House of Commons Journal Volume 6: 22 January 1651

Die Mercurii, 22 Januarii, 1650.

Prayers.

Correspondence with Spaine.

COLONEL Marten reports Amendments to the Letter to be sent to the King of Spaine: Which were this Day read; and, upon the Question assented unto.

Ordered, by the Parliament, That Sir Peter Wentworth, Mr. Thomas Challoner, Mr. Strickland, Lord Mounson, and Sir Wm. Masham, do go, with convenient Speed, to the Lord Ambassador of the King of Spaine; and that they deliver unto him the Answer from the Parliament, together with the Letter to be sent to the King of Spaine, and a Duplicate thereof; and other Papers formerly ordered to be delivered to the said Lord Ambassador: And

It is Ordered, That the Master of the Ceremonies do attend this Committee to the said Lord Ambassador, this Afternoon, accordingly.

Navy.

Colonel Thompson reports from the Committee of the Navy, The Number of Ships, &c. to go to the Barbadoes.

Extraordinaries laid on board the said Fleet.

Arms.

Five hundred Snaphance Musquets, with Bandaleers.
Three hundred Pikes.
Five hundred Swords and Belts.
Twenty Drums, with Cases.
Five hundred Sweed Feathers.
Fifty Pair of Pistols.
Twenty Colours.
Twenty long Fowling Pieces.

Resolved, That this House doth agree with the Committee, as well touching the Number of Men and Ships, as of other Particulars in the said Report mentioned.

Ordered, That it be referred to the Council of State, to send them away forthwith; and to give them Instructions.

Serjeant at Arms.

Resolved, That Serjeant Middleton do attend the House, in the room of Serjeant Birkehead, during the Time of his Sickness.

Col. Sidney.

The House being informed of the Breach of the Order of Parliament of the Fourteenth of January Instant, for suspending all Proceedings by the Court Martial in the Case of Colonel Algernon Sidney;

Resolved, That John Cuff be called; and give his Testimony at the Bar.

The said John Cuff being come to the Bar; Mr. Speaker demanded, What his Name was.

He answered, John Cuff.

Mr. Speaker demanded, whether he received an Order of the House, touching Colonel Sidney; and when; and what he did with it.

He answered, He received the Order on Tuesday the Fourteenth of January; and came to Dover with it Eight of Clock on Wednesday; and found Captain Wilson's Lieutenant, no higher Officer being there; and so, being commanded to deliver to Wilson or Cannon, reserved it till they came: And the next Day Captain Cannon came; and the Examinant shewed him the Order: He said, He could give no Answer till some others came, who were appointed to put in Execution the Order of the Council of War: and that, the next Day, being Friday, he expected them. This Examinant understanding, that Major Audley and Captain Wilson were come, this Examinant made the like Desires to them as to Captain Cannon; and also, Whether the Lieutenant had acquainted them with the Order. They said, He had. This Examinant desired of them Liberty to dispose of Colonel Sidney's Goods. They asked, What. This Examinant told them; and mentioned among the rest, a Chest. They said, They must first see it; and desired the Keys: But the Examinant did not know whether he might do it. They brought him into the Room where the Chest was; and commanded him to deliver the Keys, or they would break it open. He said, If they thought they might justify it, they might do it. Whereupon they bid him go into the next Room; and then called him in again, and demanded the Keys: Which he refused to deliver. Thereupon they called in Soldiers, to search him: And they did search him for the Keys; but found them not about him; but took from him some other Keys.

The next Day, this Examinant came to them again; and desired to have the Keys again. They delivered them; but refused to let him intermeddle with the Goods.

Being demanded, Whether he delivered the Order;

He said, He delivered it to Captain Cannon; and that Major Audley, in Presence of Captain Cannon and Captain Wilson, told him, they could take no Notice of it, because it was not communicated to them by their superior Officer.

The Examinant faith, That they inventoried and appraised the Goods, after they had the Order; and denied to deliver any of the Goods to him: But faith, The Goods are where they were, for ought he knows.

They denied the Examinant to dispose of any of them into any Place. He faith further, they had done nothing at all, before the Order came to them; but inventoried and appraised the Goods afterwards.

And thereupon, the said Cuff, by the Command of Mr. Speaker, withdrew.

Resolved, by the Parliament, That Major Audley, Captain Cannon, and Captain Wilson, be summoned to appear at the Bar of this House This-day-sevennight: And that they do attend the Committee to whom the Petition of Colonel Sidney is referred; to be examined touching the Information now given, about the Breach of the Order of this House: And that that Committee do examine the Matter of Fact; and report the Truth of the Business to the House.

Resolved, That Major General Harrison be required to take care of the Preservation of the Castle of Dover, in the mean time.

Relief of Tenants.

Ordered, That the Bill for Relieving of Tenants against malignant Landlords be read on Tuesday next.

Gardiner's Petition.

The humble Petition of Maurice Gardiner, of London, Merchant, was this Day read.

Parliament Seal.

An Act for appointing a Seal, to be the Seal for the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, was this Day read the First and Second time; and, upon the Question, passed; and ordered to be forthwith printed and published.

Resolved, That this Seal shall be sealed up by Mr. Speaker, with his own Seal, and kept by Henry Scobell Esquire, Clerk of the Parliament, among the Records of the Parliament; opened only by him, as often as the same shall be made use of by Order of Parliament.

Resolved, That this Seal be delivered back to Mr. Love, for Three Days time, to be amended in some Part, and be by him delivered back to Mr. Speaker, sitting the Parliament, to be sealed up, and disposed according to the former Order.

And the Seal was delivered to Mr. Love, accordingly.

Resolved, That Mr. Speaker do affix this Seal to the Letter to be sent to the King of Spaine.

Delinquents Estates.

Resolved, That the House do proceed in the Debate of Amendments to the Bill for Sale of Delinquents Lands To-morrow Morning, the first Business; and nothing to intervene: And that Mr. Speaker do put the House in mind thereof.

Gardiner's Petition.

Ordered, That the Petition of Maurice Gardiner, of London, Merchant, be referred to the Committee of the Navy, upon Conference with Mr. Moyle, and Mr. Marten; to examine and state the whole Matter of Fact thereupon, as well touching the Adjudication of the Ship, as touching the Debt claimed by the Petitioner, and report it to the House.

Melting Iron, &c.

An Act for Granting and Conferring of Privilege, for Fourteen Years, upon Jeremy Buck Esquire, of his new Invention for melting down Iron Ore, and Cinders; and other Ore, into Raw Iron, and into other Metals, with Stone Coal, without Charking thereof, was this Day read the Second time; and, upon the Question, committed unto Colonel Marten, Mr. Boone, Mr. Lechmere, Mr. Ralegh, Mr. Pury, Mr. James Challoner, Mr. Marten, Mr. Garland, Mr. Hodges, Alderman Pennington, Lord Viscount Lisle, Mr. Dormer, Major Salwey, Mr. Nevill: And all that will come, to have Voices: And this Committee are to meet this Afternoon, in the Exchequer Chamber; and so de die in diem.

Pardon of Kinsey, &c.

Mr. Alderman Pennyngton reports, Amendments to the Act for Pardoning of Richard Kinsey, and Frances Mathews: Which were this Day read the First and Second time; and, upon the Question, assented unto.

And the said Act, being put to the Question, passed.