May 1776 Sunday 19
[Off Newport, Rhode Island] At 3 A M, Weigh and at 7 Do abrest of the Light house, almost Calm Moderate Breezes & Clear, At 6 P M, Nowman's Land, Bore NBW 5 Leagues, at 7 Do Saw a large Ship, a Stern standing after us, At 8 Do Sounded 25 fathom, At 10 Do, saw the Ship a Stern comeing up fast The Cabot bore away to the Eastward, & we made sail to the South'd, at 11 Do Lost sight of her ー
Monday 20
Light Breezes & Heazy At 8 [A.M.] Sounded 50 fathom, white sand with Specks,
Tuesday 21
At 4 A M saw a sail, to Leward, gave Chase, and at 8 Do, fir'd 2 Swivels, & brought her too, she prov'd a Sloop from Tertolo, bound, to Liverpool in Nova Scocia, with Kings Clearance, which we made a prize off2 her Cargo Consisting of 20 Barrels Sugar, 22 Hhds Rum 26 Hhds of Molasses, and 1000 Bushels of Salt, sent Mr [Philip] Brown prise master & 3 Men to Carry her in to Providence left the Master and one man on board,3
1. Andrew Doria Journal, PRO, Admiralty 1/484. For Andrew Doria Journal see Appendix C, Volume 4.
2. The sloop Two Friends, of forty tons burden and a crew of five men. Her clearance from Tortola is dated April 27, 1776. Her papers contained a partial crew list consisting of the master's name, Abraham Copeland; Melatiah Nye, mate; John Wiley and Joshua Dearing, sailors, the latter being shipped May 1, 1776 for a voyage from Tortola "to Liverpool in Novascotia and back again to Tortola." Admiralty Papers, vol 9, 1776, R.I. Arch.
3. Bound in the Andrew Doria's journal is a sheet of "Remarks" evidently kept by the mate of the Two Friends, beginning the morning of the capture, May 21, and continuing to May 29, when apparently it was detected and confiscated. For May 21, the remarks are: "at ½ past 4 A M we Saw a Sail in Chase of us and She soon Came up with us and hild and ordered the Capt on Bord and Sent the penance for him & afterwards, for me with N Bowen George Barber and N. Russell and Sent the Capt on Bord with a prize Master and 4 Sailors and took out one of our Sailors and Left the other on Bord the Sloop and sent her for Newport and the Brig stood to the W S W the Brig Nd Andrew duriah of 14 Guns Belonging to Philadelphia Commanded by Capt. Biddle ー and so end the day." The remaining entries are purely routine and uninteresting.
