I Daniel Christian of Lawful age testify & say that I was first mate, on board the ship Johnston; & on y^e. 18 July, 1777—about 6, o'clock in y^e. morning we discov^d. two privateer schooners—to the windward of us. but seeing another sail, to the north w^d. upon our bow, we did not alter our Course, supposing we sh^d. come up with this sail, first. w^ch. we stood after—we found the sail to be a frenchman; & we then hauled up as close to the wind as we could.—about Noon the two Schooners came up & en­gaged us (w^ch. continued for about three quarters of an hour) at long shot we de­termined to defend the Ship;—some of their shot w^d. come over us but very seldom. the schooners then sheared off to the south ward & Eastward—out of Gun shot—& stood a considerable way to the Southw^d. & then to the northw^d.—they then hung out their pots upon their Jibb boom end, and we supposed they were preparing to board us, but did not come near enough to do it; in about two hours & an half after they first left us, they came up again one upon one Quarter & y^e. o^r. on y^e. other Quar­ter, & engaged us about half an hour, & then left us; before they left us we discov^d. another sail. to the windward of us coming down before the wind—we discov^d. her to be a square rigged Vessell but what we c^d. not tell. we determined not to strike till we knew what the sail was—& if she was a privateer we intended to strike when she came up; but we did not intend to strike to the schooners till our ammunition was spent. as soon as the schooners sheared off, we made all the sail we could & stood for the sail, w^ch. proved to be the Massachusetts, Capt. Fiske.—the schooners then made sail after us firing their bow Chaser at us as we passed y^m.. we were not dam­aged by the schooners, only one of their shot cut one of the Lanyard's of one of the Gun ports & one man slightly wounded. which was all the damage we sustained. the Brigg Massachusetts, run along side of us & fired a broad side, at us w^ch. did us no Dam­age & we struck immediately to y^e. Brigg. the schooners being about a Gun shot astern of us. & came up ab^t. 10. or 12 minutes after we struck. I do not recollect that the schooners fired at us ab^t. the time we struck. they did not come nearer than long shot, from first to last; It was determined on board, if the Brigg had not come up to fight the Schooners, & if they boarded us to retreat to close quarters, for which we were very well provided, & to fight them till our ammunition was expended & then to strike to them but we were under no fear of their being able to board us; we had when we were first attacked about seven Barrels of powder, & an half, in y^e. whole, with a sufficient quantity of shot; when we struck we had something more than a Bar­rel & a half of powder, & shot in proportition; besides near a barrel of small Car­tridges; when we struck, it was about two hours before Sunset; Our force, was 6 dou­ble fortified 6. pounders: 4 double fortified four pounders. 4 Cohorns. and 2 swivels. a chest of small arms containing ab^t. 12 Muskets. 6 blunderbusses. 12 pistols & a number of Cutlasses. & had 35 men & boys & about 330 tons salt & other goods Dur­ing the whole Engagement from the first to the last, the Schooners kept at a distance & fought us only at long shot. & we were obliged for that reason to keep up our Car­tridges to the full size & we never lessened any of them.

Salem. 10 Oct^r. 1777

I David Angus, late Gunner of the Ship Johnston, taken & br'ot into Salem, as a prize; being on board when she was taken, & acting as Gunner; & knowing the truth of the facts, contained in the forgoing Deposition of Daniel Christian do confirm the same.

David Angus

Essex Ss. Salem. 10 Octo. 1777. Daniel Christian and David Angus before named, appeared before me a Justice of the peace for s^d. County, & after due examination & caution to testify the whole truth, relating to a maritime Cause to be tried in the Su­perior Court &c. to be held at Cambridge in & for the County of Middlesex on the last tuesday of October inst^t., wherein George Williams is libellant of the Ship John­son & Gustavus Fellows & Nehemiah Somes are Claimants therof (as 'tis said)—made oath to the before written declarations—in behalf of the s^d. Libellant, the adverse parties, were notified & present at the taking these depositions—& the ocason of tak­ing them is that the deponents are going to sea.— before

W. Wetmore. J. Peace