honourd sir

I now informe you that I never undertuck a Voyage to sea in my Life that I Did not pirforme and this more Espetially as your honour & your worthy Counsell have thought on me & have put such Confidance in me & take it as an honour Dun me & am much obligd to you all for the same

I must tell you that I scorne to Resine or to pirtision to your honour for a Dismission but must aquant your honour my stasion is not all togather so agreeable as I Expected Capt Coit I am sattisfied with for a seaman he Did not pirtend & it is not his falt that the ship was not at sea four months before now nither is it your honours Nor your Counsells for I must say that you have Dun Eviry thing that Lay in your power — true it is sum articles was wanted which Could not be goot in one minit but as sune as they Could be obtaind with Cash & paynes we had them — so that at a time which was Decmbr the 9 — 1776 we made saile inorder to trye our ship & as it hapned as we was out the wind Camb on pritty fresh & hald a head that we Could not git into New london againe that Day, but at ancher within the Dumplins & theire Lay untill wednesday the 11 instant the wind then Right a head to git into N. London but a small brease we then hove up & Camb to saile in order to beate into N. London a fine Day. five ships then in sight one of which ships was under saile & within one Leage of us & seamd to have a grate mind to spake with us. we then found hir to be a man of woor & we not more then halfe of our men on board that then belongd to us & all new to the bisness thought prudance not to grattify sd ship & so beat in to the harbour as fast as passable & this is the first of my being uneasey & had I not understood how to workt a ship I should not bin in the Least uneasey for I saw sum thing wanting but had not a Right to Evin give my openian for as the first Leiuntnt ² had of tin said before that he n[ew] his bisness & he Did not want aney body to tell him aney thing nor to interfeare with his bisness nither wood he interfeare with aney bod yes Else bisness

And the Next time I was uneasey was on wednesday the 18 Do we made saile againe inorder to gitt our ship up to the town & to the whorfe in order to shorten hir masts & Cleane our ship the wind pritty faire & a fine brease & Capt Coit had a mind to Trye the ship a little more we pirsumed to Doe so & made a stretch quite up to groton fery & then put about & stood Down the harbour but before we goot up with fort trumbull the officers told Capt Coit that they thought that the wind was a Cuming a head Down the harbour & th[at] it wood be fresh I told him so he said Lett it Cum for we better trye the ship then & we stood on about one mile below fort trumbull & then put about &made three hanks [tacks] &the wind Camb on fresh after the first two trips but our ship was managed very porly indeede I should a bin glad to a spoke when I saw I Could bin helpfull but Did not for had I I should offended I told Capt Coit what was wanting & wood have him aquant but he Did not — indeede sin our ship being new was Rather Crank but sin so stiff that shee wood a Caried all hir masts over board before shee wood oversatt but the working of hir was ten times worse then the ship — a nuff said & was I no part of a seaman I should Like my station well for I Like my officers & people well & I suppoase are well agreed & had mr [Timothy] parker Exceptd of his apiontment I should not bin well pleasd & I beleave bin out Long agoo but now sir I am uneasey I saw sum Directions from you to Capt Coit the other Day when he was at hartford ordering all officers & people to Repare on board on sight of which I Emeadiately went to Newlondon & have Remand theire but was but Leetle wantd for Leiut [John] pr[e]ntice & sargent [John] spencer was present it was plenty for Comand as they nor my self e have aney on board

And as to ship officers I think quite a nuff Capt Coit melally [John] Chapman & four midshipmen, the boatswin & two mats master [Levi] youngs & his two mates — a Carpinter & his three mates and a plenty of hands —
as to my part as them gentlemen officers belongd at N. London it was all in theire way, for what they had to Doe was nomor'd then just past time — for the Carpinters people & under officers I should think did the Cheif e of the woork I understand that sum one gentleman has Drank no grog and Dun all the work. I heard so at N. London but this I am sure that sum one gentleman has Dun all the mischief — for I should have Camb by way of Labenon but if I had it might a bin thought I went to informe a true naritive as neare as I Ca[n] and am [&c.]

N B this is a private history for your one sattisfaction & you will find it will agree with what you will heare heareafter & I beg you not Lett somuch as one of your Counsell see this I am up now on account of sending Down the Rest of our [men] and to gitt more if I Can I shall goo from home the [first] of this weeke or the begining of next inorder for the Cruse