[Extract]

. . . I should have been glad too to have told you that Capt Nicholson had acted the part of an open generous spirited Man who was ready to make Amends frankly for a Rudeness he had unadvisadly committed he has avoided saying one Word about discharging the Men nor has he as I have heard, though I have inquired, discharged them agreeable to the Order sent to him ー two Men indeed who had been taken in one of our trading Vessels and had just got away from a Man of War after a pretty long and severe Confinemt and who were impressed by the Capt after working their passages in to their Friends came here and told me on the Importunity of their Friends they were on the Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday, I forget which, after the Capts. being served with the Order discharged, on the Terms of giving Security each in 40 Dollars for their returning again or finding such aMan within ten days the Suretys confirmed the Story hence I suspect the Capt has no real Design to comply with the Order even in the very cautious Terms it is drawn ー I am sorry the Congress did not at once say what Capt Nicholson should do by way of Concession and appoint some Body to discharge the Men there's an indelicacy in saying what any shall do by a Man to himself but you may be assured, with myself and the Council, discharging the Men and unequivocal Signs of a real Concern for what had passed would have been the most satisfactory Concession. It is an unlucky Busi: ness Capt Nicholson might have applied to the Legislature they were sitting and could best judge how far Necessity was a proper Ground but I dare say they would not have taken the Execution of the Measures they might have thought proper to adopt out of the Hands of the civil Magist[rat]e

I judge myself a good many Men might have been got in Virginia I have been well informed Seamans Wages there are abt 20 Dollars in Bait from 15 to 18 £ a month. I think Industry might have therefore procured some Men from Virginia ー I have been so prolix that I am afraid I tire you yet I cannot omit maintaining that I am under the strongest Impression, that I ought not to have waited for a formal or regular Complaint who were to make it? the Men who were injured were kept on board some of them as I have heard in Irons, almost every Body I saw told me there was a press in Bait. Some of the people in our own Service had been carried by violence and detained on board the Frigate and one of them had actually been before the Council I could not but believe the Report to be true it was not sufficient I agree to pass any Judgment on Capt Nicholson but it surely justified the Council & my conditional Requisition that if he had impressed Men he should discharge them, it was easy thing to say he had not pressed any Body if he really had not or if he had & discharged them to say so . . . .