Sr

I recd on the 10th Inst by Capt Hamilton your Letters of the 8th & 15th of last Month; the former giving an Account of your arrival at Quebeck on the 6th in the Isis, together with the Surprize & Martin Sloop, after having forced with the utmost difficulty a passage through large fields of Ice, & of the happy consequences which attended it; the latter acquainting their Lordships with the arrival of the Triton & Niger with several Transports & Victuallers & of your proceedings since the raising the Seige of Quebeck; And having laid your said Letters before my Lords Commrs of the Admty, I have it in command from them to acquaint you, that they cannot too much approve of the indefatigable zeal & the diligence with which you & the rest of the Captains of His Majts Ships & Vessels pursued & effected so difficult a passage with such Credit to yourselves & advantage to your King & Country. This you will take care to make known to them.

Their Lordships have the highest satisfaction in the Accots they have received of the meritorious Service of the Navy Battalion formed by Capt Hamilton, and intending to appoint him to the command of a Ship at home, have signed a Commission for Capt Mackenzie to be Capt of the Lizard, as also one for Lieut Boyle of the Isis, who brought the Hunter to England, to be Commander of her in the room of Captain Mackenzie. Their Lordships have likewise signed Commissions for Lieuts. McEvoy and Berkeley to be 1st & 2d Lts of the Isis, and Mr Butler, late master, to be 3d Lieut of her; And my Lords intending also to provide for Mr [William] Fooks 1st Lt & Mr John Thompson Master's Mate, of the Lizard, at home; I am to signify their Lordships direction to you to send them to England by the first opportunity, and to acquaint you, that they have signed Commissions for Lts Macclellan to succeed Mr Fooks & for Mr Starke, who had been ordered by Capt Hamilton to act as Lieut of theLizard, to be 2d Lieut of her in the room of Lieut Macclellan, all which Commissions, except Capt Boyles, will be sent to you by this conveyance, to be delivered to the Persons for whom they are respectively designed.

My Lords understanding, by your last Letter, that Genl Carlton is desirous that Mr Starke should command, as Lieut, the Schooner which has been taken from the Rebels, I am to acquaint you that they have authorized Vice Adml Lord Howe, Commr in Chief of His Majts Ships & Vessels in No America, to purchase the said Schooner for His Majesty, and have recommended it to his Lordship to appoint Lieut Starke to command her, and fill up the vacancy which will thereby be made in the Lizard.²

Their Lordships have promoted Lieut Nunn to the command of the Beaver Sloop & intend to send her out to him, with which they have acquainted Lord Howe, that he may appoint a Lieut to command the Magdalen Schor in his room.

Their Lordships have also promoted 2d Lieuts Brown & Strickland of the Marines, serving on board the Lizard, to 1st Lieutenantcies, which you will please to signify to them.

And, in consequence of what has been represented to the Earl of Sandwich by Genl Carlton, and by yourself in your last mentioned Letter, their Lordships will lay before His Majesty the Case of the several Officers of the Navy Battalion with respect to the Allowance of Pay they crave while they served on Shore.

I have nothing further in command from their Lordships but to acquaint you, that they cannot approve of your hoisting a broad pendant, much less of your appointing a Captain to serve under you in the Isis, and that if you have done so, it is their direction that you do immediately recall the Appointments you may have made upon that occasion. I am &c

Capt Douglas of His Majts Ship Isis,
& Senr Capt of His Majts Ships at Quebeck.

(By the Amazon.)