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Naval Documents of the American Revolution

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Naval Documents of the American Revolution Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 5 AMERICAN THEATRE: May 9, 1776–July 31, 1776 Part 5 of 8 United States Government Printing Office Washington, 1970 Electronically published by American Naval Records Society Bolton Landing, New York 2012 AS A WORK OF THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THIS PUBLICATION IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. JUNE 1776 833 Portland. -And on Thursday arrived in the harbour of St. John's a topsail schooner, loaded with flour, taken by his Majesty's ship Roebuck. 1. London Chronicle, August 20 to August 22, 1776. Shipped by the grace of God, in good order and well conditioned, by Jas. Smith, in and upon the good schooner pilot boat called the Lovely Lass, whereof is master, under God, for this present voyage and now riding at an- chor in the roads of St. Eustatia and by God's grace bound for Philadelphia or some port in North America, to say, ten half barrels, containing five hundred weight of gunpowder, on the proper account and risk of the ship- per, and consigned to Mr. Joseph Donaldson, merchant, Philadelphia, or to such committee or council of safety as may be appointed at any other port she arrives at, being marked and numbered as in the margin, and to be de- Iivered in the like good order, and well conditioned, at the aforesaid port of Philadelphia, &c. (the danger of the seas only excepted) unto Joseph Don- aldson, or such committee or council of safety or to their assigns, he or they paying freight for the said goods settled already with primage and average accustomed. In witness whereof, the master or purser of the said schooner 'hath affirmed to 3 bills of lading, all of this tenor and date; the one of which three bills being accomplished, the other two to stand void. And so God send the go6d schooner to her desired port in safety - Amen. Dated at St. Eustatia, June 29, 1776. John Taylor. 1. New York Provincial Congress, 11, 288. 30 June (Sunday) (copy) Halifax the 30th June, 1776 My Lord The Eleven Sail of Transports having kept pace with the Re- nown in equipping themselves to proceed to their destination; I have or- dered Captn Banks to take them under his Convoy and directed the Hope Captain Dawson to assist in performing that Service, as at this Season the Fogs are intollerable. The Milford, Captain [John] Burr arrived here yesterday to Victual and Water, which I have compleated to four Months, and ordered her Com- mander to Sea immediately: as at present not one Ship of War is on this Coast, and many small privateers are hovering near Boston, and I'am very apprehensive will soon find their Way to our Neighbourhood: so soon as they learn the State of the Coast. Permit me my Lord most earnestly to represent to your Lordship the necessity of a Ship to be stationed at this, because it is a pIace where all the Rebellious Subjects are confined, but no place is to be found for that purpose, the few Prisoners which General Howe brought Hither he was obliged to ask for the Province Goal, a small miserable Place, and since his 834 AMERICAN THEATRE Departure 7 out of 12 have broke their Confinement & escaped to Windsor where they have been secured; be assured Sir, it is with the utmost reluct- ance, I trouble you with Prisoners, or about them, but I have not a Centinel to place over them, or to do any other the smallest Service in the Defence of the Yard: I have not even a Boats Crew: the want of which I had well nigh been prevented from paying my respects to your Lordship. The Hospital my Lord is another Distress that I am deficient in Lan- guage to express my feelings about. Provisions are at this place, and the Circumstances of the Place such, that no part of the Orders of the Commissrs of Sick & Hurt have been able to have been complied with: they have conceived that the Inhabitants of the Place would have received them and that the Surgeon would have lodged and boarded them for fifteen pence a day: no person is to be found that will recieve those people, neither can a proper place be procured to make an Hospital of, without hiring an old house, and put in repair at the Kings Expence perhaps about 150 Pounds, not that at present do I know of such a one: but if some Care is not taken before the Winter, very disagreeable will be the Lot of those poor People who may be put sick on shore: The Com- missrs of the Sick