58 DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1666 letter not haveing any character

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

58

DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1666

letter not haveing any character ; and that I should be look't upon as one In
publick employment, whereby I should be put to great charges and ex-
pences • and that, lastly, I should be tyed to expect an answer. To which he
said nothinf, but that I should stay untill he returned from his Majesty.
After an houre, he came and told. me that his Majesty had ordered and com-
manded me to go for England, and that I should make myself ready in
three or four dayes to be gone. I repeating the former reasons, and adding,
that I was wronged in not getting my full oklad or monthly pay according
to others and that I had all this tyme but twenty five rubles a month
whereas I should have forty, and that I wanted, as the rest also, two whole
months • he told me that his Majesty would allow and cause give me
money to beare my charges, and that, for my other grievances, I should
bring petitions, and compeer to morrow.

Befor I go further, I shall showe the reasons of sending this message,
and of the sending a stranger, and why me and not another.

The English, in their adventures at sea, haveing found out the sea port
at the mouth of the river Dwina, had, for their losses and paines, great
priviledges conferred on them by the Tzaar,* especially to trade without
paying of toll or custome ; whereby encouraged they appointed an agent,
which continued many yeares with considerable advantage. But the
Hollanders and Hamburgers, haveing found the way hither also, began to
trade without any corporation, yet encreased so, that the Hollanders espe-
cially, in tyme gott great advantages of the English, and outwitted, to give
it no worse terme, the English, and even trapan'd them into many things,
and then delated them. For they had gott some of the English to bring
up their goods under the notion of their owne, so to avoid the paying of
custome whereby the Tzaar was cheated of his revenues ; so that it was in
agitation bv the instigation of the Hollanders and Russia merchants, whom
they had drawne to their party, to disannull these priviledges. But there
not being sufficient proofes, and the Enghsh, forwarned, keeping themselves
closser, and by tlieir splendid way of liveing haveing gained the good will
of the nobility, and those of the poorest merchants and tradesmen by trust-
ing, the business was delayed, untill the unhappy tragedy of the murder of
King Charles the First, whereat occasion was taken, upon a more generous

* [Iwan Wassiljewitsch.]