[Near Rhode Island]
at 4 AM a Boat Came on board from Captain [Br]isbane1 with a Letter for each of the Captains of the Advanc'd Ships for [illeg.] immediate sending to them containing a Copy of a Letter from Genl. Robert Pigot2 desiring the Ships might again retire within the Garrison Sent away the 1: Lieutenant with those Letters to the respective Ships, hove short and loos'd the Topsails, which as soon as we did The Two French Ships [in] the Narragansett got under Weigh: Gutt the Cable & made Sail & stood [over] to the Halfway rock, both the Enemys Ships haul'd round the North [e]nd of Connonicut &c stood towards us finding we coud not Weather either of them Tack'd and stood towards Rhode Island in hopes the Enemys Ships would not attempt to pass between the halfway Rock and the South End [of] Prudence. We might then be able to make a short board & Weather them the next Tack—but the 64 Gun Ship continued her course & pass'd between the Rock and Prudence; it was therefore impossible to stand sto] the Westward again without endangering the Ship & People falling into the Enemys hands—; all the People therefore were orderd into the Boats except such as were appointed to destroy the Ship. kept her [illeg.] full [&] run her onshore, the French Ship hauld up her courses & shorten'd sail being then within long Musquet Shott of us, when the People were all out on the boats, cutt away the mast, & fir'd her in five different places. The French Ship then Tkd without firing a Single Shott at us, or the people who were landed on the Brow of the Hill abreast of the Ships; in ¾ of an Hour the Ship blew up—March'd the People from the Ground in to Newport, where we had Orders to put ourselves under the Command of Genl. Sr. Robert pigot.