[Extract]
My Lord.

...a very few days ago a french Man of War of sixty four Guns took under con- voy and proceeded with Six American Vessells from S^t Pierre, bound to America. French troops conducted onboard these american Vessells, and from prisons, and other places where they had been kept, between Sixty & Seventy English Seamen who when received onboard were most cruelly whipped on pretence of either having attempted to escape from or refusing to enter onboard the american Privateers.

I firmly hope My Lord, I, or some other of his Majestys Governors, may receive some early directions to remedy that practice of the french Governors or to have it openly avowed by them, in order to have such avowal transmitted home. should I be honored with his Majestys commands herein these shall be executed with whatever precision and firmness I shall be directed to use.

their privateers have since my last arrived in Martinica with many valuable English prizes; might I My Lord presume to hint an easy redress to this; it would be to remark that three or at most four of his Majestys Men of War cruizing close round the french Islands, would more effectually cut off the possibility of American Cruizers coming out, or their carrying prizes there than four times that number cruizing more largely, nay even ten times that number cruizing about his Majestys own Islands; for without access to Ports to go into & refit, victual, or man, or into which to carry their Captures, there would be immediately an end in these seas, to those audacious and by the French so much countenanced, nay authorized depredations committed on the commerce of His Majestys subjects.

With these Asylums left open to them all remonstrances, reclamations, &^a: your Lordship may depend upon it is only time thrown away, paper uselessly blotted, his Majesty's honor insulted, and his subjects continue to be daily dreadfully pillaged. were some of these Cruisers of Force sufficient to command respect, the French ports must be open to them as allies, & thus certain intelligence at least, would be constantly acquired by the Captains of the Men of War. the measure recommended does not appear to me to be in the least likely to be Productive of a French War, but on the contrary preventative, by depriving the french of those funds they now obtain, towards carrying on one, Should this become unavoidable, and at present the French not acknowledging avowedly the Americans as independant States, dare not obstruct that chastisement, his Majestys Ships of War may give these rebells, when not within the actual protection & limits of the French Islands.

Your Lordship will I hope pardon the freedom of a hint probably unnecessary, yet which has been dictated by the Zeal for his Majesty, and that intilligence of facts obtained by

PS: Feb. 25^th. I have the honor herewith to transmit to your Lordship copies of one of my letters of the 17^th, & one of 23^d of this month, to the Lords of the Treasury, having done the same to their Lordships by this letter, both your Lordship & they will more fully know the unaccountable conduct of the Colonists of this Government, I shall take the freedom in my next of offering what appears to me a short & effectual method of checking it.

PS I have sent to Admiral Young¹ & to Governor Birt² copies of those I trust useful informations relative to the Americans & the conduct of the French which under cover of my copies of my letter to the Lords of the Treasury your Lordship receives.