[Extract]

S^or: Adm^'tor. pral. del Correo.

D. Juan Antonio de la Bodega, Capitan interino del Paquebot Correo de S. M. nombrado el Pizarro, que acava de llegar a este Puerto con los Pliegos del Real Ser­vicio, digo: Que el dia 2 de Septiembre pro^m. pasado, sali del Puerto de la Coruña, siguiendo mi destino, en los terminos que explica el Libro tabla diaria de navega­cion que exhivo, del qual consta, como uno de los acaecimientos fue: Que el 9. del corriente mes de octubre, à hora del medio dia, llegando a las inmediaciones de la Ysla de la Tortola, descubrì una embarcacion que acercandose mas, reconoci ser una Balandra, con vandera Ynglesa al tope, y otra en el Asta, manifestandose como Guarda-Costas; y pasada hora y media a corta diferencia, nos disparò un Cañon con bala, a que le correspondì con la Vandera de S.M; y llegandose al habla me preguntò, de donde venia, y à donde iba; pero no satisfecho de mi respuesta,  ni del caracter de Correo de S.M. que le di à entender, mandò, que inmediatamente echase la Lan­cha al Agua, ò delo contrario, nos pondria à pique, siendo tan egecutìva la orden, que sin hacerse cargo del tiempo que pedia tan embarazosa maniobra, no cesò de amenazarnos con el fuego, hasta que, a costa de una violenta faena, se echò dha Lan­cha; a cuyo bordo, embiè a D. Juan Antonio de Fuso, Piloto interino, con nuebe Marineros, a los quales pusieron presos bajo escotilla, luego que llegaron a la citada Valandra; y en nuestra Lancha volvieron quatro, al parecer, oficiales, acompañados de Ocho hombres de su tripulacion, que haviendo saltado a nuestro bordo con Sable, y Pistola en mano, ocupando la boca de escotilla de Camara, me pidieron los Pape­les que Justificasen la identidad de mis palabras, y las con que el Piloto les havia ya informado de nuestra salida, rumbo y carga; y estandolos reconociendo, y haciendo al mismo tiempo el mas rigoroso examen de nuestra carga, Libros de Sobordo, y Di­ario, se llegò al habla el oficial comandante de dha Balandra (que manifestaron ser Capitan de Fragata del Rey Britanico) y explicandose con los suyos que estavan a nuestro bordo, entendimos por un Ynterprete, que dho Capitan ordenava, siguiese nuestra embarcacion (que estava a la capa) para no perder camino; yen efecto, siendo ellos mismos quien mandaron la maniobra, apenas se puso en movimiento, q^e. fue inmediatamente a la Orden, disparò un Cañon con metralla, que entrando por nuestra Proa, dieron testimonio de ello los pedazos de hierro que cayeron entre nuestros Marineros, aunque la Providencia los preserbo del daño: y al mismo tiempo pusieron una Pistola a los pechos del Piloto amenazando su vida, llegando a tanto la osadia, que no satisfechos con esta violencia, mandaron arriar la vandera de Nuestro Soberano, a que haviendome resistido con moderacion, haciendo las protextas mas saludables, y oportunas a la plena indemnizacion de semjantes ultrages, sin embargo me fue preciso ceder a la fuerza, y entregarme en sus manos para que me pasasen abordo de su Balandra, como lo hicieron quedando parte de la tripulacion Ynglesa en el Paquebot, apoderados del Timon, y siguiendo el rumbo de su Puerto al arvit­rio de ellos, qual si fuese presa ganada en buena guerra con legitimo titulo. Pero aunq^e. su intencion bien declarada fue conducirnos a su mismo Puerto, mudaron de idea, efecto sin duda de nuestras protextas, que explicadas a dho Capitan por los que me llebaron a su bordo, segun lo indicavan las demostraciones, soltò a los pre­sos de mi Tripulacion, y nos hizo volver atodos con el mismo desprecio, y descorte­sia, pues ni aun quiso decirme su nombre el Capitan; por masque selo preguntè: en cuya demora, nos hizo perder toda la tarde, y aun la noche. El dia siguiente, llegando a la caveza de San Juan cerca de la Culebra, como a las Once de la mañana, des­cubrimos otra Balandra de Yngleses, que hicieron las mismas diligencias, si bien, mas conmedido el Capitan, y subalternos; pero haciendonos sufrir algunas horas de de­tencion, bastantes a completar un dia de Nuestro viage; y estos ultimos nos mani­festaron, que tenian acordonadas aquellas Costas con distintas embarcaciones para reconocer quantas sigan su rumbo, y quitarles los generos que encuentren de la nueva Ynglaterra.... Puerto-rico y octubre 12. de 1777—

