Cadiz April 16th. 78-
I wrote you At my Arrivall heare on the first of this month With the particulars of our last Cruze and the reasons of putting in heare1 We are now ready and have Got Some men that I hope to be Able to mann two prizes if fortune favours us And you must not be Surprised if Such enters your port.2 the English frigatte is Cruzing off heare full plenty And as Customarry Shure of us.3 the Other Day A Verry pleasing Affaire happend off this port. An english Cutter with Dispatches to Gibralter fell in With the Alarm Capt. man4 Altho the[y] both hoist english Colours neither of them would beleive or trust them And in Consequence Capt. Man being quite Sure it being Our Cutter he had not the patience or Would not Waite to he come up A Long side fired Write Aboard him And killd 5 men from Such Unhuman proceedings What Can be expected from Some english men
the[y] have Degenerate So much that from being A brave enemy the Are the Contrary—
it is Verry likley and You may expect to see me before Long that if Capt. peel & boy5 is with you let them remaine as before keep the sum I desired of you in your hands in Case I Shall put in any Wheare and be Necessitated to draw on you and I am [&c.]
LB, UkLPR, H.C.A. 32/441/7, pt. 1. Addressed at top: “Mr. Lagoanere.”
1. See Conyngham to Lagoanere & Co., 1 Apr., above.
2. Corunna, Spain.
3. In his memoirs, Conyngham wrote: “An English ship of the Line & two frigatts were laying in Cadiz on our arrival—in their usual & diabolick mode of Warfare had determined in the Night by their boats to set the revenge on fire—A Good french man on board one of them Gave notice to the french Consul of their designe, who advised of. Consequently was prepared for them, they did appeare in the dead of the night but took Care to Keep their distance, the spanish admirall had thiss notice & he politely offered a 74 Gun ship to protect us—We acknowledge the favor, but was noways apprehensive of any danger, to the 15th Contrary it was our wish they would make the Attempt.” “Narrative of Captain Gustavus Conyngham, U.S.N., While in Command of the ‘Surprise’ and ‘Revenge,’ 1777–1779,” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 22 (1898), pp. 483– [get page nos.]
4. H.M. frigate Alarm, Capt. Robert Man, commander. The cutter has not been identified.
5. Presumably, Benjamin Peel, who served as a prize master under Conyngham’s command. The “boy” has not been identified.
