Gent—

About six months since Council instructed you to suffer such of the barges, called Guard Boats, belonging to this state to be fitted out by private Adventurers at their cost & Charges to enterprize in the river Delaware against the Enemy for a time specifyed,¹ these adventurers giving Security for the Boats, & taking all they could get. But the preference was to be given to the officers & men of our fleet, on the same terms that others offer to take them, which were to find Victuals, ammunition & Mariners.

Something it seems has been done in pursuance of the above Instructions, for a prize is just arrived taken by one or more of these Barges. This circumstance leads to an enquiry into the time of Cruise which had been specified in this Case, for we had no idea of permitting the use of them till this time: Especialy as the Enemy being gone out of Delaware, the first ground on which the scheme was founded, was entirely gone.— However, there is no design to controvert the right of the Captors to their prizes in this Instance. It is to ask whether the officers & men of our Navy have stepped forth on this occasion on the footing stated; Vid, to find men, & victuals, & fit them out. This includes in it, a renunciation of all pay, rations & other advantages accruing to them as officers & privates of our fleet for the time, as otherwise, they are not on the same footing that others offered to take the Barges.—

Council would be glad to learn how far their offer to the people in the pay of this state has been complied with, as they have reason to suspect, that some unreasonable men who acted under it have claimed to receive Wages & rations, as if they had been in service during the time. Your attention to & observations on this subject are desired.²