Captain John Barry
Sir

We have received your Letter of the 20^th instant¹ covering an Inventory of the goods lately Captured, and are sorry that your Prize Schooner² had unfortunately be retaken; and that the Militia instead of affording you assistance had pilfered so much of the goods you had saved. We think with you that the Bay will be the best place for your meeting with success & hope you will use your utmost diligence in getting your small Squadron speedily down there.

With regard to the Prize goods you have Captured one half in our opinion belongs to the Continent. If it had fully appeared that the Schooner Alert was a Vessel of war and belonged to the Crown of great Britain, or was duely commisionated a privateer by his britannick Majesty and you had held she would have been solely the property of the Captors. We enclose here in A Resolve of Congress of the 30th of October 1776.³

As to the bounty offered by Congress for burning the Ships of war and Transports of the enemy it was confined entirely to the fire Ships fitted at Philadelphia last fall.⁴

We have advanced your officer M^r Clarkson⁵ Eight hundred Dollars for which sum we have enclosed his receipt and you are to be accountable for the same. We are [&c.]