When I Undertook to write you an Account of our proceedings in the Fleet I did not imagine that I should have been so Stinted in point of time I owed you a much earlier Account but Since our Arrival here the repairs and Bussiness of the Ship has required my Constant Attention. ー I will endeavour to be more punctual Hereafter ー in the meanwhile hope you will excuse this Omission 'till I can Account for it personally ー I pass over wha[t was] prior to our Arrival at the Capes of Delaware ー when we were met by the Hornet Sloop & Wasp Schooner from Maryland.

On the 17th of Feby the Fleet put to Sea with a Smart North East Wind. In the Night of the Ninteenth the (Gale having Increased) we lost Company with the Hornet and Fly Tender ー We Continued Steerned to the Southward without Seeing a Single Sail or meeting with any thing remarkable 'till the first of March when we anchored at Abaco (one of the Bahamia Islands) having previously brought too a Couple of New Providence Sloops to take Pilots out of them ー By these People we were informed that there was a large Quantity of Powder [with] a Number of Cannon, in the two Forts of New Providence ー In Consequence of this Intelligence the Marines and Landsmen, to the number of 300 and Upwards under the Command of Captn [Samuel] Nicholas were Embarked in the two Sloops. ー It was determined tht they Should keep below Deck 'till the Sloops were got in Close to the Fort ー and they were then to land Instantly & take possession before the Island could be Alarmed. ー This however was rendered Abortive, as the Forts Fired an Alarm on the Approach of our Fleet—We then ran in and Anchored at a small Key 3 Leagues to windward of the Town and from thence the Comodore dispatched the Marines with the Sloop providence and Schooner Wasp to Cover their Landing—They landed without Opposition and soon took possession of the Eastern Garrison (F. Montague), which, (after Firing a few shot) the Islanders had abandoned—The Next morng the Marines marched for the Town and were met by a Messenger from the Govr who told Captn Nicholas that "the Western Garrison (F. Nassau) was ready for his reception and that he might march his Force in as Soon as he Pleased." ー This was effected without firing a Gun on our Side ー but the Govr had Sent off 150 barrels of Powder the Night before. ー Inclosed you have an Inventory of the Cannon, Stores, &ca which we took Possession of and brought off in the Fleet ー we Continued at Providence 'till 17th Ulto and then brat off th[e] Govr and two More Gen[tn] Prisoners. ー our Course was now directed back for the Continent and after meeting with much bad Weather on the 5th Inst off Block Island we took one of Captn [James] Wallace's Tenders, the Hawke Schooner of 6 Guns-and the Bomb Brig Bolton of 8 Guns & 2 Howitzers &ca ー the Next morng we fell in with the Glasgow Man of War and [a] Hot Engagement Ensued ー the particulars of which I cannot communicate .better than by extracting the minutes which I entered in the Alfred's Log Book as Follows

At 2 A.M. Cleared Ship for Action. At ½ past do the Cabot being between us & the Enemy, began to Engage and soon after we did the same. at the third Glass the Enemy bore away, and by crouding Sail at length got a considerable way a head made Signals for the rest of the English Fleet at Rhoad Island to come to her Assistance & steered directly for the Harbour. The Comodore then thought it Imprudent to Risque our Prizes &ca by Pursuing further therefore to Prevent our being decoyed into their hands, at ½ past 6 made the Signal to leave off Chace & haul by the Wind to Join our prizes. The Cabott was Disabled at the 2d broadside The Capt being dangerously Wounded; the Master and several Men killed-the Enemys whole Fire was then Directed at us and an unlucky Shot haveing carried away our Wheel Block & Ropes, the Ship broached too and gave the Enemy an Oppertunity of Rakeing us with several Broadsides before we were again in Condition to steer the Stick & Return the Fire. In the Action we Received Several Shot under Water which made the Ship Verry Leaky we had besides the Ma.inmast Shot thro' and the U pperworks and Rigging verry considerably damaged—Yett it is Surpriseing that we onlylost the 2d Lieut of Marines & 4 Men, one of whom (Martin Gillingwater) a Midshipman Prisoner, who was in the Cockpitt and had been taken in the Bomb Brig Bolton Yesterday—we had no more than three Men dangerously & 4 Slightly wounded

I leave in your province to make the natural comments you see arising from the Subject. I wish to avoid Censuring Individuals. the Utmost delicacy is necessary and highly becom[ing] in my Si[tuation] I therefore content myself with relating Facts Only and leave wiser heads to privilege of determing their propriety

I have the pleasure of Assuring you that the Commr in Chief is respected thro' the Fleet and I verily belive that the Officers and men in general would go any length to execute his Orders. it is with pain that I Confine this plaudit to an individual I should be happy in extending it to every Captain and Officer in the Service ー praise is certainly due to some ー but Alas! there are Exceptions. it is certainly for the Intrest of the Service that a Cordial interchange of Civilities should Subsist between Superiour and Inferiour Officers ー and therefore it is bad policy in Superiours to behave towards their inferiours indiscriminately as tho they were of a lower Species.— Such a Conduct will damp the [ardor] of any Man would to heaven it were otherwise! but in sad truth this is a Conduct too much in Fashion in our Infant Fleet the ill Consequences of this are Obvious.³ 

Men of liberal Minds, who have been long Accustomed to Command can Ill brook being thus set at naught by others who pretend to Claim the monopoly of Sense. ー the Rude ungentle treatment which they experience creates Such heartburnings as are no wise consonant with that Chearful Ardour and Spirit which ought ever to be the Characteristick of an Officer. and t[hen] whoever thinks himself hearty in the Service is widely mistaken when he Adopts such a line of conduct in order to prove it—for, to be Obeyed it is nessary to be Esteemed.

the Fleet having been re-inforced with 200 Men lent from the Army is now in condition for Another Enterprize and we expect to embrace the first Wind for Rhode Island where I hope we shall meet with better Success as we understand that the Scarborough is now there ー it is Proposed to clean the Ships at Rhode Island or Providence so that our detention there will admit of a return of letters from Philadelphia ー Meantime with a grateful Sense of past favors I have the honor to be with much Esteem Sir [&c.]