there are several Frenchmen and Flemish ships in the River, with passes
from the Duke of York for carrying of prisoners, that ought to be parted
from the rest of the ships, and their powder taken, lest they do fire
themselves when the enemy comes, and so spoil us; which is good advice,
and I think I will give notice of it; and did so. But it is pretty odd to
see how every body, even at this high time of danger, puts business off of
their own hands! He says that he told this to the Lieutenant of the
Tower, to whom I, for the same reason, was directing him to go; and the
Lieutenant of the Tower bade him come to us, for he had nothing to do with
it; and yesterday comes Captain Crew, of one of the fireships, and told me
that the officers of the Ordnance would deliver his gunner's materials,
but not compound them,

[Meaning, apparently, that the Ordnance would deliver the charcoal,
sulphur, and saltpetre separately, but not mix them as gunpowder.]

[The want of ammunition when the Dutch burnt the fleet, and the
revenge of the deserter sailors, are well described by Marvell

"Our Seamen, whom no danger's shape could fright,
Unpaid, refuse to mount their ships, for spite
Or to their fellows swim, on board the Dutch,
Who show the tempting metal in their clutch.]

but that we must do it; whereupon I was forced to write to them about it;
and one that like a great many come to me this morning by and by
comes--Mr. Wilson, and by direction of his, a man of Mr. Gawden's; who
come from Chatham last night, and saw the three ships burnt, they lying
all dry, and boats going from the men-of-war and fire them. But that,
that he tells me of worst consequence is, that he himself, I think he