5th May As I now began to grow short of water, and had lighten'd the Ship to as easy a draught of water as I could, which was abt 18 F. 6 I. I took the Liverpool with me & sailed up the River in order to fill my empty casks, and reconnoitre the Enemy's force of the River. We arrived off of Wilmington the 7th where we drove a Vessel ashore, and not being able to get her off proceeded to Unload her of her cargoe which was Bread & Flour.

8 May The next day about 1 in the afternoon, I percieved the Arm'd craft of the River coming down, before the wind, with an appearance of attacking us. Their Fleet consisted of 13 Row Galleys, each carrying one Gun from 32 Poundrs to 18 pdrs a Floating Battery of 10 Eighteen pdrs and a Sloop fitted as a fire ship. We met them under sail (as the Tide ran too rapid to ride with a Spring upon the Cable) and lay under the disadvantage of being obliged to engage them at the distance they chose to fix on, which was scarecely within point blank Shot: and being such low objects on the water, it was with some difficulty that we could strike them, so that we fired upon them near two hours before they thought proper to retire, and row off. Unfortunately, at this Juncture the Roebuck grounded, and being high water, could not be got off 'till 4 the next morng but as it was soft mud the Ship did not recieve the least damage.

9th May It was then so thick a fogg that nothing could be discerned 'till about 8 oclock when it cleard, and we percievd the Galleys at Anchor about 3 Miles above us. The Wind had changed and now blew up the River, so that we persued them imediately with all our Sail, and they as industriously plyed their oars & sails to avoid us. This chace lasted only for abt two hours, when it fell so little wind that we were not able to stem the ebb tide, and not having 6 Inches water more than the Ship drew in the best of the Channel (which was not a quarter of a mile wide) I was under the necessity of Anchoring.

The Galleys rowed to a point of land on the Western shore abt 4 Miles above us, and anchord also.

When I found there was no prospect of being able to get near them, and that they intended to retire up the River as I advanced, and not having a force with me sufficient to authorize me to attempt to force the fortified pass of the River, I consulted with Captain Bellew, who agreed with me in opinion, that it would answer no good purpose to go further up the River, which every mile made more intricate, but that it was best to try if we could draw the Galleys down to a wider part of the river, where we should be in less danger of getting a ground, and where we could run near them, and have a better chance of destroying them. Accordingly when the ebb tide made, about 5 in the afternoon, we got under way and turned down under an easy sail. The Galleys, with their former attendants, encreased by several large launches, with each a cannon mounted in the Bow, imediately followed us, and kept up a smart fire, but cautiously remained at their usual distance. This gave me great hopes, I should be able to draw them into a wide part of the River, but about 10 at Night they thought proper to Stop near New Castle; upon which I immediately dropped Anchor, flattering Myself they remained there, either on Account of the darkness of the night, or that some of them were disabled, the latter of which appeared to be the case, as the next morning we saw only 11 Sail one of which had lost his Mast.