State of Rhode Island &c.
Sir

Your favor of the 1^st. instant, & also of the 7th inclosing Letters to L^t. Gen^l. Burgoyne came to Hand & agreeable to your request they were immediately transmitted to him—

I have charged Cap^t. Sayer¹ with the conduct of a Cartel Vessel, with the Petty Officers, & the Remainder of the Crew belonging to the Syren, with some other Prisoners as you will see by the inclosed List, amounting on the whole to [ ].²—

I have inclosed you a Memorandum of some Prisoners, whom their Friends are desirous should be released—And I will take it as a particular favor, if you would procure their discharge.—

We have made inquiry after Barnabas Hardwright & Thomas Hutchinson, & cannot hear any thing of them, & think it most probable that they have made their escape, as divers Prisoners have gone off, without our consent.—If they come to our knowlege hereafter they shall be sent to you—

We have not permitted M^r. Vaughn,³ & the L^t. of the Marines,⁴ to go in this Cartel, as we wait for the event of the Negotiation for Mess^rs. Hopkins⁵ & Thaxter⁶—As there is a Cartel Vessel going from Boston with a Number of Prisoners for Halifax, it would expedite the Release of the Prisoners there, whom we have wrote for, if you would by the Return of this Cartel, give an Order for their discharge, & suffer them to avail themselves of that Cartel, for their return to Boston.—

As we have sent a larger Number of Prisoners than we have received or wrote for,—We expect that the ballance due to us, remain to be called for at such Times & in such Persons of equal Rank as the fortune of War may put into Y^r. Power, who are agreeable to Us;—I am [&c.]

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