Sr

Having communicated to my Lords Commrs of the Admty your Letter of the 29th past enclosing by the direction of their Lordships of the Treasury Copy of a Petition that had been presented to them by Messrs Rotch & Smith relative to the seizure of Five Vessels of their property by the Commanders of His Majs Ships the Renown & Experiment; And signifying their Lordships desire to be acquainted with the cause of those Vessels being seized, & with the Circumstances relative thereto; I am commanded by my Lords of the Admty to acquaint you that in consequence of the Kings pleasure signified to them by the Earl of Dartmouth in his Letter of the 29th of August last directions were sent to Vice Adml Graves Commr in Chief of His Majs Ships in No America & to the Commanders of all Ships of War going to those parts to seize all Ships & Vessels they should meet with belonging to the Colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusets Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pensylvania and the three lower Counties on Delaware, Maryland Virginia, North Carolina & So Carolina or owned by the Inhabitants thereof, except only in cases where it should clearly appear that they were bound to, or returning from some Port or place in Great Britain Ireland or His Majs Islands in the West Indies; That in consequence of these Orders Capt [Francis] Banks of the Renown & Capt [Robert] Keeler of the Experiment having fallen in with several American Vessels bound to Falkland Islands on the Whale Fishery made seizure of them & sent them to England; That Ld Geo Germain has been made acquainted with the arrival of these Vessels & the Circumstances attending their Capture, and that their Lordships are now waiting to receive His Majs pleasure

I return to you the petition abovementioned I am &c