Evelyn's Diary. 02 Dec 1666. Dined with me Monsieur Kiviet (age 39), a Dutch gentleman-pensioner of Rotterdam, who came over for protection, being of the Prince of Orange's (age 16) party, now not welcome in Holland. The King (age 36) knighted him for some merit in the Prince's (age 16) behalf. He should, if caught, have been beheaded with Monsieur Buat, and was brother-in-law to Van Tromp, the sea-general. With him came Mr. Gabriel Sylvius, and Mr. Williamson (age 33), secretary to Lord Arlington (age 48); M. Kiviet (age 39) came to examine whether the soil about the river of Thames would be proper to make clinker bricks, and to treat with me about some accommodation in order to it.

Evelyn's Diary. 06 Mar 1667. I proposed to my Lord Chancellor (age 58), Monsieur Kiviet's (age 40) undertaking to wharf the whole river of Thames, or quay, from the Temple [Map] to the Tower [Map], as far as the fire destroyed, with brick, without piles, both lasting and ornamental.-Great frosts, snow and winds, prodigious at the vernal equinox; indeed it had been a year of prodigies in this nation, plague, war, fire, rain, tempest and comet.

Evelyn's Diary. 26 Mar 1667. Sir John Kiviet (age 40) dined with me. We went to search for brick-earth, in order to a great undertaking.

Evelyn's Diary. 07 Sep 1667. Came Sir John Kiviet (age 40), to article with me about his brickwork.

Pepy's Diary. 23 Sep 1668. At my office busy all the morning. At noon comes Mr. Evelyn (age 47) to me, about some business with the Office, and there in discourse tells me of his loss, to the value of £500, which he hath met with, in a late attempt of making of bricks¹ upon an adventure with others, by which he presumed to have got a great deal of money: so that I see the most ingenious men may sometimes be mistaken.

Note 1. At the end of the year 1666 a Dutchman of the Prince of Orange's party, named Kiviet (age 41), came over to England with proposals for embanking the river from the Temple [Map] to the Tower with brick, and was knighted by the King (age 38). He was introduced to Evelyn (age 47), whom he persuaded to join with him in a great undertaking for the making of bricks. On March 26th, 1667, the two went in search of brick-earth, and in September articles were drawn up between them for the purpose of proceeding in the manufacture. In April, 1668, Evelyn subscribed 50,000 bricks for the building of a college for the Royal Society, in addition to £50 given previously for the same purpose. No more information on the subject is given in Evelyn's "Diary".

Evelyn's Diary. 22 Jul 1670. Being arrived at some meres, we found Lord Wotton and Sir John Kiviet (age 43) about their draining engines, having, it seems, undertaken to do wonders on a vast piece of marsh-ground they had hired of Sir Thomas Chicheley (master of the ordnance). They much pleased themselves with the hopes of a rich harvest of hemp and coleseed, which was the crop expected.