Tuesday 1 January 1666/67

Lay long, being a bitter, cold, frosty day, the frost being now grown old, and the Thames covered with ice. Up, and to the office, where all the morning busy. At noon to the ‘Change a little, where Mr. James Houblon and I walked a good while speaking of our ill condition in not being able to set out a fleet (we doubt) this year, and the certain ill effect that must bring, which is lamentable. Home to dinner, where the best powdered goose that ever I eat. Then to the office again, and to Sir W. Batten’s to examine the Commission going down to Portsmouth to examine witnesses about our prizes, of which God give a good issue! and then to the office again, where late, and so home, my eyes sore. To supper and to bed.

Wednesday 2 January 1666/67Monday 31 December 1666

Also on this day

Temperature: 0°C / 32°F

(Average for January 1667)

In Parliament

In Earls Colne, Essex

Baptism register 1660 to 1669

(About this data)

Annotations

N Terry Foreman on Fri 1 Jan 2010, 11:01pm. Flag this

Arlington to Ormond
Written from: Whitehall
Date: 1 January 1667

An army of 40,000 men is said to be lying about Conquet, in readiness to be transported to Ireland … This advice is given by a Flemish vessel, arriving lately at St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall … Letters from Flanders & Holland confirm the report, though confusedly …
_____

Anglesey to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 1 January 1667

Mentions advices which have come from France of the shipping of a considerable body of troops, and also a report that a fleet comprising twenty-five Dutch men-of-war has passed the Channel.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/projects/carte/carte45.html
N Terry Foreman on Fri 1 Jan 2010, 11:18pm. Flag this

“the best powdered goose that ever I eat”

Powdered Goose?…a once-great English delicacy: salt-cured and smoked goose – the “powder” referred to the salt – which was hugely popular as a feature of grand meals in the 17th century but which has since all but disappeared from view.
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/wdp/countryside/golden-opportunity/article-302709-detail/article.html
N cape henry on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 12:26am. Flag this

There was a time when wintering wildfowl in the Mid-Atlantic region of America were hunted in vast numbers by professional gunners. This game, which would have included goose, was salted, closely packed in barrels and shipped to the cities of the Northeast. The majority of these gunners were watermen who made their living fishing and crabbing during the warm months. Many who read this will be familiar with salt cod, and there is a variant of that along the American East Coast - “corned” spot, a medium sized salt water school fish. Hams continue to be cured with salt. Even this edition of the Diary has it’s own CGS, who has remained salty and well preserved a since its inception.
N CGS on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 12:58am. Flag this

Goosey goosey gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady’s chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn’t say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs.[1]
N CGS on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 01:07am. Flag this

Goose, having eaten and raised them, come in many tastes, wild and gamey, pond raised [lardy], and grass and corn raised, tasty.
Geese make great guards and will keep thy lawn trim [one day a fortnight else….]
Raising Geese on the the commons not in the Commons of course, was a popular pastime for keeping wenches in trim shape..
N CGS on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 01:30am. Flag this

Sad day for the Claret set, King needs money and sober sailors. so tax and tax’
H o C:
…..
and also the Opinion of the Committee for Ten Shillings per Tun to be imposed on Wines, for a Recompence to his Royal Highness the Duke of Yorke, for the Prejudice to him in his Wine Licences:

and the Other Mr Pepys meanwhile will be active in the Commons:
“..
Ordered, That Mr. Pepis do carry up such Bills as are ready, to the Lords
N Bob T on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 01:03pm. Flag this

Geese make great guards and will keep thy lawn trim [one day a fortnight else….]
And remember to wear an old pair of shoes.
N Michael McCollough on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 02:48pm. Flag this

“Geese make great guards”- but they’re not too discriminating: when I was small my grandparents had a particular goose who wouldn’t let me out of the car. I still felt a little bit bad for him the day we ate him, though.
N language hat on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 03:41pm. Flag this

“the best powdered goose that ever I eat”

Thanks for that most interesting link, Terry.
N Andrew Hamilton on Sat 2 Jan 2010, 08:26pm. Flag this

Happy New Year, happy 350th, and happy 7th to Phil, Mary, Language Hat and lurkers there on Jan. 1, 2003 and still aboard. This is my 2nd 350th, having been in Harvard Yard in 1986 for that institution’s celebration. (I was also in the Yard in 1936 for the 300th, though a little young to appreciate the occasion, then being 6 mos. old.)

I soaked a salt-cured Virginia (Smithfield) ham for 30 hours and cooked it in water for another 7 hours this week to prepare it for New Years Day luncheon; it was still quite salty.
N arby on Sun 3 Jan 2010, 01:07am. Flag this

The best country (salt cured) ham I ever had was home grown and aged up a holler in Kentucky. They parboiled it and then wrapped it in a couple of old quilts for 24 hours. Absolutely wonderful, and not too salty at all.
Add my happys to the above, thanks for all the links and the ‘splainin this last year, I appreciate it. rb
N Robert Gertz on Sun 3 Jan 2010, 02:15pm. Flag this

I imagine the Houblons as merchant princes found such information as Sam offered as to the fleet’s movements and plans for the season very useful.
N CGS on Sun 3 Jan 2010, 06:31pm. Flag this

Life amongst the successful, is to have good current inside info, just never upset thy peers or make them jealous in the execution of gleaned data, otherwise the Tower awaits your presence.