My Lord

As the following description of the two rebell Frigates who engaged the Druid, & went into Port L'Orient, was given me by a Gent^n. of the strictest veracity, who left that Place the fourth Ins^t. when they were fitting out, & expected to be ready for sea in a for’tnight, intending as they gave out for the S^wd. to intercept the Indiamen, but as he supposed from the information of the Stores he saw go on board, they meant a winter Cruize to the N^ow^d. or to go directly for Boston I have taken the Liberty to lay the same before your L^dShip for the Information of the Cruizers under your Command—At the same time the Amphytrite from America lay in the outer road with a valuable Cargo for S^t. Maloes as he beleives tho' they said for Nantz—I am [&c.]

[Enclosure]

The Rawleigh the Comm^r. (Thompson a Scotchman) is a fine looking ship in size & built like the Kings frigates of 28 Guns, but carries 13 twelve Pounders on her Gundeck & they say (for they were not mounted) 12-six p^rs. on her quarterdeck & fore castle beside swivells & 280 men, but he believes they exagerate in this Particular, the Crews mostly English & Irish, who appear tired of their Masters—. The officers have most of them been employed in small trading vessells, & now swagger in blue uniforms turned up with red and Anchor Buttons.—She is low abaft, with a square Stern & quarter Gallery, a figure head—is painted white & black with a red & white streak along her Qua^r her sides well scraped, her Bend blacked rather higher up than usual, & her bottom very white, her Nettings fore & aft filled with Hay or Cotton Bags at present clean & white, she is both square & taunt rigged with very long flagstaff or rather royall Masts painted black has a whole mizen yard, & a Pole Mizen topmast the head of which is very long, her stern Lanthorn larger than general & painted white, they say sails extreamly well, especially upon a wind, & has the look of it—. The Alfred was formerly a Merchantman is about 275. or 300 tons at most, pierced for 20 Guns 9 Pd^rs. & carries 6-four-Pound^s. on the Q^r. Deck & forward. the Cap^t. An American, she they say has 160 men,& is better officered than the other, but sails dully.—her Appearance when her Guns are housed & ports lowered down has very little of the ship of war, she is square sterned, without quarter Gallery or Badges, has a figure head painted yellow with a remarkable large Plume of feathers on his helmet painted white—.The ship is painted plain black & yellow with a white bottom is very taunt but not square rigged, her royall Masts & pole mizen topmast head more out of Proportion than the Rawleigh's has a Gaft Mizen, Top Armour & Quarter Cloths Blue with 13 white Stars ye same as in the upper Corner of their Colors, neither have their Names in the Stern they have with them a small Bermudian Sloop with four Guns—