My Lord In obedience to, and at the request of, His Excellency Gover nor Browne, I with all due Deference presume to transmit to your Lordship a brief Account of the late unfortunate Event that has happen'd here: But previous thereto, I conceive it necessary to acquaint your Lordship, That in the Month of [July] last His Majesty's Ship Falcon and two Transports were sent here by Order of General Gage to take from Us the Cannon, Powder, Shot, and other Stores out of our Forts Nassau and Montague, Which the President, in the Absence of his Excellency, with the Advice of Council and at the Intercession of the Inhabitants of this Island, thought fit to decline sending them away at that Juncture for the Reasons assigned in their Memorial for that purpose Notwithstanding We had then no Regulars to defend Us and since when the Militia has constantly mounted Guard at each Fort for the Protection thereof, and whereby We thought Ourselves secure with our own internal Strength and Defence, But Fate has proved the contrary-For on Sunday the 3d instant there appeared off this Island early in the Morning Two Ships, Two Briggs a Sloop and a Schooner ー His Excellency in Consequence ordered three Guns to be fired at Fort Nassau as an Alarm for the Militia to turn out, and then summoned his Council to attend him at the Fort, That before the Council met, The Major of the Militia had dispatched a Detachment of Thirty Men up to Fort Montague, (two Miles distance from Fort Nassau) which was soon afterwards followed by a like Detachment, But few of either Party were furnished with more than common Fowling Pieces; That at this time His Excellency gave the necessary Directions in Fort Nassau for the proper Defence of the same And having received Intelligence that the Rebels had landed part of their Troops at a Place called the Creek to the Eastward of Fort Montague, He then marched himself with a third Detachment consisting of about Eighty Men in order further to succour the other Fort That before His Excellency had reached the same Lieutenants Burke and Judkin had been dispatched from Fort Montague with a Party of thirty Men to reconnoitre and if possible to prevent their Landing but which they had effected to the Number of about 250 Men and several Boats being clearly seen near the Store His Excellency thought fit to order another Detachment of 40 Men commanded by a Captain Lieutent and Ensign to support the former Detachment who soon returned without accomplishing the purpose intended As the other Party was then upon the Retreat, Upon which His Excellency ordered three Guns to be fired on the Enemy which did no Execution, And therefore it was thot adviseable to march back what Force he then had to Fort Nassau His Excellency first ordering the Guns to be spiked up, and Lieutenant Burke to wait on the Commanding Officer of the Enemy to know his Errand and on what Account he had landed his Troops, Who returned for Answer, He was come for the King's Stores and Gunpowder in our Forts and wod have them. Now my Lord from this sudden and unexpected Attack it was almost impossible to collect together a Force equal to the Report made of the Numbers of the Rebels, But in order to obtain every Assistance His Excellency issued his Proclamation by beat of Drum offering a Reward of a Pistole to every free Negroe and others that wod immediately enter the Fort properly armed, and further to prevent the Enemy from gaining the Advantageous Post at the Government [House] He sent a Detachment of 40 Men under the Command of Captain Thomas Hodgson (altho' not then an Officer in the Service) and Ensign Barrett to protect the same, (As that Eminence shod the Enemy have got any Cannon mounted thereon wod greatly have annoy'd Fort Nassau[)], Which being done, and the Rebels having got Possession of Fort Montague, and their Comander hwing by Lieutenant Burke sent Word He shod see the Governor in the Morning His Excellency about 8 oclock in the evening called a Council of War at Which assisted the Council, Militia Officers, and several of the Principal Inhabitants, to know whether from the Force the Rebels were supposed to be, and the Condition Fort Nassau was then found to be in, with what Strength was then in the Fort It was defensible or not? To which Question only Ten were of Opinion it was defensible, and Fourteen that it was not; And therefore in Consequence His Excellency with the Advice of his Council got about 160 Barrels of the Gun Powder removed out of the Fort (the whole not exceeding 182 Barrels some time before) and imediately sent off to [St.] Augustine in a Sloop belonging to one Captain Willm Chambers, A Man truely attach'd to Government and Active upon this Occasion; His Majesty's arm'd Sloop the St.john not being in any Condition fit for Service altho' commanded by Lieutenant [William] Grant whom His Excellency directed to putt to Sea to prevent his Vessell falling into the Hands of the Enemy, and whereby he might be enabled to give Intelligence of their Proceedings In Case he met with any of his Majestys' Ships of War ー The next Matter that ensued and in which His Excellency took the Opinion of his Council was; Whether, from the Determination of the Council of War it was not advisable in our defenceless Condition and the Powder being ship'd, off. Which Circumstance alone almost instantaneously produced a Desertion of three fourths of the Men and Negroes, It wad not be proper to have the Assistance of the Detachment then doing Duty at the Government House for the ultimate Protection of the Fort, which being approv'd of, His Excellency himself went from thence and soon returned with that Succour, But they not conceiving themselves a suffict Force for that purpose, sollicited that they might not remain, the rest having left the Fort; Whereupon it was then thought most advisable to evacuate the Fort instead of being made Prisoners to the Enemy, But His Excellency dissented therefrom and said He was not willing to leave the Fort while any One wod stand by him And certain I am My Lord That this whole Affair has been brought upon Us by the Treachery of some few Individuals, and that the Americans wod never have thought this Enterprize worthy of their Notice, Had they not been apprized of our unguarded Situation, and invited here for this purpose by the Enemys of Government ー But the Result has proved too successfull to the Rebels ー For they have not only dismantled our Forts and possessed themselves of every serviceable Part of the Cannon, Shot, and Stores, but have also forceably taken from Us His Excellency the Governor after confining him to his House some few Days under a Guard of an Officer and 40 of the Rebel Army, and then Dragging him by Violence on Board one of their Ships mounting 32 Guns called the Alfred In which Ezek Hopkins is stiled the Comodore and Commander in Chief, where He remained four Days previous to their sailing from hence, Which was on Saturday the 16th instant in Company with Lieutenant [James] Babbidge and Mr.[Thomas] Irving whom they made Prisoners imediately upon their Arrival here from Pensacola One by being an Officer (tho' upon half Pay only) and the other as Receiver General of South Caroline ー There are several other Matters His Excellency directed Me previous to his Departure to acquaint your Lordship, respecting singular Proceedings here, But the short Notice I received even to communicate to your Lordship the foregoing I hope will in part apologize for any incorrectness therein and be excused by My Lord Your Lordship's [&c.]

New Providence
22d March 1776

[Enclosure]
A List of the Armament, Etc.

N. B. The two Frigates were two Deckers mounted 9s on her lower Deck and double fortified 4rs on her upper.