By &c.

Whereas Captain Stair Douglas Commander of. His Majesty's Ship Squirrel; received Orders from Vice Admiral [Clark] Gayton Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels at Jamaica, bearing date the 29th October last, to take under his Convoy the homeward bound Trade from that Island to England to proceed with them into the English Channel, and having seen them so far in safety, to make the best of his way to Spithead and wait our directions for his further proceedings; And Whereas, the said Captain Douglas by his Letter of the 25th of December last to our Secretary (after acquainting Us with his Arrival at Spithead from Jamaica) did represent that he had sailed from Port Royal Harbour on the 6th of the preceeding Month with a Convoy of Twenty Eight Sail; that, on the 15th following in a Gale of Wind off Cape Tiberon, he parted with Nineteen Sail which he supposed bore away; that he brought the rest through the windward Passage, and that never was a Convoy behaved so ill, having paid no attention to signals when made; And Whereas, in consequence of our directions signified to him by our Secretary's Letters of the 26th December and 2d of January last, the said Captain Douglas did, in his Letters of the 28th of the former and 4th of the latter of those months, transmit to Us a List of the Ships which sailed with him from Jamaica, a Journal of his voyage, and a Copy of the abovementioned Order from Vice Admiral Gayton, and at the same time gave Us a more particular Account of the behaviour of the Masters of the said Ships and of the causes of his seperation from them, And Whereas Beeston Long Esqr Chairman of a Committee of West Indian Merchants (who at their own request attended Us some time ago upon the subject) hath by his Letter of the 10th instant acquainted Us that, His Majesty's Ship the Squirrel having arrived in England some Weeks before any of the Merchant Ships that sailed from Jamaica under her Convoy, the Merchants had collected the fullest and most candid informations relative to the seperation, taken at London, Bristol, Leverpoole & Glasgow, by the Examinations of the Masters of Ships; which informations, in their Original State, accompanied his Letter.

And Whereas, upon consideration of the whole matter, we think fit that an Enquiry shall be made by a Court Martial into the cause of the said Captn Stair Douglas's having seperated from the Ships which sailed under his Convoy from Jamaica before he had seen them in Safety into the English Channel as directed by Vice Admiral Gayton, and that the said Captn Stair Douglas shall be tried, by the said Cour.t, for his Conduct upon that Occasion; We send you herewith the several Letters and Papers received from him as aforesaid, together with Copies of our Secretarie's aboveme11tioned Letters to him, and also the abovementioned Letters from Mr Beeston Long with the several Original Informations which accompanied the same; And so soon as the several Persons whom the West India Merchants, and the said Captain Stair Douglas may have to produce in support or Defence of the Charge, shall be in readiness (of which you will have timely notice from our Secretary) do hereby require and direct you forthwith to assemble a Court Martial to enquire into the cause of the said Captain Stair Douglas's having seperated from the Ships which sailed under his convoy from Jamaica before he had seen them in safety into the English Channel as directed by Vice Admiral Gayton, and to try him the said Captain Stair Douglas for his conduct upon that occasion accordingly. Given &c the 12th March 1777.

To Sir James Douglas
Vice Admiral of the Red
and Commander in Chief of His
Majesty's Ships & Vessels
at Portsmouth &c.
By &c PS.