This letter, after reciting all the particulars relating to the depredations of the Provincials, upon the stores, ships, and other private property, and molesting the King's people .belonging to the ships of war, says,
Several of the Marines were sent on shore by the Commanders of his Majesty's ships of war now lying here to procure necessaries, when they were attacked by a party of Rebels, who fired at them; and being considerably superior in number, and seeing others flocking to join them, the Marines thought it prudent to retreat to the ships, which they all effected, except one man, who having received a wound, was left behind, and seized by the Provincials, who immediately tied him to a tree, afterwards cut his legs, thighs, and arms, into several pieces, and then left him in this tortured condition. A few days ago another piece of barbarity was also done by this lawless rabble; the Marines were sent to a small Island near this place to cut wood, assisted by some of the Natives (King's friends) but so soon as the Rebels knew what was going forwards, they collected a large body, and proceeded to said Island, which occasioned the Marines to take to their boats, but some of the inhabitants fell a sacrifice to their merciless fury. One man in particular who was pursued, and had no other chance to save himself but to take to the water and swim to the other side, he had no sooner got a small distance from shore, than a party of the Rebels was upon the beach, when one of them fired at the poor creature with a rifle gun, and shot him through the head. Such barbarities as these you will hardly credit, but I can assure you they are undoubted facts.
