[Extract]

Since the Dispatches from our Congress were closed & delivered to the Bearer hereof, Capt. Dobbs who now acts as one of our City pilots is come up from Sandy Hook with a vessel & gave me the following Information, to wit:

That a Transport, a very large ship, and full of soldiers, is at the Hook, that she waits for a wind to proceed to Boston & Expected to sail from the Hook this afternoon; that she is part of the second fleet of Transports from Ireland, and left Cork five weeks yesterday, destined for New York, but is now proceeding to Boston in pursuance of orders delivered by the Mercury man of war at the Hook. That this vessel has on Board a person who is sent out as agent for the said Troops and a stewart or Deputy Agent. That this ship is a prime sailer & parted with the other ships who sailed in company four weeks ago. Capt. Dobbs says he does not know the name of the vessel, but that it is not the old Spry mentioned in the Dispatches from our Congress. Capt. Dobbs says that the Chief mate of this ship & the Deputy Agent informed him that the first fleet of Transports from Ireland (destined for Boston) sailed nine or ten days before this ship, that the light horse were in the fleet; that the fleet which had been destined for New York, of which this ship was a part, had about 26 or 2700 men on Board, besides officers, as he understood.