My Lord,

In pursuance of His Majesty's Pleasure signified to Us in your Lordship's Letter of the 6th instant, We gave Directions to Vice Admiral Sir James Douglas Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships at Portsmouth to cause the Crew of the American Privateer who were brought home Prisoners in the Tartar, to be put on board one of the Guard Ships, & to be kept under proper Confinement till farther Order, ² And Sir James Douglas having in return, acquainted Us that some of the above Prisoners have had the small Pox on board the Tartar; That others are troubled with Disorders, & having no Cloaths, will, if removed into other Ships, in all probability carry their Disorders with them, and infest the Ships' Companies, which he is informed was the Case in some of the Ships at Boston, on board which Rebel Prisoners were sent; He hath therefore proposed these Prisoners may be sent to Haslar Hospital, put into small Pox Ward, & have clean Cloaths given them, without which the Infection cannot be removed; We are to desire Your Lordship will lay the same before His Majesty for His Information, in case it should be thought necessary, upon what Sir James Douglas hath represented, for Us to receive His Majesty's further Directions concerning the said Prisoners. We are &c