My Lord,

Your Lordship having in your Letter of the 24th Instant acquainted us that you have signified to the Master General of the Ordnance His Majesty's Commands that no Ordnance or Stores should be sent to America onboard any Vessel that did not sail with Convoy, and was not sufficiently manned & armed to defend herself against any of the Rebel Cruizers in case of Separation from the Convoy;² and Your Lordship having at the same time inclosed to us, by His Majesty's Command, a Copy of the Letter you have received from Lord Townshend, and an Extract of one which you have received from Lord [Jeffrey] Amherst, in consequence thereof, and signified to us His Majesty's Pleasure, that we should take the same into our Consideration, and acquaint Your Lordship, for His Majesty's Information, whether what is therein proposed can be complied with consistent with the other important Services under our Direction: We have in obedience to His Majesty's Commands maturely considered the Propositions contained in the Copy & Extract of the Letters abovementioned, Vizt

1st, That Ordnance Stores of the most interesting nature be conveyed to the Place of their Destination in America in Forty Gun Ships, for which Purpose two or four might probably be sufficient; or

2dly, That the Master General of the Ordnance be empowered to hire or build Ships of greater force than seems at present to be understood to be within his Department, to be fitted with close Quarters and with a proper Number of Guns & Men, in which case it is represented to be necessary to take Guns from the Naval Stores to be replaced as soon as possible.

With respect to the first Proposition We are to acquaint Your Lordship, for His Majesty's Information, that all His Majesty's Ships of forty Guns are now employed in America, except the Launceston which is condemned & can never go to Sea.

That if His Majesty had more Forty Gun Ships, or other Frigates, than what are now employed, they would all be wanted for the Protection of the various Branches of Trade, and for carrying on the American War; which, by what now appears to us, requires as many Frigates as the late War with France & Spain.

That if Men of War were fit to carry out Stores of any kind, they would of course be employed in our own Department for that Purpose, for Provisions & Stores; but as this Method is not practiced by us, from our Knowledge that it would be perverting them from their proper use as Ships of War; we must, in the strongest manner, represent to His Majesty against their being employed in any other Department.

With respect to the second Proposition, we are not competent Judges of the Expediency of building Ships by the Ordnance; unless it was intended that they should be built in His Majesty's Yards; which we must object to, as there is as much Business in hand in the several Yards as can possibly be executed by all the Artificers that can be procured; but we humbly conceive that the Ordnance may procure armed Ships, more suitable for the purpose of carrying Stores than Men of War; as has been done by that Branch of His Majesty's Government which has taken care of the Victualling of the Army in America.

And as to the employing the Guns, appropriated to the Service of the Navy, to other purposes, we humbly apprehend, that the Ordnance is to furnish Artillery, not only for all the Ships actually on the List of His Majesty's Navy, but for such as may hereafter be added thereto upon any Emergency, and that as we have ordered many new Ships to be built, it will be attended with very fatal Consequences if their Guns are not in readiness for them. We are &ca.