No 23.

Sir, We have received your letters with regard to the vessels sunk at Whetstone point, and altho' you declined acting in your first letter, we are pleased to find you have since accepted of the trust reposed in you by the Council of Safety, and we find by your last letter, that you have in part executed the same, by raising several of the vessels. ー you are des[i]rous of having some further instructions about repairing and valuing the vessels after they are raised. ー we must beg leave to refer you to the proceedings of the last Convention page (13) ー where you will see what we are directed to do, and also we refer to our former instructions, by which you are requested, after raising the vessels to cause them to be rigged and put in same State they were in, before they were sunk as near as may be ー and then you, or any two of you are to cause them severally to be reappraised on oath by persons you may appoint ー to which we shall add nothing further at present, only request you to advise with Captain Nicholson in all your proceedings, and to take care your men appointed be free from any partiality or just objection; and that they make regular Returns of appraisement to us; we doubt not you will do, what is right, and then the owners cannot Complain, or if they do, their unjust allegations will be little attended to, we believe, by the Convention, who are shortly to meet. We are [&c.]

[Annapolis] 14th June 1776.