[Ship Mary, at Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard] [18-21 February 1778]
we Saw a Number of Sailes on our Pasage but never Spoke with Any the first Land we Made was the Vinyard1 we are now Runing Down for Nantucket itt is now 18 Days Since we Parted with the Sloop Providence2 and we have had Very Cold Wither and hard Gailes out of thirty Men thare is not more then ten but Who has thare Hands & feet froze one Man froze to Death his Name was James Dark he informed Me When I took him att New Providence that he had bene taken by a British Privatear and that He belonged to Vergenea this Day [18 Feb.] we Ankerd under Nantucket the Wind Still blowing Very heard So that we Can not Gett on Shore we firing Signul Guns the Next Day [19 Feb.] the Wind Continues Blowing So no boat Can Come on Board I thort itt Nesesere to bure James Dark and we Did itt in a Decent Maner the third Day [20 Feb.] Several Bots from Shore Came on Board being Very Short of Provison Sent on Shore and Purchesed fife [five] Sheep So we ware well Provided with Fresh Perk;3 the Wind Abates now A Sail in Sight Runing Down the South Side of Nantucket; the Nantucket Men not Less then Twenty on board our Ship She Stood Down for our Ship these Men Agred one and All that itt was the Harlem4 Privatear from New York Now we Got under Way I Made the Nantucket Men an Offer to Sheair All Equal A Like for I Shoud take her; out of the 20 I think thare was Tew Stood by us we Stood for Each Other and before we Goot up with her we Discoverd her to be the Sloop Providence that we had parted with of[f] Abaco As we Pased her we warc Rcjo[i]ced to See them we had not time to Drar our Shot and we Gave them A Salute and tha [they] Returnd in the Same Maner we hove About and followed the Sloop in; the Wind Moderrates Run under Nantucket and we Came to Anker as the Wind would not Admit of Going over the Shouels this is the 20 of febr. 1778 A Light are of Wind att N. Eeast and Lukes Lik[e] A Storm Runing by the Round Shoule the Snow begins to fly Quick & the blow Encreses; now a Snow Storm and So thik we can not See but a Short Distanc Runing for Cape Poge About 12A clock our Ship Struck very hard on a Shole Neair the Horse Shue we had Very hard Time A Considerabel of a Sea we Kept. All Sail on her until we Got Acrost the Shole and Depened our warter and then we Lett go our Anker but Before we Goot of[f] this Shoul We Lost our Ruder and Stove our Boat on Deck the Next Morning [21 Feb.] we found the Sloop Providence Gott on Shore Going into Old Town5 but Sune Got of[f] Again the Next Day by the Asistance of Boats we Got Safe into Old Town thare we Discharged our Cargo Consisting of Rum Molase[s] Sugers Corfea Some Indego & Cotton a Valuabel Cargo Some part of our Cargo Sent Down to Hie anners6 Some to Boston but the most Sent to Bedford7 So Ends this Cruse——
Journal, RNHi, John Trevett Papers, No. 44-18.
1. Martha's Vineyard.
2. Continental Navy sloop Providence, Capt. John Peck Rathbun, commander.
3. "Pork."
4. H.M. sloop Haerlem, Lt. John Knight, commander.
5. Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard.
6. Hyannis, Mass.
7. Bedford in Dartmouth, now New Bedford.