I Will give your Excellency an accompt of our proceedings here about the Arreſt of the Constant Warwicke, and Capt. Deare. I undertook to ſet it a foot before I had received your Excellencies procuration; but becauſe I muſt needs ſubſtitute one to follow the buſineſſe, I could not effect it; for no body here would undertake to be my Subſtitute, until I could ſhew him procuration under your Excellencies hand and ſeal, that I got upon Saturday morning laſt paſt; Mark Bernarte for a Knave. then forthwith I ſubſtituted one Mr. Barnarte, a good truſty man, and forthwith adviſed with an able Lawyer, who is the onely man here affectionate to the Parliament among all thoſe of that coat, named Iſebrand Craft; I deſired to know of him, out of which Court we ſhould (for the beſt expedition) take out our Proceſſe; he told me, that ſince it was an action of damage, and accompt of meum & tuum in a civill Plea, it muſt be taken out of the Court of Holland, the Court Provinciall, by reaſon the Court of Admiralty cannot take conniſance of theſe things here: then hee asked me, whether I had here ready, either the Originall, or a Copie of the Charter Partie, or Commiſſion of the ſaid Captaine Deare: I told him, no: but that I could have it by the next Poſt; his anſwer was that for want of it we ſhould find the Court very unwilling to grant out a Proceſſe, it being required by the Inſtructions of that Court to grant out none untill ſome ſummary proof appeare, that the Plaintife is grounded in his ſute againſt the Defendant: However, Ibid the Advocate to try & draw up a Petition to the Court, for without foregoing Petition ſigned by the Advocates hand, no Warrant is iſſued forth for the arreſt of a Ship and Captaine; he did ſo, and gave in the Petition upon Munday: the Court demurred upon it all that day: and upon Tueſday ſent the Petition into the Aſſembly of the States of Holland, as a buſineſſe of that Moment, which they durſt not take upon themſelves: the States forthwith made a reſolution, that the Petition ſhould be referred back to the Court Provinciall; And that the Court ſhould do Juſtice according as was deſired: upon Wedneſday this reſolution of the States was got to be ſigned, See how he abuſes one of the State. & was (together with the Petition) brought into the Court Provinciall; Then the Court paſſed the Warrant, which on Thurſday was ſent to the Preſident of that Court, called Wyngarden, for to ſeale it: This ſervile fellow (inſtead of ſealing it inſtantly, as his duty is to doe) kept us off untill yeſter night ten of the Clock; Mr. Barnat my Subſtitute gave him no reſpite all that while, but purſued him whereſoever he went; at length he ſaid he would not ſeale it untill he had acquainted his Highneſſe with it as Admirall of the Seas, and went with the Petition and Warrant up to the Prince of Orange his lodgings laſt night. This morning he ſent it home ſealed; when he had got a Notarius ready to proteſt againſt him, of all loſſes and dammages which were like to happen to us by this delay of Juſtice: but this morning a new difficulty aroſe, which the Mandatory (the Exploycher or Huiſſier) as they call them here, who would not goe about the executing of his Office untill I would promiſe him 80. guilders 8. l. ſterling, at all adventures, performing his Office, or not performing it, I could by no meanes agree to ſuch a Propoſition, for ſo a knave might ſit and drink four daies, take mony beſides of the adverſe party for betraying his truſt, and laugh at us in the end: I offered him the ſum demanded after the work done, and the bringing of Deare up to the Hague, this he refuſed, and flung away; ſo that hitherto I cannot find any other to do the work upon ſuch termes as we may in reaſon truſt upon: I have had my health but ill ſince my journey into North Holland, but (by the grace of God) I mend apace: while I have life in me, I am