A letter from an Officer on board the Somerset man of war at Salem, says,"You will no doubt receive by the same vessel which brings this, an account of the late most lamentable disturbance at Lexington . . . Our ship, as well as the Lively and two sloops are at present stationed to prevent a conjunction of the troops from any of the detachments which are assembled at Bellingham [sic.] and Tash river, as they must march along the road which is commanded by our cannon . . . Neither our seamen or soldiers enter heartily on the service. Our marines are almost in arms, and of the whole which I left the ship on the above service, eighteen have deserted."
A Correspondent says, "Many persons very absurdly blame Administration, because the ship Sukey, Capt. Brown, with the dispatches from Gen. [Thomas] Gage, did not arrive before or as soon as the ship with the printed account of the skirmish; but they should consider that though the Sukey sailed four days before the other, that she might probably meet with bad weather during those four days, which may have obliged her to put into some port to repair her damages, and by that means the ship which sailed last from America arrived first. And it is no uncommon thing for a private merchant ship to bring intelligence from different places before the government packet, for the above reason."
1. This letter appears to have been concocted in London, rather than writtten from the Somerset.
