Nantz January 11th 1777
Gentlemen
Immediately After the Rect of your favor of 26th Deer I Set out for L'Orient & have Executed the Business you Desird there in the best manner The time & Surcumstances Would Admitt I have no Great Appinon of the 60 Gunn Ship As Shee is an Ould Ship& A very Slow Sailer Another Very Great Objecktion is her Draft Water being to much for our American ports very few of our ports Would have Water Enough for her to Enter in at As Shee will Draw 21 or 22 feet Water I think the Friggates Are better vessails & much Better for our purpose as Thier Draft Water Will be only 16 or 17 feet & Am perswaided they will Sail much faster Espetially the St john Shee is Entirely new built from the Keel & has All her Spare Riging Sails Anchors Cable & All other Materials Quite New Shee has the Carrecktor of A prime Sailer they have prommised to Furnish A Compleat Inventory of All her Riging Sails Stores And materals Which I Expect to Recv. tomorrow or Next Day & if Not Stopt by your order I shall Immediately Set of[f] for Parris on the Rect of The Inventory I have had A full view of the Ship & her Materals & Like her Well Her Materals are All new & of the first Qualety there is Another 36 Gun Friggate & a Ship that mounts 50 Guns on two Decks boath of these vessails have the Carrecktors of prime Sailors but I am Affeard they Are too Antient and Tender for our purpose therefore they Would Want over Halling & a Good out fitt before they Could Go to See the St john is All new & May be fitt for Sea in a month or 6 Weeks She is mounted With 26 twelve pounders on one Deck and 10 Six pounders on the Quarter Deck & fore Castle her Dementions is 114 feet Keel 36 feet Beam 13 feet Hoald & 6 feet Between decks ー I think they Can Well Afford to Sell this Ship for 12000 £ Sterling haveing formd my jugment on the best Information I Could Get of the prices of Ships & Materals at L'Orient I Dare Say provided it Suites you to purchase the Cargo you May Get her At that price the Cargo Consists Cheifly of Led Copper Cordage Canvis & Large Anchors Which is Much Wanted in America I was on bord of the Ship that Put into L'Orient from Haver de grass & found her So Much Lumbered & Short of provishon that I think they Did well to put in & Get a Supply.2 on finding them So Crowded I Advised General De coudred [du Coudray] to Leave Some of his most Useless officers behind Which he Did to Get Passages Elsewhere he has Dischargd 12 or 13 & Sent the Rest forward in the Ship he Got Her Water'd & Supplyed With provishon As Soon As possible & Sent her of[f] for fear of haveing her Stopt he is to Come to Nantz & may Possibly be At Parris before he Leaves France This Business I Performd at the Request of the General and thought it [illegible] To Make my Report to you Accordingly I am with Much Respect Gentlemen [&c.]
Lambt Wickes
1. Franklin Papers, vol. 5, pt. 1, 13, APS.
2. L'Amphitrite, one of the ships fitted out by Beaumarchais.