[Translation]
Dear Postmaster,

Don Juan Antonio de la Bodega, temporary captain of His Majesty's postal packet boat the Pizarro, having just arrived in this port with sealed government documents, would like to inform you that: this last September 2, I left the port of Corunna en route to my destination, as per the navigational logbook I present as evidence, which shows how one of the occurrences took place: on the 9th of this month of October, at noon, near the island of Tortola, I saw a ship that upon closer examination looked to be a sloop flying an English flag at its masthead and another on its staff, revealing that it was a coast guard ship; after about another hour and a half, it fired at us a cannon charged with ball, which I answered with His Majesty's flag. We began to converse, and they asked me where I was coming from and where I was going, but—not satisfied with my reply, and not believing that we were a royal postal packet boat as I had told them­—asked us to throw the ship's boat in the water, or else they would sink us. They were so impatient that they did not even consider the time it takes to carry out such a bother­some exercise, and kept threatening us with fire, until finally—after a huge effort—we managed to throw the ship's boat in. On board the ship's boat I sent Don Juan Anto­nio de Fuso, temporary first mate, with 9 sailors, all of whom were imprisoned below the hatchway as soon as they reached the sloop. The ship's boat came back, and in it were four men who seemed to be officers, accompanied by eight crew members. They were brought on board carrying swords and pistols in their hands, and standing in the mouth of the cabin hatch, asked me for papers which proved the ship's claimed iden­tity, as well as its departure, course and cargo as explained by the first mate. After closely questioning us and thoroughly examining our cargo, manifest books and logbook, the commanding officer of this sloop (who turned out to be a commander in the service of the British King) began to speak, explaining to his crewmen on board our ship. We understood through an interpreter requested by this commander that they would fol­low our ship (which was lying to) to make sure it stayed its course. Then, even though it was they themselves who ordered the maneuver, when we began to move as the order dictated, a cannon fired grapeshot into our prow, as you can see by the pieces of iron which fell among our sailors, though Providence kept them from harm. At the same time, they stuck a pistol into the chest of the first mate, threatening his life. They were not satisfied with this offense, and were so bold as to demand that we lower our royal flag. I intervened at that point with a well-timed, reasonable and polite protest, to pre­vent any further outrages, but I was taken into custody and forced to board their sloop, leaving part of the English crew on our packet boat, at the helm, heading to their port at their discretion, as if they had captured it as a legitimate prize of war. But although their clearly stated intention was to take us to their port, they changed their minds, un­doubtedly because of our protests, explained to this commander by those who took me on board, as their gestures indicated, and released my crew members and myself, expelling us from the ship with the same abusive and rude manner they had been show­ing all along, without even telling me the name of the captain, for all that I requested it. By this time they had made us lose the entire afternoon and evening. The following day, at the head of San Juan, near Culebra, at eleven in the morning, we came upon another English sloop which took the same kind of action, although their captain and subordinates were more polite. These people detained us a number of hours, enough to have completed another day of our voyage. These latter told us that certain ships were posted to watch those coastal areas, to see how many were heading that way and to eliminate any from New England....Puerto Rico, October 12, 1777—

Ju^n. Antonio de la Bodega