This Day pleasent Weather. at 10 AM. I orded Mr- Atkins on Shore to the Broker, to enter the Prize Brig Britannia,1 he being put on Board of sd. Prize on June 23d. 1778, as mate under a french prize master,2 after doing his Buisiness on Shore he coming on Board the Ship, was Ordered by the first Lieut.—Mr- Reed3 to go on Board the Prize, and behave himself in his former Station, he went imediately on Board & demanded the Charge of the prize telling the prize Master he had orders from the Lieut- to take command of the sd. prize; the prize Master would not give up his Charge, untill he had Orders from one, who gave it him; they fell into a dispute, whereby the honest prize master received a Wound by a knife, who complayned to me immediately, after hearing the Complaynt I sent Mr- Reed on Board the Prize to send all Hands on board the Frigate, I examined them to no Satisfaction, I then inflected 12 Lashes on the bare back of the sd. Atkins, for assuming a false Charge & suffering the prize master wounded.—4
D, MH-H, Samuel Tucker Papers (MS Am 812), vol. 6 (Log Book of Boston).
1. The broker was a Mr. Field. Britannia was carrying a cargo of fish.
2. The prize master was J. P. Giscard.
3. Lt. Benjamin Reed.
4. In his journal entry for 17 July, below, Lt. William Jennison indicated it was a board of officers of Boston who decided the punishment for William Atkins.