[London] Thursday 18th Septr 1777.
Write to Captn [John] Bourmaster & desire him he will acquaint the Board with the particular circumstances respecting the Capture of the Crawford Transport, whether she had her proper Complement of Men, & whether the Master & Men behaved properly on the occasion, or could either have made a better defence, or have got off from the Enemy.2
1. PRO, Admiralty 106/2596.
2. Crawford, with Highland troops on board, was captured by the Continental Navy brig Andrew Doria, Captain Nicholas Biddle, in May 1776. Biddle noted in a letter to his brother Charles that he had taken Crawford with "the Speaking trumpet" — that is, no resistance was offered. See Volume 5.