Honored Sir,

I think it my duty to give you some Acc^t of my Passage from Portsmouth to this place, as this may perhaps find you at home in the Bosom of domestic happiness. I had passed the Western Islands before a Sail appeared within our Horizon from the Masthead; but this Halcyon Season was then interrupted, and changed into continued alarms Night and day till the Ranger cast Anchor here the 2^d. Current this afforded me excellent Opportunities of exercising the Officers and Men especially in the Night, and it is with much Pleasure that I assure you their behaviour was to my entire Satisfaction. I fell in with an Enemies Fleet of Ten Sail off Ushant, bound up Channel, but notwithstanding my best endeavours, I was unable to detach any of them from the strong Convoy under which they sailed.¹ I fell in with and brought too a number of other Ships and Vessells none whereof proved to be British Property except two Brigantines with Fruit from Malaga for London which became Prizes,² the one is arrived here, the other I am told in Quiberon Bay. The Rangers sailing does not answer the general expectation, oweing in a great measure to her being too deep, very foul and over masted, her Ballast laid too high, on account of its im proper quality, for a Ship of this construction, this with the extraordinary weight of her lower Masts occasioned her being very Crank, I am paying my whole Attention to remedy these inconveniences as much as possible, I am shortening the lower Masts, shifting the Main Mast further aft, and Mean to ballast with Lead; as that Article will stowe under the lower tier of Water the less quantity will be sufficient, of course the Ship will be so much the lighter, and Sail so much the faster, and we shall then, I hope, be able to stow the Cables under the Platform. Tho’ I have yet received no Letter from the Commissioners, I understand that they had some time ago provided for me one of the finest Frigates³ that can be imagined, calculated for Thirty two, Twenty four Pounders, on One deck, and longer than any Ship in the Enemies Fleet, but it seems they were unfortunately under the necessity of giving her up on Account of some difficulties which they met with at Court, however I esteem the intention as much as tho' it had succeeded. as I shall always cherish the grateful remembrance of the Honor which Congress hath conferred on me by this and every other instance of their generous Approbation, I shall be the happiest of Men if a Life of services devoted to the Intrests of America can be rendered instrumental in securing it's Independance.

My particular thanks are due to you Sir, as one of the four Members of that Honorable Committee to whose generous intention, and Approbation I more immediately owe this great and unsolicited Obligation, but I hope for Opportunities of proving by my Conduct the deep sense I entertain of that favor.—

The inclosed Letter, and it's consequences hath given me real concern. Malice is a stranger to my Nature. I hate domestic broils, or misunderstandings, and would do, or suffer much, as a private Person to prevent them. But as an Officer, honored with the Approbation of Congress, and conscious of having at no time exceeded even in Thought the delicate line of my duty, or express letter of my Orders; I am in the highest degree tenacious of the respect due to my Signature: and I bid the most contemptuous defiance to the insinuation of any Man out of Congress.⁴

I have been informed in Portsmouth that the four Oar'd Boat which attended the Ranger was built for the Portsmouth Privateer, and after being rejected as misconstructed and unuseful for that Ship, was Assigned over to the Ranger, be this as it may, I will boldly affirm that she was the worst constructed & most unserviceable Boat that I ever saw, belonging to a Ship of War, for tho' a Man stepping on her Gunnel, would bring it down to the Waters edge, yet was her Weight equal, or nearly so to that of the Cutter, which I planned and had built, capable of carrying 40 Armed Men. had I been able, which I was not, to stow the two Boats, which I found provided for the Ranger, I must have been reduced to the Alternatives of throwing them overboard, or strikeing the TopMasts several times, on the Passage to prevent oversetting the Ship. I mention this matter to you in confidence as a Friend, declaring on the Honor of a Gentleman that I wish on my part to give it to Oblivion.

I have the Pleasure to hear that Captains Thompson and Hinman are well at Lorient of which please to inform M^rs. Thompson. I shall endeavour to procure the Articles mentioned in M^rs. Whipples Memorandum,⁵ I hope to live in the remembrance of the few acquaintances I have in Portsmouth, and I have the honor to be [&c.]