“I Bulstrode Whitelocke, Constable of the Castle of Windsor, one of the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal of England, and Ambassador Extraordinary from his Most Serene Highness the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, unto her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, do hereby desire my honourable friend, Sir George Fleetwood, Knight, General-Major under the Crown of Sweden, to ship and consign unto Mr. Samuel Wilson, merchant in London, in Bishopsgate-street, two hundred ship-pound, Swedish weight, of gore copper; the which the said Mr. Samuel Wilson is to receive and dispose of according to my order.  Dated at Stockholm, in Sweden, the 26th day of May, 1654.

“B.  WHITELOCKE.”

According to which warrant, the copper was put on board the ’Swart Hundt,’ fitted and victualled for England.  Of Whitelocke’s ship, Whitelocke gave the command and charge, and of his goods therein, to one of his servants, Taylor, by commission under his hand and seal, and to bring his copper and goods in her from hence to London, as soon as he could, wind and weather favouring.  Wrangel procured this ship for Whitelocke, and a pass from the Admiralty of Sweden for her to go through the Sound; and Whitelocke thought it better to see this ship on her voyage, than to leave the sending of her away to the care of others after his departure.

[SN:  His goods embarked in the Amarantha.]

Whitelocke sent the rest of his goods and baggage on board the ‘Amarantha,’ which weighed yesterday, and he hoped might by this time be within four leagues of the Dollars; but the wind came contrary for her advance any further, and Whitelocke must continue here till he could understand that his ship was gotten to the Dollars, which is fourteen Swedish leagues from this city, but may be gone in six or seven hours by boats in a shorter passage.  His stay here seemed tedious to Whitelocke.  This day the wind coming about a little towards the east, increased his hopes of getting away, for which they were in daily expectation.

[SN:  The trade of Stockholm.]

By some merchants and others of this city, Whitelocke learned what was the commerce of this town, and by his own view he found it to be commodiously seated for trade and to receive all the commodities of the country’s growth, which are brought hither by water; and it is the more convenient because the greatest ships may come up to the very houses and there load and unload their merchandises, never wanting water, which there is always deep, and equal in the height of it.  But this city is somewhat far distant from the sea by water, so that before the ships can go between the sea and the town, they must fetch a compass of about one hundred English miles, with the danger of many rocks and islands in the way; and they must have also divers winds which are hindrances to their commerce.