presuming that Boston would be tfie place where the greatest part of those Men would remain sent the Surgeon to that place & thought little of this the Contrary is the fact for when the Fleet sailed from hence last, Mr Dickson of the Hospital Ship, put all his misefable Objects on shore to us to be taken care of and if a place could have been found, we should not have had fewer that [sic than] One hundred since here I have been; this I have represented to Admiral Shuldham & now beg your Lord- ships Excuse for this long detail. Yesterday in the afternoon arrived the Malaga Transport with one Company of Hessians, which I immediately caused to be watered, to em- brace the opportunity of sailing with this Convoy. I am sorry to acquaint your Lordship of the unfavourable Situation we are likely to be in, if visited in the Interior parts of the Province, as you will perceive by the inclosed Deposition["] with three others to the same effect and confirmed by Lieutenant Flood, and Mr Franckland [Michael Franck- lin], both whom returned from Cumberland, the latter was the Lieut Gov- ernor, a very sensible Man, who I sent to that place to give me Information, & also to call in the Military to his assistance in disarming the Suspicious, & confining the Notorious; very active he has been, and brings me unfavoura- ble Accounts of the Disposition of the people, however he has inrolled near 100 who have taken the Oath of Obedience. I am not under any apprehension except the laying Waste the Province, with those St Johns Indians who however I think so soon as they know for Certain the fate of the Rebels in Canada, will not be induced to Act: notwithstanding I am informed great Pains have been taken to bring them over May I pray that your Lordship will order the Captains stationed in the Bay of Fundy to correspond with me upon occurrences proper to be commu- nicated. I cannot at present recollect any other Circumstance to trouble you I with, except annexing the State of the Kings Ships at this place and to ac- quaint you that the Hay Ships are every moment expected, when the Niger shall not lose a moment in joining your Lordship. The Tamer has been on Shore and is otherwise in so bad a Condition that I am apprehensive she must be Careen'd before she can leave this place. Permit me to ask your Lordship that if it is your wish in future, that such Ships that may arrive here with accidents, and have not had an oppor- tunity of receiving your Lordships Order on that head, may be careen'd should I think there is an absolute necessity: and repair them as the Circum- stances of their Defects may require: the particulars of which, your Lord- ship will always receive from kc. Mt Arbuthnot [*I Which Deposition contains an Affadavit of there being 1500. Rebels being within three days march of Cumberland which is since proved not to be true. 1. PRO, Colonial Office, 51125, 28c. MASTER'SLOG OF H.M. ARMEDVESSEL Canceaux Remarks &ca - Sunday 30th June, 1776. - 8 [A.M.] Goose Island S W. The west end of Cowdre WSW. about 2 miles, at noon the west point of Goose Island SbS. The White Rock NWbN. 1 Mile The Church on the S E Shore SEbE about 2 Miles 1 [P.M.] Strong breezes and Cloudy, hauld down Steering Sails Handd T.Gt Sails, in 2 reefs Topsails Sailing to the Westd on the South side of Crane Island a short mile You will have 3 or 4 fm till you bring the house to bear, NW, then you depen to 6 or 7 fm At 4 Madame WNW, East end of the Island of Orleans NNW, dist from shore 2 Miles, Bellschaise W S W. Half past 5 Sa- luted Commodore Douglass with 13 Guns, Do returnd 11, at 6 came too with the Small Bower [blank] fms [blank] bottom and moord up and down the River, found at Quebec H. Ms Ships Isis, Juno and Lizard.' 1. PRO, Admiralty 5211638. 2. The Canceaux was completing a convoy voyage which had begun at Halifax June 11,1776. Under convoy had been a brig and five schooners. Of interest were the follow- ing incidents of the voyage: On June 15, in Canso Gut, Lieutenant Schanks had sent the cutter ashore "a Pressing," the only result being the loss overboard of "a Cutlash and Scabard." The frigate Pearl, on a cruise and the frigate Surprise were spoken June 24 and June 26, respectively, off Barnaby Island in the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. On June 28 a petty officer, with some hands, was sent ashore wooding off the mouth of the Saguenay river, and four men deserted. Two of them were brought on board the next day, having been captured by "the Indians," ibid.
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