"THE SHORTAGE OF MONEY".

The shortage of money at this time is best indicated by the Navy’s Board despairing letter to the Duke of York on 31 March 1667

May it Please your Royll. Highness

It is with utmost regret that we are forced to give your R.H. such disquitt as wee have for a long time together done, in the matter of Mony; especially after our having soe lately by letter of the 23rd of Febry. last, and our personall address to his Maty. and your selfe at my Ld. Trearers the 14th instant, declared our Condition and the necessity of our being supplied by Forty Thousand pounds pr Weeke until the Five Hundred Thousand pounds (concluded at the same time by his Maty. necessary to bee provided for us) should bee compleated. But that which occassions this soe speedy retirne of our complainte to your R.H. is That of that small sum of Thirty and odd thousand pounds said to be allotted out of the Pole-Bill for this Office & to have beene in readinesses for our disposal five Weekes since (and which accordingly was then distributed by us by particular assignements as his Mat’s service most required) not one penny is yet paid. In soe mutch that Wee have not only mist of the reparation wee expected to have gotten to our Credits by the ready Sume, but have put our selves farther backward (wee feare irrecoverably) in the extreme of those few, whome our promises (built on the pre-sumption of this Mony) had one more prevailed wth. to trust us a little further.

Duke of York

As this practice of ours (May it please your R.H.) of perswadeing persons to the parting wth. theire Goods on promise of Mont (when at the same time wee are concious of our incapacity to perform them) is in it selfe both scandalous and grievious to us; soe the considering of how ill consequence it is to his Matys, service in general, though, it may soeed us four one single pinch, enforceth us humbly to crave your R,H, pardon that wee begg to bee relieved therein by moore certaine supplys of Mony. For that your R.H. may see by fresh, instances the success of such our forced dealings & the posture of his Mats. affaires are at this day in, bee pleased to know, that the dispatch of the shipps both in this river, at Portsmo., Harwich., and more perticularly the Chaine and the Boats at Chatham, and the furnishing Sr Jeremy Smith’s Fleete wth. Ketches are at this day at (or next too) an utter stand for want of Mony. And to bee yet more clear wee crave leave to communicate to your R.H. some such pertculers as wee dare not mention but to your selfe. namely That wee have not creditt left us for procureing lead for covering of a furnace, but have been forced to melt our very weights to answer that occasion with For want of Broome wee are reduced at this day to ye emptying our Tarr –caske for the getting theire staves for fireing and in our want of Rozin for graveing of shipps are put to ye paying them with Pitch, and to Boyle up Tarr our selves even for the suppluing that occasion with Pitch: Oyle wee have been lately forced to give 33£ pr. Ton for & would yett bee glad to have a farther supply thereof at the same price, while his Mats. owine was sold at Plyme. for 20£ & 22£, after our repeated desires & a promise of a supply of fifty Tons thereof for his owne use: The Smiths workes every where faile us, & at Harwich perticularly not a Bolte to bee had for the New Shipp. the smiths shopp there having beene wholy shutt up this Weeke. 

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