Part 56

The boat in which Whitelocke went was large, but not convenient, open, and went only with sails. The streets, as he passed to the water-side, and the windows, and on the bridges, were full of people to see him as he went, and gave him courteous salutations at his farewell. In his own boat he had six trumpets, which sounded all along as he passed through the city and the haven, which was then very full of ships, and they also very civil to make way for Whitelocke's boats. Upon the bridges and bulwarks which he went by were guards of soldiers in arms; and the bulwarks on that side saluted him with all their cannon, about twenty-one pieces, though they used not to give strangers above two or three guns. Thus Whitelocke parted from this city of Hamburg, recommending himself and his company to the blessing and protection of the Almighty.

A little below the city they came by a small village called by them All to nah (Altona), that is, "All too nigh," being the King of Denmark's territory, within half a league, which they thought too near their city. When they came a little lower, with a sudden strong blast of wind the boat in which Whitelocke was, was in great danger of being overset; after which it grew to be a calm; whereupon Whitelocke sent to the English cloth-ships, which lay a little below, to lend him some of their ship-boats and mariners with oars, to make better way than his boat with sails could do. This they did readily; and as Whitelocke passed by them, they all saluted him with their cannon.

Having changed their boats and discharged the great ones, they went more cheerfully down the river till they came within half a league of the town of Stadt; when being almost dark, and the mariners not accustomed to the river out of the channel, the boat in which Whitelocke was, struck upon the sand, and was fast there. Presently the English mariners, seven or eight of them, leaped out of the boat into the river, "up to their chins, and by strength removed the boat from off the sands again; and they came to their oars again, within an English mile of Stadt, when it was very late, and the boats were two German miles from the frigates, and the tide turning. Whitelocke thought it impossible to reach his ships this night, and not prudent to proceed with unexperienced men upon this dangerous river by night; and understanding by General Potley, and one of the trumpets who had been formerly here, of a house upon the river that goes to Stadt, within a quarter of a mile of the place where they now were, Whitelocke ordered the mariners to make to that house, who, with much difficulty, found out the mouth of the river; but for want of water, being low tide, they had much trouble to get the boat up to the cruise, or in there. The master of the house had been a soldier and a cook; he prepared a supper for them of salt eels, salt salmon, and a little poultry, which was made better by the meat and wine that the Resident brought with him; yet all little enough when the rest of Whitelocke's company, in three other boats, came to the same house, though they could not know of Whitelocke being there; but he was very ill himself, and this was a bad quarter for him, who had been so lately very sick at Hamburg; yet he contented himself without going to bed. His sons and company had some fresh straw, and God in his wonted mercy still preserved him and his company. The host sent word to his General, Koningsmark, that the English Ambassador was at his house this night.

June 18, 1654.

Whitelocke resolved to remove from the cruise early this morning, and the rather because he was informed that Koningsmark intended to come hither this morning to visit him, which Whitelocke did not desire, in regard of the late accident at Bremen, where Koningsmark was governor, and that his conferring with him, upon his immediate return from Sweden, might give some jealousy to those of Bremen, or to the Hanse Towns, or some of the German Princes thereabouts. Whitelocke therefore held it best to take no notice of Koningsmark's intention to come and visit him, but to avoid that meeting by going early from hence this morning; which he had the more reason to do because of his bad entertainment here, and for that the tide served betimes this morning to get out of this river. He therefore caused his people to make ready about two o'clock this morning, and took boat within an hour after, the weather being very fair and the country pleasant. On the right-hand was Holstein, on the left-hand was the Duchy of Lueneburg, and below that the Bishopric of Bremen; in which this river comes from Stadt near unto Bremen, more considerable heretofore when it was the staple for the English cloth, but left by our merchants many years since, partly because they held themselves not well treated by the inhabitants of Stadt, and partly by the inconvenientness of this river to bring up their cloth to that town.

