Snow Hill [Md.] July 11th. 1778
May it Plese your Excellency:
I have the Pleashure to Cangratulate You on the arival of a French fleet of Twelve ships of the Lein & four frigates on our Carse & I have likewise the pleashure to Inform you that they have Taken Two Lettores of Mark. one of Eighten Guns & One Twentysix-1 and Drove the Mermade of Twenty eight Guns on Shore- on our Beach2 yesterday the Capt. & his Whole Crew Deliverd them Selves to Colo Handy3 Yesterday Prisonars of Ware and We have A hundred & Ten of them here Under guard. The Remander I expect here to morer, We are Indevoring to Save what we Can out of the Ship: I have not yet Ben on bord But Understand that they Threw over bord all their guns but Sevin and Cut their Mast away, as Soon as I can git on bord Shall Wright you more fully Agreable to your Instructions formerly Shall Send the Presonars Immediatly to Cambridge, and as I find they are Very Lisensious, Submit wheather the gallies had not Be sent for them a bought the middle of Next week, as they are not fit to be any whare but under a Very Stron guard, their is One hundr[ed] & Sixty Private the number of officars I have not Yet assertained–I have the Honor to be with Grate Esteem [&c.]
Joseph Dashiell Lieut.
L, MdAA, Maryland State Papers, Red Books, vol. 19, no. 74, S989-25 (MdHR 4581-36).
1. Letter of marque ship Rose, Capt. James Duncan, commanding, was the ship with twenty-six guns; the other vessel may have been the Royal Navy 12-gun sloop-of-war York, commanded by Lt. Thomas Walbeoff. For more on the capture of the York, see the Journal of Liuetenant de vaisseau Jean-Julien Chevalier Le Mauff, immediatey below.
2. H.M. frigate Mermaid, Capt. James Hawker, commanding.
3. Maryland militia lieutenant colonel Samuel Handy.
4. On the composition of the fleet commanded by Vice-amiral comte d’Estaing, see d’Estaing to Gabriel de Sartine, 18 May 1778, in NDAR 12: 717–20.
