Tuesday, [May] 15 [16].² Contrary winds. Col. [Benedict] Arnold, with thirty men took the boat, and proceeded on for St. John's, leaving to Capt. Sloan the command of the vessel with the sailors; and me to the command of the soldiers on board: About 12 o'clock, while beating down, we espied a boat, sent out our Cockswain to bring her in, it proved to be the French post from Montreal, with Ensign Moland on board, we examined the mail, and among other things found an exact list of all the regular troops in the northern department, amounting to upwards of seven hundred.