Two miles from this cruise Whitelocke came to the frigates, where they lay at anchor. He himself went on board the 'President,' who, at his entry, saluted him with above forty guns, the 'Elizabeth' but with twenty-one, and her Captain, Minnes, came on board to Whitelocke to excuse it, because, not knowing Whitelocke's time of coming hither, he had no more guns ready to bid him welcome.

Right against the frigates lay the fort and town of Glueckstadt, that is Luckystadt, or Lucky Town. Whitelocke being desirous to take a view of it and of the fortifications, and his baggage not being yet come to the frigates, he with the Resident and several others went over in one of the ship's boats to see it. The town is situate in a marsh, having no hill near to command it. The fortifications about it are old, yet in good repair. It belongs to the King of Denmark, as Duke of Holstein, and he keeps a garrison there at the mouth of a river running into the Elbe, like that of Stadt. The late King of Denmark built there a blockhouse in the great river upon piles, to the end he might command the ships passing that way, but the Elbe being there above a league in breadth, the ships may well pass notwithstanding that fort.

At Whitelocke's landing in the town, which is about a bow-shot from the mouth of the river, he sent to acquaint the Governor therewith, and that he desired only to see the town and then to return to his ships. The Governor sent a civil answer, that he was sorry he could not accompany Whitelocke, to show him the town, by reason of his being sick, but that he had sent one of his officers to show him the fortifications, and desired him to command anything in the town; for which civility Whitelocke returned thanks.

The town is not great nor well-built, but of brick, and some of the houses very fair; chiefly one which they call the King's house, which might fit an English knight to dwell in. The town seems decaying, and the fortifications also in some places. The late King designed to have made this a great town of trade, and by that means to have diminished, if not ruined, his neighbours the Hamburgers; to whom this King having done some injuries, and endeavouring to build a bridge over the Elbe near to Hamburg, to hinder the ships coming up thither, and their trade, the citizens pulled it down again, and came with about twenty vessels to Glueckstadt upon a design against that town; but the King's ships of war being there, the Admiral of Hamburg cut his anchors and returned home in haste. The King's men got up the anchors, and at this time Whitelocke saw them hung up in their church as great trophies of a small victory thus easily gained. At Whitelocke's return, Glueckstadt saluted him with three pieces of cannon.

When he was come back to his ships he found all his people and baggage come up to him, whereupon he resolved to weigh anchor the first opportunity of wind serving, and gave orders accordingly to his captains. The Resident Bradshaw, Vice-Admiral Clerke, the treasurer and secretary of the English Company at Hamburg, who accompanied Whitelocke to his ships, now the tide serving, took their leaves of him, with much respect and wishes of a happy voyage to him; and so they parted.

The wind came to north-east, flat contrary to Whitelocke's course, and rose high, with violent storms and much rain, so that it was not possible for Whitelocke to weigh anchor and proceed in his voyage; but he had cause to thank God that he was in a safe and good harbour.

June 19, 1654.

The wind continued very tempestuous and contrary to Whitelocke's course, so that he could not budge, but lay still at anchor. The mariners, in their usual way of sporting, endeavoured to make him some pastime, to divert the tediousness of his stay and of the bad weather. He learned that at Glueckstadt the Hamburgers pay a toll to the King of Denmark, who submit thereunto as other ships do, rather than enter into a contest or war with that King.

Whitelocke thought it becoming him in civility and gratitude to give an account by letters to the Queen of Sweden of his proceeding thus far in his voyage, for which purpose he had written his letters at Hamburg, and now having too much leisure, he made them up and sent them to Vice-Admiral Clerke to be presented to the Queen. The letters were to this effect:--

"A sa Serenissime Majeste Christine, Reine de Suede.

