NOTE ON THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE AND SALMON. 77
from sum far Cuntry, and was Extreame weary, hauing one shot
made at her, and budged not ; but, at the second shott she was
killed.
Mr. Readman acquainted me yt hee deliuer[ed] ye small
token J sent you, wch was a dryed Salmon ; wch be pleased to
accept as a poore mite of ye affection of
Yor Reali Freind and humble Sera',
Fffra. Newby.
[P.S.] —The shipps that are Now in harbour to be Refitted
out wth Speede are the Coulchester, Speedwell, Vicktory, Rich-
mond, Garland, Reserue, Aduenture, and Delfe.
The matter did not end here. Joseph Williamson, Secre-
tary to the Navy Commissioners, hearing, from the official to
whom this letter was addressed, of the occurrence of the Eagle,
wrote to Mr. Silas Taylor, Keeper of the King's Stores at
Harwich,3 and one of Newby's superiors, asking for further
information about the bird. Taylor's reply 4 here follows :—
Harwich, Oct. 25, 1666.
This morning the Truelove, from convoying the Amunition
to Stilly &c., return'd backe hither, haueing first conuoy'd the
Shipps imployed in that seruice safe backe. Her consort, the
Roebuck, is gone for Ireland.
At the end of your last written Intelligence, I read the Story
of our Eagle kil'd here. I saw the Skinne of it, but did not
looke upon it as soe strange a thing as others did ; for why
should not an Eagle fly hither as well as to Scotland ? Others
thinke that the Eagle may come Southerly, as beeing weather-
wise and [that its coming] prognosticates a hard winter ; and
severall thoughts severall men haue. I haue nothing to say to
it : Onely an Eagle was kild here ; and I sent you noe notice of
it because I though it not worth ye writeing about ; and, your
intelligence giveing me notice of it, I thought it may bee a
freindly reproofe.
Our Shippe are here still [that] I formerly wrote you off ;
and we haue noe newes ; Onely I am, Sr,
Your most humble serv',
Silas Taylor.
To Joseph Williamson, Esquire.
3 This Silas Taylor (alias Domville) was the man who collected the matter relating to
the history of Harwich which Dale afterwards added to and published in 1730. Dale speaks
of him in his preface as "a lover of Antiquities, a person of leisure, and a member of the
Corporation," but adds that, "dying in debt, all his MSS. and papers were, together with
his goods, seized on by his creditors and so dispersed."
4 State Papers, Domestic, Chas. II., vol. 176, no. 28.