Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Vice Admiral John Byron, June 5, 1778

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BY &C.

In pursuance of His Majesty’s pleasure signified to us by Lord George Germaine, one of His Majesty’s Principal Secretarys of State, in his Letter of this day’s date,¹ you are hereby required & directed (Notwithstanding our late Order to you to put yourself under the command of Adm^l. Keppel)² to proceed to Sea with the Squadron under your Command without one moments loss of time and carry into execution the former orders you have received for proceeding to North America;³ the French Fleet under the Command of Mons^r. D’Estaing (which is the object of your pursuit) having passed thro’ the Straits of Gibraltar on the 16^h: ult^o. as you will be more fully informed by the enclosed Copies of the Letters received this day from the Captains of His Majesty’s Ships the Enterprize & Proserpine⁴ upon that Subject. Given &^c. 5: June 1778

Sandwich
J Buller
Lisburne
H Penton

By & P.S.⁵

LB, UkLPR, Adm. 2/1335 (Secret), fols. 36–37. Addressed at bottom of page: “To/The Honourabale John Byron/Vice Adm^l. of the Blue &^c &^c./Plym^h. Sound.” Notation: “By Downing the Messenger at 5. ^oClock P.M./Ex^d.” Docketed: “ORD. 5 June 1778./Honourable V. Adm^l Byron.”

1. UkLPR, S.P. (Naval) 42/52, fol. 334. In similar orders of the same date, Lord Weymouth also instructed the Admiralty to direct Adm. Keppel to proceed with 20 ships of the line off Brest in execution of former orders. Ibid., fols. 332–33.

2. See Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Vice Adm. John Byron, 25 May, in NDAR 12: 746–47.

3. See Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Vice Adm. John Byron, 3 and 18 May, in NDAR 12: 654–55 and 705–6.

4. H.M.S. Enterprize, Capt. Sir Thomas Rich, commander; H.M.S. Proserpine, Capt. Evelyn Sutton, commander. See Captain Evelyn Sutton, R.N., to Secretary of the Admiralty Philip Stephens, 2 June, above; for a discussion of Rich’s report, see Philip Stephens to Vice Adm. Lord Howe, this date, immediately below.

5. Philip Stephens, Secretary of the Admiralty.

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Date

1778 June 5

Volume

Volume 13

Series

European Theater, June 1 to August 15, 1778

Naval Documents of the American Revolution

Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Vice Admiral John Byron, June 5, 1778

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