At Lord Weymouth's Office, March 18th: 1778.
Present.
Lord President |
Lord North. |
Lord Privy Seal |
Lord Amherst |
Lord Sandwich |
Lord Weymouth. |
Lord Geo: Germain |
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It is humbly submitted to His Majesty, that advice be sent to Lord Howe, that Mr La Motte Picquet is sailed to convoy some American Ships to a certain Latitude,& by some accounts that he has discretionary powers to convoy them to America with 5 or 7 ships of the Line; and that Lord Howe be directed to collect his whole force & attack him, in case of that event. If Lord Howe has no certain Intelligence of the arrival of this Fleet, which is supposed to have sailed on the 28th of Febry:, he is then to be directed to send immediately 4 Ships of the Line, 3 of 50 guns, 2, of 32, 2, of 20 & 2 Bomb Vessels, to the Leeward Islands, to convoy 5000 Men in Transports from Philadelphia, for the protection of those Islands, & to act offensively against the French Settlements. That they take 8 months Provisions, and depend on being supplied afterwards from England.
That Lord Howe be directed to send immediately to England 2 Ships of 44 guns, 6, of 32 , 4 of 28 , 1 of 24 — 1 of 20 & 6 Sloops of 14 guns. From the Pennsylvania Army 3000 Men are to be sent to the Floridas, the remainder of the Army to New York, & from thence to detach such a number as will be sufficient for the security of Nova Scotia, stating to the Commander the force that is to be sent from hence, and that the Battalion of Marines, which is now there, is to be sent home.
That the Commissioners1 be immediately sent to New York, if they shall find no prospect of success & that the Commander in Chief should run a risque of having his Retreat cut off, or that the Provinces should raise a very superior force to drive the Troops into the Sea, he should be prepared for securing his Retreat, evacuating New York, taking the Ordnance Stores, & every thing belonging to the Army, and sending to England what shall not be wanted for other Services.
That the Commander of the Newfoundland Station, carry out with him 400 Men for the defence of that Station, & any other purposes for which he shall be directed to employ them.