Nantes June 9. 1778—
Sir
I received yours yesterday1 and am very glad to hear of your safe Arrival I would have you lay where you are while you hear further from me or the Continental Agent from this place, who with me will determine what to do with the Prize2 Get Mr Luther to supply you with fresh Provisions, we are all well on board;3 Mr Edmunds and Mr Brown Run away with the ships Boat the night they got into Guernsy have arrived here and are got on board4 Find your people good Provision And advise them to be Contented I will send for them and you as soon as the Prize is sold which will be as soon as I hear from Paris—Let the Gentleman live on board or come here I will do what I can for him, if there are any other Englishmen who may be in that Quarter and want to get mony advise them to Come on board I shall be Ready to Sail in about four Weeks my Compliments to Mr Luther and all enquiring Gentlemen we have no remarkable news at this place, Remember me to your people and assure them I am extreamly glad they are well so Conclude Your humble servt
A Whipple
LB, MiU-C, Abraham Whipple Papers. Addressed below close: “Mr Nicholass E Gardner. Isle Rhé on board Prize Brig.” Notation in margin: “A W/to/N E G/June 9th 78.”
1. See Gardner to Whipple, 4 June, above.
2. Jean-Daniel Schweighauser was the Continental agent at Nantes; the prize was brig Lord Grosvenor.
3. John Luther was a principal in Fairholme & Luther, a merchant firm at St. Martin, Île de Ré.
4. On the escape of Midshipmen Robert Edmunds and Philip Brown, who had been captured while serving as part of the prize crew in the brig Lord Grosvenor, see Capt. Philip Winter Jr., to Capt. Abraham Whipple, 3 June, above.
