[Admiralty Office] 17th Feby 1776
Sr
Ld Geo. Germaine One of His Majts Principal Secretaries of State, having in his Letter of the 26th past informed my Lords Commrs of the Admty that the King having thought fit to direct that the Commissioned & .i--!on Commissioned Officers of the 50th Regt now at Jamaica should be brought from thence to Great Britain together with such of the private Men as are Invalid or unfit for Service should be sent to No America in order to be incorporated into another Corps with the number of Women & Servants & allowance for Baggage specified in the paper enclosed herewith.
And my Lords having ordered the three Transports named in the Margin 2 to be fitted Victualled & supplied with necessaries proper for the Aforementioned Regiment And to proceed to Jamaica under Convoy of His Majs Ship the Boreas, I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you therewith And to signify their direction to you that after the Transport have got the Troops on board, You order them to proceed under proper Convoy to New York and disembark there or at such other port as shall be appointed, as many of the private Men as the Commr in Chief of His Majts Forces shall direct; And having so done you will order the Masters of the respective Transports to apply to Vice Adml Shuldham or the Com.mg Officer of his Majs Ships for such farther directions as he shall think fit to give for their return to Great Britain pursuant to His Majs intention with the Commissioned & Non Commissioned Officers & Invalids.
It being His Majesty's intention that if upon the arrival of the Transports at New York they should find that Ma jar Genl Howe & the Troops under his command remain still at Boston, You are in that case, to order the Convoy to proceed with them to that Port.
So soon as the Ship you appoint for this Service shall have seen the Transports in safety at New York or Boston, You are to order the Captain to return to his Station under your command unless it shall happen that this Service can be performed by the Pallas which is a Circumstance would give great satisfaction to their Lordships as thereby you would be at liberty to keep all your other Ships to attend on those several other duties which are recommended to your care. I am &c.
G. Jackson D S
By the Boreas Duplicate by the Winchelsea