To the Honble The Council of the State
of Massachusetts Bayー

The Petition of Thomas Nicholson humbly sheweth that your Petitioner is fixing out from Plymouth as a Privateer a Sloop called the America, burthen about Eighty Tons mounting ten Carriage Guns and six Swivels owned by himself & Messrs. Watson & Spooner & a number of others. She has On board Six thousand pounds of Bread, forty barrels Pork and Beef five hundred weight of Powder, Two thousand weight of Iron and three hundred weight of leaden Balls, manned with Seventy menー

Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays your Honors would Grant him a Commission as Commander of the said Privateer, he giving Bond agreeable to the requisition of the Congressー

[Enclosed] In Council Sept 6th, 1776 Read & Ordered that a Commission be issued out to the said Thomas Nicholson as Commander of the Sloop America he complying with the Resolves of Congress

Jn^o Avery Dpy Secy