and house, which is extraordinary great, he having bought all the
Augustine Fryers, and many, many a L1000 he hath and will bury there. So
home to my business, clearing my papers and preparing my accounts 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