"have a noble fleet, and commanders under

you that will obey your orders. It has been

difficult, very difficult to find out proper

flag officers to serve under you. Some are ' rendered unfit from their factious con"nexions-others from inferiority or insufficiency; and we have at last been obliged to 'make a promotion in order to do the thing ' properly.

'Sir Samuel Hood is to have his flag, and "to bring out the next convoy to you; and unless Admiral Graves comes from America, (which notwithstanding the positive orders 'I have already told you of, I do not consider as a certainty,) he will remain second in command to you, and with him and Com'modore Drake I hope every thing will go 'on to your satisfaction. We first thought ' of Admiral Darby and Admiral Drake, but 'their health would not allow them to en'counter a West India climate. At all events, "it was my resolution that no factious person 'should be put upon you, nor any one to whom I thought you had any personal objection.

'I have had one interview with Admiral

since his arrival. He grumbles and complains, but I hope will follow my advice, ' and consider it his interest to be quiet. He talked to me of publishing an account of 'what had passed in the West Indies. I told him that if he did, it would, of course, draw on other publications, and that every thing ' of this sort was very ruinous to the service. I have reason to think that what I said has 'had the intended effect, particularly as I 'told him that he would be well received by ' his Majesty, of which he seemed very appre

'hensive.

'I I am much obliged by your intended 'kindness to young Wells, whose father is 'my very particular friend; I am therefore 'extremely anxious for the son's welfare. It would have been impossible for me to have done any thing for him at home.

'I will, if possible, send the Gibraltar to 'you; but her captain is just married, and I • believe does not wish for a foreign voyage, and the ship is not yet properly fitted, as to

She is now at sea with Admiral Darby, and is, by all accounts, as fine a man-of-war ' as any in the King's service.

'I trust that you will add some more of the

same sort to the British navy, and in that hope shall remain your very sincere friend, &c. &c. &c.

'P.S. I inclose a letter from an unfortu'nate young man, whom, I believe, I have ⚫ already recommended to your favour. The

letter is put into my hands by my worthy 'friend Jack Calvert. I therefore recommend ' its contents to your particular attention.'

'TO PHILIP STEPHENS, ESQ.

Sandwich, off New York,

' October 10th, 1780.

Since my letter of the 15th of September, acquainting their Lordships with my arrival

off Sandy Hook, and with my intention of waiting upon Sir Henry Clinton, to consult ' and co-operate with him in every measure 'that he might think necessary for his

Majesty's service, more particularly upon

'the attack of Rhode Island and the French

fleet, if such an attack was deemed prac'ticable.

' And having received intelligence that the

rebel army under Washington, which had 'greatly increased since the arrival of the

French squadron, meditated an attack upon New York and Staten Island, I proceeded ⚫ over the bar with his Majesty's ships Sandwich, Triumph, Alcide, Terrible, Torbay, 'Yarmouth, and Fortunée frigate, and anchored the Sandwich in the north river, 'between the city of New York and the fort ' at Paulus Hook; the other part of the 'squadron abreast the watering place at 'Staten Island, with orders to land the sick, 'which are numerous, and to complete their 'water and provisions with the utmost deIspatch, holding themselves in constant rea'diness to proceed to sea at a moment's ' warning.

'It is with concern I must acquaint their 'Lordships, that having conferred with 'Sir Henry Clinton, and seen the correspondence 'between him and Admiral Arbuthnot, upon 'the subject of attacking Rhode Island, and

'destroying the French squadron in that port, ' it was his opinion, that it was now too late, 'the enemy having had sufficient time to for

tify it in such a manner, as to render an 'attack upon it impracticable, without a ' regular siege, which at present he has not • sufficient force to undertake, more especially as Washington, with his army, lay ready to pour down upon New York and Staten Island, or join the French should he withdraw the troops from those important posts. Such being the situation of affairs, I sent orders to Admiral Arbuthnot, who had been joined by the four ships I had despatched with Commodore Drake, viz., the Russell, Culloden, Centaur, and Shrewsbury, to keep a watchful eye over Monsieur Ternay and his 'squadron, to block it up in the best manner he 'was able; and as the season of the year was 'so far advanced as to render it impracticable for Monsieur Ternay to undertake any enterprise towards Quebec, or to the northward, 'should he escape with his squadron from Rhode Island, that he had, in my opinion, 'but two choices-either to return to Europe, or to proceed to Martinique, I therefore