Boston 13th May 1778
Honble Gentlemen,
The Purchase I lately made of ye Mermaids1 Cargo left me indebted to ye Captors upwards of £6000 which Goods are distributed between ye Clothiers & Navy Board, have taken the Liberty to draw on the honble Committee of ye above date in favr. of Patric Brown a set of Exchange for four thousand Dollars, shall remit by next Post to ye honble Board drafts on ye Clothiers General for the Amount of the Supplies given that Department here Yesterday the Ship Three Brothers Friends arriv'd here from Rochfort,2 the Signal is out for a Ship coming in, which we hope to be the same that came out with ye Dean Frigate & not arriv'd—3
yours &c J B
LB, DLC, John Bradford Letter Books, vol. 2, p. 131. Addressed at top: “Honble Commercial Committee."
1. Ship Mermaid, James Cockran, master, was a prize of Continental Navy brigantine Resistance. See NDAR 10: 804.
2. Ship Three Friends was also known as Trois Amis and Three Brothers.
3. Continental Navy frigate Deane, Capt. Samuel Nicholson, commander. The ship that was expected was Duc de Choiseul, Jean Heraud, master. As seen in Extract of a letter received by a Gentleman, from an Officer on board his Majesty's ship Blonde, dated Liverpool Bay, America, 24th April, 1778, above, it had been captured at sea on 24 April by H.M. frigate Blonde.
