William Blathwayt letter to William Beeston, 1696 November 26

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Duplicate

I am now to acknowledge the receipt of your
Letters of the 16 of Aprill 9 of June 25 July 14 & 19
of August which in the main will be Answered by
the councill of Trade either by this or the next conveyance,
I shall only take notice at present of what you mention
relating to the Subsistance of the Soldiers which you
say is kept from them by their Officers, which will be
certainly lookt upon as your Fault, since by former
order you and the Councill are to take care that the
effective men be duly paid and none others, so that
you cannot be too strict in seeing [illegible] done to the
poor Soldiers in the most effectual manner
without regard to any pretences of the Officers to
the contrary

This comes to you by the advice Boat sent on
[illegible]

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purpose to give you Notice of a Squadron setting out
by the French I have not time to enlarge [illegible]
[illegible] as I Intend to do by the Merchant Fleet that is
ordered to sail by the first of January next, In the
mean while I remain

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