Att Sea Lattd. 34..13 [N] Longd 51..06 [W] [ca. 16 June 1778]1
Dr. Sir this is to Enpharm you that I have Captard the Snow Laday Spincer2 a king's packit from phalmought3 in England For phaladelphay4 Mounting 14 Carage guns a Quintity of Swillels and blunderbuses and as well found as anay frigit in ye Navay aCording to her bigness She had on bourd when I Captord her 50 men. I fell in with this felow att Sun Doon ye 15 June—he was standing to ye Nothard as I passed to ye Soudard we Exchand Saverel brought Sides5 I Amedentlay tackd to ye N: after him Com up with him att 10 Run up with Within pistel Shoot before we Exchanged a fire I will Refer you to ye to6 peopel on bourd of ye prise for parties as well as his Sails and Riging who ye mater of ye Engagment turnd in ye fine I have tacken Sum Valabel goods out as well as to Save Quintity on bourd of the prise the Next morning abougt 10 oC AM I Saw a brig a Storn wich Com up with me and tould me he Should Com en with me for part of ye prise for he heard my guns in the Night Enganing ye packit this brig belong to boston7 pay No atetion to his Clame as I and My Company will Loose no parte of it this Snow is a vary grate saler and good vesel I Do Not kno what Valou She has on bourd but she must be a good prise from what I have seen I must Brake up my Cruse vary soone for want of water for I have 46 of the packets men on bourd Mr Palmer and Mr Colfax wich is upon one futing bourd of the Snow will tell you the partlers onbourd much batir then I posabely Can—the unhapaness of haveing So manay men on bourd of this snow will be the means of bracking up my Cruse without I Come athought Sum frenchman to gatt Red of those prisonrs—I am vary unhapay on bourd as their is So manay prisonrs on bourd and my peopel Vary green Never the Less I Shall Stay out as Long as I Can—
the Brig Nancay8 Sails Vary fast and If well maned abel to Stand anay too mast Vesel that flooths So I have Nothing to ad but Dr Sir Remain your partler frind
Micheal Melally—
Dr Sir you will Remamber my Kind Love to my Litel Famalay we are all well and full of spirits So a Due
Sir we have No time to menson aney thing abought agencay but by Vote would have you Do with ours as you Do with your one—
[on reverse] I have Enclosed a Comosion to you that may Relese me If I Should gat tacken
L, CtY, Nathaniel and Thomas Shaw Papers, packet 44, no. 2773. Docketed: “Capt Melallys/Letter.”
1. The date is determined by the contents of the letter.
2. H.M. Post Office packet boat Le Despencer, William Pond, commander. For more on this capture, see The Connecticut Gazette; and the Universal Intelligencer (New London), 3 July, below.
3. Falmouth, England.
4. That is, Philadelphia.
5. That is, broadsides.
6. That is, two people. This refers to the two officers, Palmer and Colfax, who were sent on board Le Despencer as prize masters.
7. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Satisfaction, Capt. Nathaniel Thayer. See Journal of Ambrose Serle, 29 June, below.
8. Connecticut privateer brigantine Nancy, sixteen guns, commissioned on 23 Apr. 1778 by Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, owned by Nathaniel Shaw Jr. Middlebrook, Maritime Connecticut 2, 166.
