To the honourable the Commissioners of the United States of North America, the Petition of the Jovial Tar^s. Now on board the Continental Sloop of war Ranger, most humbley Sheweth,—

That your Petitioners regard, & love For their Countrey, & dutey to there ancient fore Fathers, have most of them left there wives, and Famileys Cruized the wide Atalantick, in the most dangerous Places, greatley Damadgeing and distressing, our enemys, and all the Satisfaction & recompence we receive for our Labour, are, Vain and Flattering promisses, likewise arbitrary Proceedings, which Causes a general murmer & uneasiness among all on Board,— they therefore think it there Dutey to make application to your honours for releive From there pressent Greiveances.

That the greates number of them entered in the Service particulraly upon M^r Simpsons our first Leiutenants account knowing him to be a Gentelman of honour, Worthey and capeable of his Officeship, and who is now confind inocentley, as we think in a Lousey Dirtey french Goal—

That they that entered for a Cruize, or a Twelve month Expected to be discharged at the expireation of that time, But Cap^n. Jones, since there entry & without there Concent, has ordered an uncertain term of time to be wrote Against there names, rendering them subservient to him during his absence from the eastern States, which we think Arbitrary and unconstitutional, & must when heard of in America be a hindrance and a preventment For aney Seamen to enter into the Service, or Depending upon the honours of Commanders, Like ours

There is a number of Prizes brought into this port,² but no Satissaction, or account for them, unless Your honours, will take it into Consideration, in those Material affairs, and to See Justice done by the captors. On our first arrival in France we brought in tow [two] prizes one of which fetchd not half the first cost, & the other deliverd to M^r Delap of Bourdeaux of which can get no Account, or Satisfaction for—³

We have been Lying in different ports in France since the first of December last & onley made one Cruize, and that to perfection had we our rights, But we can expect no more, when we see our, Faithfull, true & Fatherley Officer our first Leiutenant used so abruptley, & we beleive & what wee have Seen without a Cause, thus have we been Deluded from our Freinds, Familey^s. by ungratefull & False Promises and deceitfull Advertisements, we have fought & Taken, Ships, Sunk & Destroy^d., them and all the conslation we can send to our distressed & perhaps Famishing wives & Children, is, that there prizes is in the Hands of him, who has Deceived us, from the Begining—⁴

We humbley pray you be pleased to take our Case into consideration and render us some veiw and Satisfaction Of what we have gone thro with and to Send us home and not For us to Let our poor wives, and Famileys Suffer with Dispair, and we in dutey bound will ever pray.