les vents étoient ce matin au sud sud est, le temps nebuleux, ensuite pluvieux a onze heures ils se-sont rangé de la partie du sud ouest gros frais et pluvieux. a deux heures aprés midy il est entre un batiment ayant pavillon anglois renversé, j'ay commencé par luy heler de mouillier, ce batiment ne m'ayant pas repondü et continuant sa route, je luy ay tiré un coup de pierrier dans le meme moment il a manoeuvre pour mouillier, le capitaine est venü a bord et comme il m'a declaré qu'il était une prise angloise (nommé le Mercury) charge de molüe faite par une fregate insurgente de 26 canons nommé le portsmouth j'ay signifié a la dite prise de pousser au large. a cinq heures du soir l'inconstante et sa flotte sont venü mouillier aupres de nous. affin de mieux observer la prise j'ay appareillu pour m'aprocher delle.

[Translation]

[Gironde River] Tuesday, 1 October

The winds this morning were from the south south east, the weather cloudy, then rainy. At eleven o'clock they came from the southwest, strong breezes and rainy. At two o'clock in the afternoon there entered a ship with an English flag inverted. I attempted to call to the ship to drop anchor, this ship not having responded and continuing on, I fired a swivel gun. At that moment, it came to anchor. The captain came on board and, since he declared that the ship was an English prize, named the Mercury, laden with codfish, taken by an insurgent frigate of 26 cannon, named the Portsmouth, I instructed the said prize to head into the open sea. At five o'clock in the evening the Inconstante and its squadron came to anchor near us. In order the better to observe the prize, I sailed toward it.