Honble Gentn
On my leavg St Malo I wrote You giveg You an Acct of the Sailg of the Reprisal & Dolphin. Capt [Francis] Brown Arrived here in the Dolphin the Night before last, & Agreable to his Orders from Capt Wickes, Under french Colours, & to the address of Monsr Peltier as Comeg from St Austatia, but haveg no Clearance from that Place or any other Papers, Mr Peltier thought it most Proper to enter her from St Malo, Put in, Inn distress, & as Capt Brown had no Commission for her, I lent him Mine to Satisfye them She was A Commissioned Vessell, upon wch they have given him Liberty to refitt his Vessell, & as Soon as that is Compleated to Depart the Port, Capt Brown informes me Capt Wickes Put his French Pilot on board him 10 OClock on Monday last off Ushant, & they Parted Compy at Noon the same Day, with a fine Easterly Wind, so that I make no Doubt but my friend Wickes has had A fine Run Off, they Saw no Vessells in Channel but made the best of their Way, they Saw Nothg of Capt Johnson — There is A Gernsey Privateer Cruzeing off the mouth of this River, who they Say have taken several Vessells Comeg from So Carolina here, she mounts 18 Guns, Capt Brown Says he Saw her standg off from Close in Under the Land but took no Notice of him, I Shall Put all my New Enlisted Men, abt 20 in Number on bd the Dolphin, in a Day or two, we Shall go to Strippg of her, and Prepair for gettg in A New Mast, as the old one is lost 6 feet of[f] the head, & Sprung below the Rigging in our last Cruze.
The New Ship goes on very well & is Planked up as high as the Sills of the Gun Deck Ports, there is many hands at Work on her, & Suppose will be ready to Launch in a fortnight if the Weather Shou'd Prove Good, If I dare declare openly amongst the Saylors what ship I was to Command I coud allmost Man my ship in little time, with my own Country men Chiefly, but they dont like to enter for A ship they dont know, Mr Williams is not Yet Arrived I wish he was Come as he is much Wanted, I am Gentn [&c.]
