The launch and many rich swords, battle-axes, and other spoils taken from their enemies. May 25, 1654. Wrangel came to Whitelocke, and invited him to see the launching of one of their ships newly built for a man-of-war; and Whitelocke was the more curious to see the manner of it, and how they could do it, in regard they have no docks, nor ebbing and flowing of the water, which here is constantly even, and affords no advantage by flowing tides for the launching of their ships. When Whitelocke came to the holm where the ship was to be launched, he found her with the keel set upon great planks of timber, the ship tied upright with cables, as if she were swimming; the planks upon which she stood lay shelving towards the water, and were all thick daubed with grease all along from the poop of the ship, and under her keel, to the water's side, which was within the ship's length of her head, and there the water was very deep. One strong cable held the ship from moving; and she lying thus shelving upon the planks, the cable which held her from sliding down was cut, and then the weight of the ship upon the sloping greased planks carried her with great violence down upon the planks into the sea, near a slight shoot, by force of the weight and swing wherewith she fell down. In the sea were boats ready, which came to her, and put men aboard her; and as she went off, a great shout of a multitude of people, standing by as spectators, was sent after her. Wrangel, as an honour and compliment to Whitelocke, desired him to give the name to this ship. Whitelocke would have called her the Wrangel,' but the master of that name entreated it might not be so, possibly to avoid the envy of it at Court; but he desired it might be called the 'Whitelocke,' which Whitelocke thought not expedient, lest it might argue too much height in himself; nor would he call her 'Cromwell,' or the 'Protector,' because she carried but thirty guns; but seeing the mark of her guns to be the falcon, and asking whether they had any other ship of that name, they said, No; whereupon, the falcon being Whitelocke's coat of arms and the mark of the ship's guns, and she being built swifter of sail than ordinary, Whitelocke gave her the name of the 'Falcon.' This pleased Wrangel very much, and the seamen and workmen were most pleased with the gratuity which Whitelocke bestowed on them; and this ceremony and compliments being passed, Whitelocke gave many thanks to Wrangel for this honour, and so they parted. The packet from England was brought to Whitelocke. Thurloe wrote thus: "I have acquainted his Highness with your Excellence's letters received yesterday, wherein he takes little content, more than that he did on his part sincerely intend a peace and union with that Crown and Kingdom, and committed the management of it to a person who hath performed his trust with honour, wisdom, and fidelity. We hope that your instructions, giving you liberty to return, are by this time arrived, etc." By this packet Whitelocke also received letters from his wife, full of affection and piety, and from Whitelocke's copper sent Colonel Bulstrode, his brother Wilson, Mr. Attorney Hall, Mr. Cokaine, Mr. Eltonhead, especially from his great friend Dr. Winston; and all of these letters, and several others which he received, were so many testimonies of the affection and hearty kindness of these his worthy friends. May 26, 1654. After Whitelocke had walked a tour in the Norden Mallum, that is, the north suburbs of this city,-Sir George Fleetwood came to him, with whom he had much conversation in the latter time of his being in Sweden, both at Upsal and in this town, who showed much kindness and respect to Whitelocke. He informed Whitelocke that by letters from Upsal he understood that the Ricksdag had given leave to the Queen to go to Colmar, which signified that she could not go without their leave, and that she would find much difference between commanding as a Queen and obeying as a subject, and that, by the law of this kingdom, no Queen can depart out of it without leave of the Ricksdag, on forfeiture of all her estate. A ship called the Swart Hundt' was by the Queen's shipment of command appointed and fitted to carry Whitelocke's to London. copper and other goods from hence to England. By advice of friends, Whitelocke under his hand and seal desired Sir George Fleetwood to consign the copper to Whitelocke's brother-in-law, Mr. Wilson. The desire was thus: "I Bulstrode Whitelocke, Constable of the Castle of Windsor, one of the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal of England, and Ambassador Extraordinary from his Most Serene Highness the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, unto her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, do hereby desire my honourable friend, Sir George Fleetwood, Knight, General-Major under the Crown of Sweden, to ship and consign unto Mr. Samuel Wilson, merchant in London, in Bishopsgate-street, two hundred ship-pound, Swedish weight, of gore copper; the which the said Mr. Samuel Wilson is to receive and dispose of according to my order. Dated at Stockholm, in Sweden, the 26th day of May, 1654. "B. WHITELOCKE." According to which warrant, the copper was put on board the Swart Hundt,' fitted and victualled for England. Of Whitelocke's ship, Whitelocke gave the command and charge, and of his goods therein, to one of his scrvants, Taylor, by commission under his hand and seal, and to bring his copper and goods in her from hence to London, as soon as he could, wind and weather favouring. Wrangel procured this ship for Whitelocke, and a pass from the Admiralty of Sweden for her to go through the Sound; and Whitelocke thought it better to see this ship on her voyage, than to leave the sending of her away to the care of others after his departure. embarked Amaran tha. Whitelocke sent the rest of his goods and baggage His goods on board the Amarantha,' which weighed yesterday, in the and he hoped might by this time be within four leagues of the Dollars; but the wind came contrary for her advance any further, and Whitelocke must continue here till he could understand that his ship was gotten to the Dollars, which is fourteen Swedish leagues from this city, but may be gone in six or seven hours by boats in a shorter passage. His stay here seemed tedious to Whitelocke. This day the wind coming about a little towards the east, increased his VOL. II. X The trade of Stockholm. hopes of getting away, for which they were in daily expectation. By some merchants and others of this city, Whitelocke learned what was the commerce of this town, and by his own view he found it to be commodiously seated for trade and to receive all the commodities of the country's growth, which are brought hither by water; and it is the more convenient because the greatest ships may come up to the very houses and there load and unload their merchandises, never wanting water, which there is always deep, and equal in the height of it. But this city is somewhat far distant from the sea by water, so that before the ships can go between the sea and the town, they must fetch a compass of about one hundred English miles, with the danger of many rocks and islands in the way; and they must have also divers winds which are hindrances to their commerce. The present Queen hath been curious to invite hither and to entertain many good artists, yet everything here is very dear, except the native commodities; and now Gothenburg, growing up in trade, being situate without the Sound, a more open and easy place for access of strangers, some believe that by the growth of that, this port may be diminished. It is the better supported by the Court being commonly kept here, and consequently being the residence of the principal nobility and officers. Some courts of justice constantly, and the Ricksdag generally, being held in this city, increase the trade of it; and this being a good road for ships to defend them from injuries of weather or other dangers, makes it the more frequented. Plenty of provisions are brought to this town for the |