Sir,

I take this opportunity by one of your English Frigates to acquaint your Excellency how much I am surprised at the Conduct of your privateers towards our Drogers and even our Merchant Ships—I particularly complain of the Hostilities committed by the Palliser Tender of Eight Carriage Guns & 10 Swivels on a French Sloop named the Union of S^t. Mark on the 28^th: October last, and also of the Holten Tender commanded by M^r. John Webster on a Ship named the Pourvoyeur from au Cayes bound to Bourdeaux—if for the future your Tenders under a pretence of searching shall be guilty of the like piracy, I must inform your Excellency I shall be obliged to make reprisals. I hope your Excellency equally jealous as I arn to maintain Harmony between the two Crowns, will remidy the like for the future, by punishing y^e Commanders of the Two Tenders, against whom I make my Complaint, I have some Reason to expect this Satisfaction from your Excellency as You can not be ignorant how ready I ever am to render justice to the Subjects of His Brittanic Majesty, at all times when they have made their just complaints I have the honor to be [&c.]

I send to your Excellency the two Declarations relative to the Complaints I have made, I have received the dispatches You did me the honor to write by the Hornet, concerning a Prize which was made by a privateer upon the Subjects of His Britannic Majesty,¹ I shall answer more particularly your dispatches, but I imagine You have received my Letter, wherein I mention what Steps I had taken to punish the plunderers & to recover the Effects

Dargout
a True Copy
Clark Gayton