Respected Friend
Nicholas Brown

I am very sorry to be under the disagreable necessity of making a second complaint to you of the unjust conduct of one of your Privateers, but as this comes nearer to your door than my former information (if I am rightly inform'd of you being one of the owners) I shall do it with more freedom, & with greater expectations from necessity of your exerting every faculty, that may conduce to the exterpation of such atrocious Villany; our Harbour has been frequently infested with a small Sloop, her name I know not, but she is known here by the Name of the Willfull Murther, an appellation not very unbecoming the carrecteristick of her crew; of the Commander & Company of this Vessell I have now to Complain, & shall begin the subject at its source & endeavour to trace it to the present Day. The Schooner Nightingale own'd intirely by Inhabitants of this place, was hired by Timothy Folger to send to the West Indias; of the Risque & Charter of this Vessell I took about three Quarters, she went to the Mole, (where likewise Folger went in another Vessell) and finding this Vessell unfit to return here without some New Sails, & not a ps of Duck to be got at the Mole, determin'd him to try an Expedient to supply himself elswhere (though in the end it proved a very expencive one) accordingly having nothing but Oil on board, went under the appearance of a Whaleman towards Jamaica, & near that place was taken by a Ship of War,² the Vessell & Cargo tried condemn'd & Sold, in which we lost with the Expences Three Thousand Dollars, he then bought the Vessell at a high price for the hirers, proceeded to the Mole, loaded her with Molasses, intirely on our (the first hirers) Account, arriv'd at this place Yesterday, abt 11 or 12 O'Clock, the Privateer came in the same time in the last Night, & this Day about 11 or 12 O'Clock, the Commander with his Company in a Ruff ain like manner took possession of Vessell & Cargo, with Swords & guns, & Still keeps them, not withstanding I think we have fully proved, by the declaration of several Passengers as well as of ourselves, that are concer'd whose words I believe whould have satisfied any honest Man that the whole Cargo was taken in at the Mole, & that the Vessell & Cargo is intirely the property of the Inhabitants of this place; which I now declare to you to be the case and that no person directly or indirectly other than the Inhabitants of this place are concern'd therein, & that without the least Collusion of any kind, besides she had been along side the Wharf about Twenty Four Hours, her Sails unbent & part of her Cargo out, & discharging the remainder as fast as we could. —

I am not about to beg for my interest, but only to ask for impartial justice, & if you are still an Owner I desire you would see that justice takes place, for at present I cannot apprehend you can acquiesce in such conduct, nor be partaker of the Spails of such wicked plunderers. If you are not concernd, I intreat you to interpose & assist us in justly wresting our Intrest from the hands of such wicked Men. And if you are concern'd in the Privateering business, I beg you to consider the consequences of it, & how often honest Men are depriv'd of their Rights; it is not sufficient in my opinion to say that the innocent must suffer with the guilty; however Wise Providence may permit such things to fall upon the innocent, what reward thinkest you, those have who are the instruments of their Sufferings? I intreat you, & that from pure good will, to let the consideration of those things pass over your mind, & endeavour to bring to your View the cries of innocent parents & their tender Offspring, perhaps for the want of Bread, for the reallity of this let any man cast his Eyes on some parts of Nova Scotia Government, where the Calamitous situation of some of our real friends & Country men that are settld there, brot on them by the Destruction from privateers, must be a very moving scene to a mind susseptible of but a small degree of Humanity. I really believe I have seen you seeking better things, & wish still to see you pursuing such. —

28th — we have this Day made Capn Symonds ³ an offer that if he would deliver up Vessell & Cargo that she might be unloaded, as the Molasses is in a very leaky Condition, we would give bonds & also produced four good Bondsmen, & presented him with them, that if the Vessell was Libel'd & condemn'd we would give up the whole, 'but he will do nothing, therefore we intend in a peacable manner to unload her, without the least injury to any Man, & if it should be Condmn'd I will give up my part. pray enquire for particulars of Capn Robt Champlin & Hammilton Ballantine Esqr for particular[s] in hast I am your Friend —