The Countess of Brahe, wife of the Ricks-Droitset, sent a gentleman to Whitelocke to acquaint him that there was a parcel of timber, cut and lying ready within four miles of Gothenburg, which did belong to her former husband, and was cut for the building of a ship; but by reason of her husband’s death the ship was not built, and she offered the timber to Whitelocke at a reasonable price. But he, finding that it had been cut four years, and lay far from the water-side, made an excuse that it would be necessary to have it viewed, which his hastening away would not now permit; but he returned thanks to the Countess for her respects in the offer of it.
April 19, 1654.
Preparations for the abdication. Monsieur Bloome and divers others, having dined with Whitelocke, acquainted him that the Chancellor intended to return hither the next day after the Queen. Whitelocke said he hoped the Chancellor would have been here before her Majesty; but this was an argument to confute the report that the Queen would stay at Stockholm and hold the Ricksdag there. Another argument was, the Queen’s officers removing and altering some of the hangings in Whitelocke’s house, being longer and fitter for the rooms to be furnished in the castle for the Ricksdag than those which they put up in their places in Whitelocke’s lodging.
April 20, 1654.
Swedish mines. In pursuance of former discourse with Monsieur Bloome, and by the desire of Mr. Bushel in England to Whitelocke to inquire into it, he received a paper in French, from a person here employed about the mines, to inform him by what means this person might be treated with to be brought into England for improving of our mines there.
Hawks. Whitelocke also, by desire of a worthy friend in England, furnished himself with a direction how he might procure some hawks out of this country, and chiefly from the isle of Deulandt, where the best hawks are; and he had gained much acquaintance with Grave Gabriel Oxenstiern, Great Falconer and Master of the Queen’s Hawks, who promised his furtherance of Whitelocke’s desires herein, and to assist and direct any servant whom he should send hither for that purpose.
Mrs. Penn. One Catharine Penn, an Englishwoman, the widow of an officer of the Queen’s army, entreated Whitelocke to present for her a sad petition to the Queen for some arrears due to her husband, which matters Whitelocke was not forward to meddle with; but this being his countrywoman, and of the ancient family of Penn in Buckinghamshire, to which he had an alliance, Whitelocke did undertake to present her petition to the Queen. He undertook the like for a decayed English merchant residing at Hamburg, who petitioned the Queen for moneys owing to him at Bremen, where he could have no justice from the Governor, Vice-Chancellor, and others in authority; and this he undertook to move to the Queen, upon the earnest request of Mr. Bradshaw, Resident for the Protector at Hamburg, by his letters this day received.
He was also presented with a Latin epistle from one Jonas Olaii, begging for some charity, and who, to be sure to go high enough, gave throughout his letter the style of “illustrissime Comes and Celsitudo tua,” for which his gift from Whitelocke was the less.
Trade with Muscovy. In this day’s packet Whitelocke received letters from the Muscovia Company in England, signed by the Governor and Consuls, in which they set forth the decay and loss of their trade in Muscovia by supplantation of the Dutch, and the Great Duke’s disfavour to them, which they hope may be altered upon the late change of government in England; that they understand there is now in this Court an Ambassador from the Great Duke to the Queen; and they desire Whitelocke, that if this ambassador do visit him, or if he think fit to visit the Russian Ambassador, that he would intimate this matter to him, which they hope may much further their purpose of sending to the Great Duke for recovery of their trade.
By this post Whitelocke received these letters from the Secretary Thurloe:—