Hon^ble. Gentlemen,

I beg leave to inform you that M^r Thomas Grant (a late Owner in the Brig Friendship¹ wch I mention'd some time since to be recaptur'd & sent to this port) has been here & applyed to Me for a Settlement of a Moiety of said Brig, he produc'd a Copy of a Charter Party made between the Commercial Committee & himself by which it appears the Brig was valu'd at four thousand Dollars—The Captors would make no Compromize therefore we sold her at public Sale, she sold for £1670 M^r Grant was inclinable to avail himself of the full half of that Sum and would not settle on any other Terms, therefore I declin'd settling at all, I first offer'd him four hundred pounds in part which He refus'd rec[e]iving, but I afterwards found he had a Vessell loaded with Salt here, he took Leave of Me after receiving a Certificate of the Sale of the Brig &^c I am very unhappy that it has not been in my Power to have got the Dispatch² to Sea before this Date, But such has been the Weather since the 6 February that we have scarcely had one Day in ten to do any out door Work, she will now sale in a few Days—The honble Committee hinted in their last that I should soon receive Orders from the Board of War, respecting the Sulphur & Nitre imported in the Dispatch, they don't yet appear, I could wish to have such Orders as the Season is approaching when I think it will be hazardous to keep them here, Itake the Liberty (as some of the Members of y^e Commercial Committee are also Members of the Marine) to mention the Ship Peggy,³ last July was a year since she was captur'd by the Schooner's Hancock⁴ & Franklin,⁵ was condemn'd at a marine Court, after being condemn'd at a Marine Court, at Hallifax, but an Appeal was made to Congress by the former Owners residing at Philadelphia, & the Determination is still suspended, the Captors are angry, as the Ship is growing worse by laying at the Wharf so long & in another Year would be of little Value, tho' she would now sell for £3000 I suppose at least I should have forwarded the Trytons⁶ Accounts er'e this, but they must have been incompleat as the Salmon remain'd unsold, 'till a few Days ago, I have finish'd the Sale—They leave a great Profit. By the next Post I shall forward the Whole—We have now five Capetol Ships,⁷ six Brigs, & a number of Schooners, two of the Ships are belonging to y^e State of Connecticut,⁸ & are mann'd principally from that State two Ships have been fitted for the Sea by the Day at 20/ Pr Day, & after being fitted are obliged to keep Day's Men on Board for Want of Sailors to man them. But the Dispatch will sail in a few Days, the post now going which I mis'd the last Week I come now to the above Date—the Dispatch goes down this Day, I have put four Carriage Guns & six Swivels on Board with eleven Hands—I have the Pleasure to acquaint you with the Arrival of the Warren,⁹ Cap^t. Hopkins¹⁰ speaks highly of her sailing, he took a Ship¹¹ from White Haven with Salt & some dry Goods, he took out of her a parcel [of] Duck & Oznabriggs with some other Articles which he has not yet made a Return of, he also took an Arm'd Snow¹² from the West Indies bound from¹³ Bristol with a few Hhds Sugar, & the Remains of her Cargo were Flax Seed, he left them both off Bermuda, neither of them are yet arriv'd—Since my last have receiv'd Orders from Gen^l. Gates respecting the Sulphur & Nitre: my Clerk's Sickness has prevented my sending forward the Tryton's Acc^ts. I've cornpleated the Sale of the Salmon to such Advantage that the hundred Trs¹⁴ sent to France with the first Cost of the Tryton is paid for by the Profit arising on said Sale—I hope in my next to give you Acc^t. of y^e. Ship & Snow in the mean time am yours &c