The Ship William by Norfolk
Virginia 5th October 1775. ー
(No 32)
My Lord
Since writing to your Lordship by Mr [John] Randolph His Majesty's Attorney General for this Colony, I have been Strongly Solicited by a great Number of Gentlemen well disposed to His Majesty's Government to Erect the King's Standard, and that they (and thousands more they are persuaded) would flock to it immediately, they allege that this is the only means by which they can be Secured from the danger, with which they are hourly threatened by the Rebels; I could have had no difficulty of directly complying with their request, but the want of Arms and Ammunition to supply them with; I have advised them (without giving them any particular reason) to remain as quiet as possible for a Short time, when I hope I shall be in a Situation to give them more effectual support.
The Public prints of this little dirty Borough of Norfolk, has for some time past been wholelly employed in exciting, in the minds of all Ranks of People the Spirit of Sedition and Rebellion by the grosest missrepresentation of facts, both public and private; that they might do no further Mischief I sent a Small party on Shore, on Saturday last [September 30] at Noon and brought off their press Tipes, Paper, Ink, two of the Printers and all the Utensils, and am now going to have a Press for the King on board one of the Ships I have lately taken into His Majesty's Service for the reception of the remainder of the 14th Regiment whoes arrival I look for with great impatience every hour. My having Seized their Press &c produced the inclosed papers No 1 & 2.2
I am just now well informed that the Ordnance I mentioned to your Lordship in my letter No 28. that the Rebells had Seized belonging to His Majesty are now Mounting on field Carriges at Williamsburg and a great number of Ball casting for them at their foundaries, and that they have just now received by Land from Baltimore in Maryland three and twenty hundred Weight of Gunpowder which they got from the West Indies; the Men of War have three tenders out now Cruising for two Schooners and a Sloop that I have intelligence of that are expected from the same quarter with powder, two of which are bound to Baltimore, the other for this Colony one of the former is Armed; thus My Lord do I see every hour His Majesty's Enemies puting themselves in the best posture of defence possible, without having it in my power to give them the least interruption, and I give your Lordship leave to judge if this is not to the greatest degree gauling, when certain too that a very small force well applied now. would not only effectually frustrate all their Schemes for the present, but soon reduce the whole of his Southern part of His Majesty's Continent to a proper State of submission; I do beg and.intreat your Lordship that I may not long remain an inactive Spectator of such unwarrantable proceedings.
Mr Collins of His Majesty's Armed Schooner the Magdalen before he left this place had Seized a Small Sloop which was condemned in the Court of Admiralty but the People had orders from their Committees not to purchase her, she was left here with me together with another under the same predicament, by Mr Collins when he was ordered Home, I have ever since employed them as tenders Cruizing for Powder and Smugling Vessells, this Sloop in a very violent Gail of Wind that happened a Short time ago was drove on Shore near Hampton a Small Village up a Creek where nothing but small Craft can go, with an Officer and Six Men or eight Men on board, who to Save themselves were obliged to take to the Woods, the Officer very narrowly escaped with some of the People but several of the others were taken and thrown in to Goal, and after undergoing many examination by these Committee Men were discharged as they proved that they had been pressed some Short time before, they took out of the Sloop Six of His Majesty's Swivells a Scene [seine] &c &c and then burnt Her; We have demanded Satisfaction of the People at Hampton for the Sloop and desired that the King's Stores might be returned, to all which they have given us a positive refusal; their Port is now blocked up and we have taken two of their Boats and shall not permit a Vessell to pass or repass till they return the Stores &c, they have called to their assistance between two and three hundred of their Shirt men Alias Rebels. I am [&c.]