Friday 6 October 1665

Up, and having sent for Mr. Gawden he come to me, and he and I largely discoursed the business of his Victualling, in order to the adding of partners to him or other ways of altering it, wherein I find him ready to do anything the King would have him do. So he and I took his coach and to Lambeth and to the Duke of Albemarle about it, and so back again, where he left me. In our way discoursing of the business and contracting a great friendship with him, and I find he is a man most worthy to be made a friend, being very honest and gratefull, and in the freedom of our discourse he did tell me his opinion and knowledge of Sir W. Pen to be, what I know him to be, as false a man as ever was born, for so, it seems, he hath been to him. He did also tell me, discoursing how things are governed as to the King’s treasure, that, having occasion for money in the country, he did offer Alderman Maynell to pay him down money here, to be paid by the Receiver in some county in the country, upon whom Maynell had assignments, in whose hands the money also lay ready. But Maynell refused it, saying that he could have his money when he would, and had rather it should lie where it do than receive it here in towne this sickly time, where he hath no occasion for it. But now the evil is that he hath lent this money upon tallys which are become payable, but he finds that nobody looks after it, how long the money is unpaid, and whether it lies dead in the Receiver’s hands or no, so the King he pays Maynell 10 per cent. while the money lies in his Receiver’s hands to no purpose but the benefit of the Receiver.

I to dinner to the King’s Head with Mr. Woolly, who is come to instruct me in the business of my goods, but gives me not so good comfort as I thought I should have had. But, however, it will be well worth my time though not above 2 or 300l.. He gone I to my office, where very busy drawing up a letter by way of discourse to the Duke of Albemarle about my conception how the business of the Victualling should be ordered, wherein I have taken great pains, and I think have hitt the right if they will but follow it. At this very late and so home to our lodgings to bed.


7 Annotations

First Reading

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"In our way discoursing of the business and contracting a great friendship with him, and I find he is a man most worthy to be made a friend, being very honest and gratefull, and in the freedom of our discourse he did tell me his opinion and knowledge of Sir W. Pen to be, what I know him to be, as false a man as ever was born, for so, it seems, he hath been to him."

Amazing how great minds think alike... Helps when one is holding the keys to a fair-sized mint of government money. I imagine every CEO on Wall Street has never met a greater or finer man than Secretary Paulson as of a few days ago, whatever they may have thought of him last week or a month ago.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... being very honest and gratefull, ... of Sir W. Pen to be, ... , as false a man as ever was born,"

By the above I assume SP means Gauden is man of the world sufficient to be trusted to deliver promptly and in full on all promised 'facilitation' gratuities and SP agrees to keep his word and not to hold Gauden up for any more than customary.

A. Hamilton  •  Link

"But, however, it will be well worth my time though not above 2 or 300l.."

Would someone with access to the L&M text say if the two periods at the end of this sentence indicate an ellipsis, and if so what was omitted?

R. Gertz, my thoughts exactly on the new friendship with Gauden. As you say, great minds think alike.

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

AH, I think there's always a period after the £ designation, so when it falls at the end of a sentence, you end up with two -- one denoting the monetary-unit abbreviation, and one ending the sentence.

Mary  •  Link

The L&M text shows only one full stop after 300l.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"to be paid by the Receiver in some county in the country"

L&M: Receivers of excise money [ as had been Pepys's Uncle Robert of the Huntingdonshire assessment for 1647. (L&M footnote) http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ]

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"drawing up a letter by way of discourse to the Duke of Albemarle about my conception how the business of the Victualling should be ordered"

L&M: This letter (dated this day) was the result of an enquiry into naval victualing which had been going on since the end of August, occasioned by the failure of supplies in the course of campaigns of this year. A decision had to be made quickly because the Board had to acquaint Gauden by Michaelmas of its victualing needs for the next year. Pepys now suggested a reorganization, although (as he admits at 1 December) he knew little in detail about the business. He decided, despite Coventry's contrary opinion, that the addition of partners to Gauden (in sole charge since September 1660) would cause immediate delays without solving any root problems. He objected on similar grounds to a scheme of state management. He recommended in effect a combination of the traditional system of private contracting with the Commonwealth method of state management. The government was to appoint and pay a Surveyor-General who, by means of weekly reports from surveyors at each port, would keep a check on the supplies provided by the contractors. On 19 October Pepys wrote to Coventry proposing himself for the post, and was on 4 December appointed at a salary of £300 p.a., to which Gauden later added £500 p.a.: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… It is clear that as long as this system lasted -- i.e. during the war, for the office was abolished in the summer of 1667 -- a certain improvement resulted. For the sailor's point of view, see Edward Barlow's Journal (ed. Lubbock); cp. other resources and
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

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