mrs Mumfort had brought any such Appeal their Ldshipps dismissed the said peticion

The Councell was extraordinarily Assembled on Thursday Evening and had the Affair of the Turkey Fleet before them but how they resolved that point is not proper to mencion but I am told that the Lds of the Admiralty have ordered 20 saill of men of warr to put forthwith to sea upon some secrett expedicion

We had ordered yesterday the sherriffs of London and Middlesex [recto:] declared Sr W^llm Ashurst to be duely Elected a member of parliament for this City in room of Sr William Turner.

We have advice from Lewis In Sussex that 2 persons being seen to be sett on shoar 4 dayes ago near that place from a French sloop they were pursued but one of them gott into a wood & escarped but the other was seized who before they could Lay hold of him took out of his pockett some papers which he tore to pieces and flung away and a messenger is gone to bring him to Town in order to Examinacion.

yesterday the House of Commons were upon the Review of the Poll Bill which took up the whole day whereby the Earl of Pembrokes Bill depending between his Ldship is by Consent deferred till Munday.

We hear the states of [Holl]- land have lately built a man of warr of 110 guns which they design to present to his Ma^tie

his Ma^tie has ordered all his servants and Equipage to be gott ready by the 15th Instant whereby tis presumed he will be suddenly going to Flanders

The house of Lds this day proceeded upon debate of the Irish Affairs [margin recto:] {and agreed upon severall heads and resolved to form an address thereon and appointed Committees to draw up the same forthwith = The House of Commons called for the Report of their Address relating to the same matter which was read and Agreed to there being a Clause therein signifying that the Resentment relating to the seperate Article} [margin verso:] { granted to those of Limrick and the house ordered those Members which Are of the privy Councell to know the Kings pleasure when he will be attended with the said Address - the Grand Commitee made a Report of the Review of the Poll Bill and the House Agreed to the same}

to the hon^ble S^r Rich: Newdigate Bart

present

L.c.2148

London March the 7th 92/3

Sir//

Paris the 3d of March the King returned from Morley on Satterday where he held a Great Councill of War & resolved to beseige Charleroy makeing it noe secret and has Dispatched Bonffleers to fflanders to put his Warrant in Execution his Maiestie has alsoe sent his last Instructions to Count De Estre to sail with the Province Squadron which Consists of 22 Great Ships 5 ffireships 6 Billinders and 4 [Fluotes] he has alsoe sent Instructions to Brest and Rochford to work Day and Night to gett ready the Grand ffleet declareing that he will have 78 Capitoll Men of War in the Line of Battle 18 from 80 100 Guns 34 from 66 to 80 & the Remainder from 56 to 60 Guns

His most Christian Maiestie hath openly Declared that the Grand Seigneur hath promised not to make aPeace with the Emperor without his Consent .. whereupon his Maiestie is sending to the Port the rest of his subsidies booth of Monney & Officers to sollisicte the Grand Seigneur to send some shipps to the Coast of Sciscily which will

Leith haveing on board 2000^li sterling & they took out the best Goods which they Detain with the Master of the Vessell for a Ransom of 300^li. An Adress is said to be bringing up to London to be presented to his Maiestie from the Clergy of Scotland. yesterday the Earl of Pembroks Bill was upon the 2^d Readeing layd aside the house Divided and Carried it by 26 Voices for the Lord Iefferies

cause the Grand Master of Malta to send of ^noe more of his Gallies to the service of Venetians in the Levant

Sir Iohn ffleet the present Lord Mayor being Ellected a Member of Parliment for this Citty and not sir William Ashurst (as by Mistake in my Last) his Lordship took his seat yesterday in the house of Commons where the Bill past for Encourageing of Privateers as alsoe abill for takeing away the Royall Oak and other Lotteries

All the transport shipps with the Recruites for fflanders are fallen down the River haueing affaier Wind

On saturday about 4 in the Morning affire broke out from 2 Empty houses a Considerable Distance from each other in one Griffiths pile of New buildings near st Iameses Park which Consumed 6 of them and must Certainly be don on purpose and some of the Neighbours have accused the Owner to have Kindled the ffire himselfe for which he stands Committed

ffalmouth the 2d Yesterday the saldado ffriggott brought in here aDutch Dogger

the sepperate Article Granted to the Irish & desiers the King to make such a scrutiny into the Miscaradge as to be able to Lay before the next Parliment Its beleived the Adresses will be booth printed to which I refer you The King hath deferred his Iourney to Chatham [sheressess] &c to ffriday next The Letters yesterday from Scotland say that the ffrench: Capers continue to Infest that Coast some of them haveing lately taken an English ship bound for

of 100 Guns Laden with Wine & Rosen from Oporto which she took from affrench: Privateer

Plimouth the 3d Instant Yesterday appeared before this place Rear Admirall Allymond with 5 Men of Warr & 3 ffireships and ffired aGun as a sign for the Bilboa ffleet to sail out which they did being 4 Merchants shipps 6 English & 2 Dutch Men of War & being Ioyned by Rear Admirall Alymonds squadron they sailed together to the Westward hebbing to see them safe beyond the soundings & then seek out & ffight 12 ffrench Men of War which have been Cruizeing some time in the Mouth of the Channell

His Maiestie has appointed thursday next to attend with the Adress relateing to the managements of Affaiers in Ireland The said adress [qts] 8 heads have not been duly accompted for nor applyed to the publique [uses] 2ly the Estates fforfeited were Vallued at one Million 350000^li & not 10000 of it brought to his Maiesties account 3ly that there has been Great and Notorious Encheselments of stores 4ly that the soldiers Querters hath not been paid notwithstanding the Deductions made out of the pay & supplies given in Parliment for that purpose 5ly that the antient

Methods of the Exchequer haue not of Late been observed 6ly that protections have been given to Papists whereby the English [Protestants] could not sue for their Iust Debts 7ly that the present Lord Mayor has been Imposed upon the Citty of Dublin contrary to their Priveledges 8ly that one Safney and divers others were Executed with out being tryed - & one Swetsman equally Guilty of the same ffact not prossecuted = The Adress of the house of Commons is rather sharper & [prencious]

An Express is on his way in Germany from the Lord Paggett which when arives wee Shall Certainly Know the proceedings of the Ottoman Court Its Iust now said that our Squadron of Men of War are gon to ffight 40 ffrench Privateers & Men of War - this Day the House of Commons only finished the monney Bill relateing to the Changeing of the Stocks of the East India Company &c And theyll proceed on the Orphans Bill tomorrow

News Letters for the year 93