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Sir I arrived here the 27th Instant between one and two o'Clock, and immediately waited upon the Governor of this place, and deliver'd your Message, which he sent to the General of the Island at Port Royal, and the same evening returning from him a little before Dark I saw a Sail in the Offing with Colours which I was unacquainted with (being red and white striped, with a Union next the Staff), I thought it my duty to Slip my Cables immediately and stand out to Sea and speak her, about half after Eight she tacked, when we wore and stood towards her, and hail'd her often in French, to which they made no answer, we afterwards hail'd her in English, She continued to make sail from Us and made no reply, we stood after her and at 9 fired a Shot ahead of her, we then hail'd her in English, and told her we were an English Man of War, which information was repeated three times; they made no answer but bore down and fired a Broadside into us, which we returned immediately and the Firing continued about ¾ of an hour. She then threw her Maintopsail to the Mast and wore. While we were preparing to tack, two Shot were fired at us from the Shore, one of which went a head of the Ship, and the Second came between the Masts, and went thro' the Maintopmast Staysail. On which considering myself within the limits of the Port, I stood off for a small time, then haul'd the wind and at 3 o'Clock in the Morning we were close in shore in the Southern part of this Bay, when we saw the Ship at Anchor. I could not get to an anchor before 10 o'Clock just a head of the Ship which We found to be an American Armed Ship mounting 18 Guns, 6 pounders and wears a Jack Ensign, and Pendant ー I have since learnt her name to be the Reprizal, Captain Weeckes, " that she carried 120 Men, and reported to have taken four West Indiamen. He struck us three or four times, and I have two of his Shot onboard, one of which came thro' the Quarter, and wounded a Marine with the Splinter....... I waited on the Governor of this place with the folJowing remonstrance, which he immediately sent to the Governor at Port Royal. 4

I waited 'till ½ past 2 o'Clock this day and not receiving any answer from the General which the Governor of this place Jed me to believe I should have by 9 o'Clock this morning; I sent the Lieutenant on shore to him to know if there was any answer. The Answer was "that he had not, but that he expected it in an hour at farthest, " at the same time produced a letter from the General in answer to the Message, which I brought from you respecting the Argo. ー Its Contents were, "that the General was not surprized to hear of the arrival of an English Frigate, it being a Circumstance which he had expected in consequence of your letter, That he was perfectly satisfied and beg'd Monsieur De Courcy to assure you that it should be his study to preserve the good Understanding subsisting between the two Crowns, and to merit your esteem, and good opinion of him.["]

Being now ½ past 3 o'Clock I have this moment receiv'd an Answer to my Remonstrance from the Governor of Fort Royall a Copy of which I herewith send you, as also my answer to him. I am now geting under Sail to leave this place, and shall proceed agreeable to your Orders, and beg leave to refer you for some more particulars to Lieutenant Swiney who fell in with me soon after the Action and whom I took the liberty to detain in order to transmit to you the Issue of this Affair. I am to hope my Conduct has been such as to meet your Approbation And am Sir [&c.]