My Lord
I have now the honor to acquaint your Lordship by direction of my Lords Commrs of the Admty that His Majts Ship the Repulse sail'd from Spithead on the 26th of last Month having under Convoy the Transports Storeships and Victuallers whose Names are in the List[*] you will please to receive in this
The Diamond with the Lark Ambuscade & Unicorn have orders to proceed & take under Convoy the Transports which carry the 2d Division of Hessian Troops The Regt & Artillery of the Prince of Waldeck; the 16th Regt of Light Dragoons; the Remount Horse for the 17th; And the Draught Horses for the Baggage Frigate & Artillery of the army serving with Genl Howe; as also the Transports having 402 German Recruits on board. They take under Convoy likewise the Seven Victuallers named in the Margin loaded with Provisions for the use of the Fleet, and the whole will sail from Spithead as soon as the Wind permits: Three other Victuallers are daily expected. Vizt Northam, Edward & Adventure, And if they arrive in time will proceed with the same Convoy, as will three more Transports Vizt. John, Chambre, Susannah havg British Recruits on board for Genl Howe's Army, but this being uncertain the Convoy is ordered not to wait for them
My Lord having been informed by the Lord of the Treasury that there are a number of Victuallers at Corkladen with Provisions & Stores for the use of the aforementioned army they have directed Capt Jordan of the Galatea to repair thither, & taking them under Convoy proceed on the 1st of July to Halifax, where he is to leave the said Victuallers or proceed with them to such Port or place as he shall learn by directions, which it is expected he will find the Army is removed to.
Besides the Supplies in the Army Victuallers abovementioned my Lords have understood it is intended that the like shall be repeated at the expiration of every following 14 Days, or as near to that period as the same can be done; which it is thought fit I should intimate to your Lordship as you may expect Convoys will from time to time be appointed to see the Ships which carry such supplies safe to the place of destination.
The Second Division of the Brunswick Troops &the Hannan Artillery with a party of 44 7 German Recruits & Six Officers a detachment of British Troops consisting of & Sixty Private intended to join the Army serving in Canada being embarked, my Lords have ordered Capt Jacobs of the Amazon with the Garland to take the Transports which have the said Troops on board under Convoy to see them in safety to Quebec, with all such Storeships & Victuallers belonging to the Navy, victualling or the Ordnance Departments as may be destined to Canada.
Having now acquainted your Lordship with the Convoys which have sail'd, or that are ready to sail, since your departure from England I have only to add on this Subject that as soon as the said Services are performed the Captains of the several Ships aforementioned are ordered to join the Squadron under your command & follow your Orders for their further proceedings.
Their Lordships have thought fit to order His Majts Ships the Pembroke & Boulogne to be fitted to proceed to Halifax, where the former is to serve. as a Sheer Hulk & the latter lay in the Harbour to be employ'd on such Services as she may be applicable to: And to be established whilst they serve as such with the Officers & Men as follows

And in order to assist in Navigating the said Ships there will be employed in them respectively the additional Officers & Men as under.

