against tomorrow for a monthly and a great auditt.  So to supper and to bed.  Fresh newes come of our beating the Dutch at Guinny quite out of all their castles almost, which will make them quite mad here at home sure.  And Sir G. Carteret did tell me, that the King do joy mightily at it; but asked him laughing, “But,” says he, “how shall I do to answer this to the Embassador when he comes?” Nay they say that we have beat them out of the New Netherlands too;

[Captain (afterwards Sir Robert) Holmes’ expedition to attack the Dutch settlements in Africa eventuated in an important exploit.  Holmes suddenly left the coast of Africa, sailed across the Atlantic, and reduced the Dutch settlement of New Netherlands to English rule, under the title of New York.  “The short and true state of the matter is this:  the country mentioned was part of the province of Virginia, and, as there is no settling an extensive country at once, a few Swedes crept in there, who surrendered the plantations they could not defend to the Dutch, who, having bought the charts and papers of one Hudson, a seaman, who, by the commission from the crown of England, discovered a river, to which he gave his name, conceited they had purchased a province.  Sometimes, when we had strength in those parts, they were English subjects; at others, when that strength declined, they were subjects of the United Provinces.  However, upon King Charles’s claim the States disowned the title, but resumed it during our confusions.  On March 12th, 1663-64, Charles ii. granted it to the Duke of York . . .  The King sent Holmes, when he returned, to the Tower, and did not discharge him; till he made it evidently appear that he had not infringed the law of nations “. (Campbell’s “Naval History,” vol. ii, p., 89).  How little did the King or Holmes himself foresee the effects of the capture,—­B.]

so that we have been doing them mischief for a great while in several parts of the world; without publique knowledge or reason.  Their fleete for Guinny is now, they say, ready, and abroad, and will be going this week.  Coming home to-night, I did go to examine my wife’s house accounts, and finding things that seemed somewhat doubtful, I was angry though she did make it pretty plain, but confessed that when she do misse a sum, she do add something to other things to make it, and, upon my being very angry, she do protest she will here lay up something for herself to buy her a necklace with, which madded me and do still trouble me, for I fear she will forget by degrees the way of living cheap and under a sense of want.