[Extract]
My Dear Sir

My day of rejoiceing for the success of the Hancock and Boston was over before I had the Pleasure of receiving Your congratulations on the event. the pleasing news was hardly confirmed before I had the mortification to hear of the recapture of the Fox, with this additional disagreeable circumstance that the Hancock was also in danger of falling into the Hands of the Enemy— I could wish the two Captains had not been too much Elated with their good fortune, to this I impute their continuing to Cruise after they had weakened their Ships by puting a considerable part of their Crews on board the Fox, for, 'tho they must have weakened themselves by this means, they could not possibly spare so many men as wod put the Fox in a proper State of defence much less in a suitable condition to Cruise w[h]ere she was &c it therefore wd in my opinion have been more prudent in them to return immediately to port with their prize they might then with the assis­ tance of such part of the Fox's crew as wod enter have put their ships in a much better condition then when they first sailed & probably might soon have made a further addition to the American Navy, sending the Prisoners to Hallifax I think was another great mistake had they taken them all home, it appears very probable to me that many more of them wod have enter'd after they got into Port and were seperated from their Officers, and those that would not enter might remain as a security for those of our People who are sentenced by the British Tyrant & his Infernal Minions to a long imprisonment, however, these are errors that I hope experience will teach us to mend, but if we shod be so unfortunate as to loose the Hancock we shall pay dear for our learning . . .