"Madame,

"Les grandes faveurs que j'ai recues de votre Majeste m'obligent a lui rendre compte de ce qui me touche, celui en qui vous avez beaucoup d'interet. Et puisque par votre faveur, sous Dieu, j'ai deja surmonte les difficultes de la plus grande moitie du voyage que j'ai a faire par mer, j'ai pris la hardiesse d'entretenir votre Majeste de mon succes jusqu'en ce lieu. Le premier de Juin, le beau navire 'Amaranta' nous fit flotter sur la Baltique, et nonobstant les calmes, le vent contraire, et un terrible orage qui nous exercerent, par l'adresse de l'Amiral Clerc, du Capitaine Sinclair (de l'honnetete, respect, et soin desquels envers moi et ma suite, je suis redevable, comme de mille autres faveurs, a votre Majeste), comme par l'obeissance du navire a ses experts conducteurs, nous mimes pied a terre a Tremon, le port de Lubec, Mercredi le 7 Juin. Samedi nous arrivames a Hambourg, ou je suis a present, dans la maison des Anglais. Ce matin j'ai pense ne voir point le soir, ayant ete travaille d'un mal soudain, et tempete horrible qui m'a cuide renverser dans ce port. Mais il a plu a Dieu me remettre en bonne mesure, ainsi j'espere que je ne serai empeche d'achever mon voyage. Je prie Dieu qu'il preserve votre Majeste, et qu'il me rende si heureux, qu'etant rendu en mon pays, j'aie l'opportunite selon mon petit pouvoir de temoigner en effet que je suis

"De votre Majeste "Le tres-humble et obeissant serviteur, "B. WHITELOCKE. "Juin 14, 1654."

June 20, 1654.

The wind continued in the same quarter as before, very high and contrary to Whitelocke's course, both the last night and this morning, which gave him and his company much trouble; but they must submit to the time and good pleasure of God.

About five o'clock this morning (an unusual hour for visits) Mr. Schestedt came on board Whitelocke's ship from Glueckstadt, whither he came the day before by land. They had much discourse together, wherein this gentleman is copious, most of it to the same effect as at his former visits at Hamburg. He told Whitelocke of the Lord Wentworth's being at Hamburg and his carriage there, and that he spake with respect towards the Protector and towards Whitelocke, but was full of wishes of ruin to the Protector's party. Whitelocke inquired of him touching the levies of soldiers by the Princes in the Lower Saxony now in action, with whom Mr. Schestedt was very conversant. He said that the present levies were no other than such as those Princes made the last year, and usually make every year for their own defence in case there should be any occasion, and that he knew of no design extraordinary. Whitelocke asked him several questions about this matter, that he might be able to give information thereof to the Protector; but either there was nothing, or this gentleman would discover nothing in it. He was entertained in Whitelocke's cabin at breakfast, where he fed and drank wine heartily, and at his going away Whitelocke gave him twenty-one guns, and ordered the 'Elizabeth' to give him nineteen, and sent him to shore in one of his ship-boats. The wind being very high, and not changing all this day, to the trouble of Whitelocke and hindrance of his voyage.

In the evening, a messenger from Monsieur Schestedt brought to Whitelocke these letters:--

"Monseigneur,

"Votre Excellence aura recu, par un de ses serviteurs, un petit billet de moi partant de Glueckstadt, sur ce qu'avions parle, suppliant tres-humblement votre Excellence d'en avoir soin sans aucun bruit. Et si la commodite de votre Excellence le permettra, je vous supplie de vouloir ecrire un mot de lettre au Resident d'ici pour mieux jouir de sa bonne conversation sur ce qui concerne la correspondance avec votre Excellence; et selon que votre Excellence m'avisera je me gouvernerai exactement, me fiant entierement a la generosite de votre Excellence, et m'obligeant en homme d'honneur de vivre et mourir,

"Monseigneur, de votre Excellence "Tres-humble et tres-obeissant serviteur, "HANNIBAL SCHESTEDT. "20 Juin, 1654.

"Votre Excellence aura mille remercimens de l'honneur recu par ces canonades, et excusera pour ma disgrace de n'avoir ete repondu."

To these letters Whitelocke sent this answer:--

"Monseigneur,