With respect to the additional Officers it is their Lordships directions that you send them to England by the first opportunity that may offer: But as to the Petty Officers & Seamen they leave it to your Lordship to dispose of them amongst the Ships under your command in such way as your Lordship shall find necessary with the others whom I shall have occasion to mention in a subsequent part of this Letter.
Their Lordships with a view to benefit the public all they can by the Service of these new Ships have directed the Navy Board to provide & send in them as many large Masts & other Stores as they can take in; And knowing from the representations before them of the State of Stores at Halifax, the very great advantage it must be to have the Magazines there replenished as largely, and in as short time as is possible, they have further directed them to take up two Storeships of about 300 Tons each & load them with the utmost expedition with every assortment proper for the use of a Fleet, & which they hope may be in readiness to sail by the middle of August next.
By means of these; and the Supplies which are likewise ordered to be sent to Antigua & Jamaica for the refitting such Ships & Vessels as you may send to those places for that purpose, their Lordships hope the Service so ar as respects the supplying the Fleet with Stores, will be effectually answered & the Ships thereby kept in continued employ
Vice Adml Shuldham representing in his last Letters, as Vice Adml Graves had done before, the want of ordnance Stores for supplying the Fleet at Halifax & the same was signified to the Master Genl of the Ordnance, & having received an Answer thereto I sent your Lordship a Copy thereof for your information on this Subject, desiring at the same time to refer you to a Letter to Mr Shuldham of the 27th March Copy of which was given to your Lordship, by which you will observe that every thing in their Lordships power respecting the Ordnance Articles has been duly attended to
Mr Shuldham having also taken Notice in his Letters that some of the Ships are short in their Complements of Marines; Their Lordships command me to acquaint you that it is their intention to send out Marines to compleat the respective Ships Complements so soon as the numbers at Quarters will enable them to do so.
Their Lordships upon reviewing the Complements of such of the Schooners, & other small Vessels, which at present bear 30 Men only; reflecting also upon the Services to be expected from those Vessels, think it may be of advantage to have their Complements encreased to Forty Men each, they therefore, if your Lordship shall coincide in opinion with them herein, command me to authorize you to increase their Complements accordingly.
Lord Geo Germaine having transmitted to my Lords the extract of a Letter his Lordship has written to Genl Carleton & to Genl Howe respecting the return to England of such Transports as can be spared from the Services of the Armies under their respective commands, I send you by their directions a Copy of the said Extract & am to recommend it to your Lordship to do every thing in your power toward carrying Lord George's directions into execution: and for your further information your Lordship will receive also a Copy of my Letter on this Subject to the Senior Officer in the River St Laurence with a Copy of the Order therein referr'd to their Lordships wishing in a matter so very important as this is, that you may see the same in its fullest light. What more I have to observe is their Lordships desire that in sending home such of the British Transports as can be spared your Lordship do give preference to those which have been longest abroad and are most in want of refitting.
Mr Shuldham has very strongly stated to their Lordships the distress that may attend his Majestys Ships Stationed in No America, from the impossibility of procuring Men to keep up their respective Complements: but they hope from the great number of American Ships lately taken on that Coast, his apprehensions on that head have been obviated, as by Virtue of the prohibitory Act a power is given for putting the Crews of Prizes on board His Majestys Ships where they are to be considered as much in the Service of His Majesty as if they had enter'd into it voluntarily: Which their Lordships doubt not you will observe, & comply with, as far as necessary to compleat the Complements of Ships which may be deficient ー Nor can they doubt in your Lordship's doing this but you will Order a preference to be given to those Men who are Natives of Great Britain or Ireland should the number that may be taken be more than enough to compleat the Complements of the Kings Ships as aforementioned, it may be proper to send the overplus to England, as opportunities offer of Ships returning, in lieu of the Marines, which may be left to do Duty with the Battalion on Shore; But if in the event the number of Men taken in Prizes shall be more than can be disposed of in the modes above provided for, and by their increase they should become inconvenient, My Lords Command me to say, that under such a circumstance they see no impropriety in your or dering such Men to be set on Shore in any part of America Your Lordship shall approve of
However their Lordships not chusing to trust too far to those Supplies which may arise from Men procured from prizes have besides the Men put on board to assist in Navigating the Pembroke & Boulogne ordered one Hundred Landsmen to be sent out in the numbers, and on board the Ships mentioned in the Margin[**] to be disposed of in the Ships Your Lordship may think fit, and by which their Lordships hope the Ships will be completed with such Men as may be confided in.ー

The Glasgow which was sent to England to repair the damages she received in Action with five Rebell Cruizers, being arrived at Plymouth, And the Hunter which came with Dispatches from Quebec being arrived at Portsmouth, My Lords have order'd them to be immediately Refitted & so soon as the same is done they will be returned to serve as part of the Fleet under your Lordships command &c P S
Vice Adml Lord Howe in North America
Sent to Sr James Douglas, 23 June at Nine oClock P M
By Butler the Messenger, to go by the Diamond
Duplicates sent 25th June by the Galatea