[Extract]

In his passage to Corke he [Sir Peter Parker] met with continued adverse winds & tempestuous weather; so that he did not arrive there before the 5th of January; and instead of the 1st of Deer it was the 12th of Febry before the whole Armament was collected together & ready to proceed to Sea. A few days after they left it, they met with a violent gale of wind at South West, which dispersed the whole fleet & forced back; into different ports several of the Transports and Storeships, disabled & distressed. Upon receiving an acct of this unfortunate event, a letter was dispatched by lord Geo Germain to General Clinton, dated 3d March 1776 stating to him all the difficulties & delays that had attended the Expedition, & observing that it was now become very doubtful whether any of the objects of it could be effected, at least without exposing the Troops to great risk, and retarding, if not defeating the operations of the Army under Major General [William] Howe, of which those Troops were always intended to make a Part. His Majesty's Commands were therefore signified to Major General Clinton, that if upon the arrival of the ー Armament at Cape Fear he should be of opinion upon a mature consideration of all circumstances, that nothing could be soon effected that would be of real & substantial service and advantage; or that the making any attempt would expose His Majesty's Troops to great loss from the season being too far advanced, & that there would be a hazard of disappointing the Service to the Northward, he do in that Case, proceed immediately to join Major General Howe with his whole Force, or at least with the major part of it; for if notwithstanding the above circumstances it shall appear to him, that the Friends of Govt in any of the Southern Colonies, who in confidence of the promised assistance, may have taken up Arms, can with the support of a Regiment or two effect the restoration of legal Govt ー it is the King's intention that, in such cases, he should be at liberty to afford them that assistance if he shall think it advisable. The Dispatches both from Lord Dartmouth & Lord George Germain, to Major Genl Howe, on the subject of this Expeditiori, have been already stated. The second of those Dispatches, namely that of the 22d Octr was received by Genl Howe the 30th Deer & in consequence thereof Major Genl Clinton sailed the 20th Janry in the Mercury Frigate for Cape Fear, which was accompanied by the Falcon Sloop & 2 Transports, having on board 2 Companies of Light Infantry, & some Highlanders, which the General thought might be usefull in getting Men in No Carolina, if Govr Martin was not deceived in his Expectations of which the Genl seems to express some apprehensions, & says he is of opinion that it would have been better to have left the Southern Provinces in the full persuasion of their own Security until the Rebels should have been defeated on the side of New York, which Event appeared to him more clearly than ever of so much Importance, that our utmost strength should be exerted to accomplish it before ー Designs of less Importance were taken up inconsistent with the general Plan of the Campaign; & that he thought that the Southern Rebels would have been less able to defend themselves, if they had not been roused by the imprudent Conduct of their own Governors. ー Besides the Instructions given him in conformity to what had been pointed out in the Secretary of States' letter, Genl Howe gave him blank Commissions, in case it should be found, at any time, advisable to embody Provincials for the Service. The Genl. also sent Commissions to three Gentlemen who had been long in North Carolina, secureg the attachment of the Highlanders settled in that Colony.