(No 5)
My Lord

Since my Arrival here I have received your Lordships Letter of the 21st of May and am sorry to find that the Duke of Cumberland Packet Boat, with the dispatches were lost, tho' I am afraid your Lordship would have found but little information that would have been agreeable to you, onereason why I am sorry they did not get safe is, that mine contained originals of Intercepted Letters that would have gone far to have Warranted the securing the bearers of them, those were chiefly French, which it was not in my power from the shortness of the time from their being intercepted and the Sailing of the Packet to have Copied; of the others I have already sent you Duplicates, and now Triplicates.

It becomes Necessary now that I should give your Lordship my reasons for being here, they are few, but I hope your Lordship will think them conclusive; first the impracticability of Watring, our Numbers being reduced to one hundred and eight Men capable of doing duty, and those decreasing every day. The last time we were on Shore (as your Lordship will have seen by No 4) we were opposed by above three times our Number, and that we were sure to meet with wherever we went. Secondly our sickly State, yet I cannot say our Sick List increased much in Numbers, as there were as many died, almost as there were added to in the fleet that did not throw one, two, three it, in short, there was not a Ship or more dead over board every Night, the Roebuck I will venture to say is as well regulated, and as clean a Ship as any in the Navy, had Seventy five on her Sick list, and so in proportion had every other Ship; Captn Hamond and myself, finding it absolutely requisite to go to Sea immediately, as the only chance of recovering the sick, and saving those that were well; And being at Sea, and knowing this to be the place of rendezvous, for both Fleet and Army, We both thought it best to run in here; Where we would have an opportunity of giving the General and Admiral every information that came within our knowledge, relative to the State of the Southern Colonies, and our own Situation, and at the same time to procure some Aid; tho' both General and Admiral approve very much of our conduct, yet they seem very unwilling to part with any of their force at present, indeed it is hardly to be wished, till the fate of New York is determined, when I hope, if they are able to spare us any assistance they will; Sure I am returning to Virginia without, can Answer no good end to His Majesty's Service, but on the contrary would be giving fresh vigour, and Spirits to the Rebels, who would have it in their power to drive us from every spot whence we might endeavour to Land for Water, and if we run up any of the Rivers for Water they are thence so Narrow, that the Rebels may Annoy a Ship from either side with Cannon with impunity.

I have offered my services here in the mean time to General Howe, and shall be happy if I can be of use.

I have now only to Congratulate your Lordship on the Success of His Majesty's Arms on the 26th Ultimo: I was with the Highlanders and Hessians the whole day, and it is with the utmost pleasure I can assure your Lordship that the Ardour of both these Corps on that day must have exceeded His Majesty's most sanguine wish, and I am well convinced from every thing I have heard, that the fervour of the rest of the Army was in no ways inferior to those I have just now mentioned, but of which I was not an Eye Witness. I am My Lord [&c.]

[Endorsed] R 10th Octobr