Compleat, from the loss of that Number at Fort William Henry and these measures I am hopeing, will meet with your Lordships ApproI am my Lord

bation

Your Lordships most obedient humble Servant

The Right Honble John Earl of Loudoun

B Wentworth

[Secretary Pitt to Governor Wentworth.]

[Ibid. p. 292.]

Whitehall Dec 30th 1757

Sir, His Majesty having Nothing more at heart, than to repair the Losses, and Disappointments, of the last inactive & unhappy Campaign; and, by the most vigorous, and extensive Efforts, to avert, by the Blessing of God on His Arms, the Dangers impending in North America; And not doubting, that all His Faithfull, and Brave Subjects there, will chearfully cooperate with, & second, to the utmost, the large Expence, & extraordinary Succours, supplied by this Kingdom for their Preservation and Defence; And His Majesty considering, that the several Provinces, in particular, from Proximity, & Accessibility, of situation, more immediately obnoxious to the main Irruptions of the Enemy from Canada, are, of themselves, well able to furnish, at least, Twenty Thousand Men, to join a Body of The King's Forces, for invading Canada, by the Way of Crown Point, and carrying War into the Heart of the Enemy's Possessions, And His Majesty not judging it expedient to limit the Zeal, & Ardor of any of His Provinces, by making a Repartition of the Force, to be raised by Each respectively, for this most important Service; I am commanded to signify to You the King's Pleasure, that You do forthwith use your ut most Endeavours, & Influence, with the Council & Assembly of your Province, to induce Them to raise, with all possible Dispatch, as large a Body of Men, within your Government, as the Number of It's Inhabitants may allow; And, forming the Same into Regiments, as far as shall be found convenient, that you do direct them, to hold themselves in readiness, as early as may be, to march to the Rendezvous at Albany, or such other Place, as His Majesty's Commander in Chief in America, shall appoint, in order to proceed, from thence, in conjunction with a Body of The King's British Forces, and under the Supreme Command of His Majesty's said Commander in Chief in America, so as to be in a Situation to begin the Operations of the Campaign, by the 1st of May, if possible, or as soon after, as shall be

any way practicable, by attempting to make an Irruption into Canada, as above, by the Way of Crown Point, and, if found practicable, to attack either Montreal, or Quebec, or Both of the said Places, successively, with the whole Force in one Body; or, at one, & the same time, by a Division of the Troops into separate, and distinct Operations, according as His Majesty's said Commander in Chief shall, from his Knowledge of the Countries, through which the War is to be carried, & from emergent Circumstances not to be known here, judge any of the said Attempts to be practicable.

And the better to facilitate this important Service, The King is pleased to leave it to You, to issue Commissions to such Gentlemen of your Province, as you shall judge, from their Weight, and Credit with the People, & their Zeal for the Publick Service, may be best disposed, & enabled, to quicken, & effectuate, the speedy Levying of the greatest Number of Men; In the Disposition of which Commissions, I am persuaded, you will have nothing in view, but the Good of the King's Service, and a due Subordination of the whole, when joined, to His Majesty's Commander in Chief; And all Officers of the Provincial Forces, as high as Colonels inclusive, are to have Rank, according to their several respective Commissions, in like manner, as is already given, by His Majesty's Regulations, to the Captains of Provincial Troops in America.

The King is further pleased to furnish all the Men, so raised as above, with Arms, Ammunition, & Tents, as well as to order Provisions to be issued to the Same, by His Majesty's Commissaries, in the same Proportion, & Manner, as is done to the Rest of the King's Forces; A sufficient Train of Artillery will also be provided, at His Majesty's expense for the Operations of the Campaign; And the Ship, that conveys this, carries Orders for timely providing at The King's Charge, with the utmost Diligence, and in an ample manner, Boats, & Vessells, necessary for the Transportation of the Army on this Expedition. The Whole, therefore, that His Majesty expects and requires from the several Provinces, is, the Levying, Cloathing, and Pay, of the Men; And on these Heads also, that no Encouragement may be wanting to this great, and salutary Attempt, The King is farther most graciously pleased to permit me to acquaint you, that strong Recommendations will be made to Parliament, in their Session next Year, to grant a proper Compensation for such Expences as above, according as the active Vigour, and strenuous Efforts of the respective Provinces shall justly appear to merit.

Altho' several Thousand Stands of Arms will be forthwith sent from England, to be distributed to the Troops, now directed to be raised in the Northern and Southern Provinces; Yet, as It is hoped, that the Numbers of Men, levyed in all parts of America, may greatly exceed the Quantity of Arms, that can at present be supplied from England; It is His Majesty's Pleasure, that you do, with particular Diligence, immediately collect, and put into the best Condition, all the serviceable Arms, that can be found within your Government, in order that the same may be employ'd, as far as they will go, in this Exigency.

I am further to inform You, that similar Orders are sent, by this Conveyance, to Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey; the Southern Governments are also directed to raise Men in the same manner, to be employ'd in such offensive Operations, as the Circumstances, and Situation of the Enemy's Posts, in those Parts, may point out; which, it is hoped, will oblige them so to divide their Attention and Forces, as will render the several Attempts more easy & successful.

It is unnecessary to add any Thing to animate your Zeal, in the Execution of His Majesty's Orders on this great Occasion, where the Safety and Preservation of America, and of Your own Province in particular, are at Stake; And The King doubts not, from your known Fidelity and Attachment, that you will employ Yourself, with the utmost Application, and Dispatch, in this urgent and dangerous Crisis. Altho' the Knowledge of an Intention to invade Canada is apprehended, to be not only unattended with any Inconvenience, but necessary to be propagated in the Provinces, in order to give Success to the Levies; yet, as Secrecy in all Enterprizes on particular Places is of the greatest Importance, The King is persuaded, that you will use all proper Discretion in communicating, by Name, any of the immediate Objects, before pointed out, farther than to such Persons, to whom it may be necessary, for the Good of the Service, confidentially to entrust the Same. I am Sir

Your most obedient Humble Servant

Governor of New Hampshire.

W: Pitt.

[From a Document in French, Endorsed "Captures made by the English Privateers on the Subjects of His Catholic Majesty, 1757." Translated by Otis G. Hammond.] [Ibid., p. 2931]

ABSTRACT OF SEVERAL INJURIES INFLICTED UPON SPANISH VESSELS AND SUBJECTS BY ENGLISH PRIVATEERS IN AMERICA.

The packet-boat Nuestra Senora del Pilar, commanded by Miguel Casanas, going from Vera Cruz to Guaira, was met and stopped by an English frigate mid-way between Monserrate and Guadaloupe, on the 27th of February. The English commander set the packet-boat at liberty and also gave it a passport for its security. But eight hours afterwards, it was met by an English privateer, who, having taken on board Captain Casanas, sent some English sailors on board the Spanish vessel. They entered the ship armed, plundered the coffers, baggage and effects which they found, and took possession of 900 piastres, two chains of gold, 50 piastres in current money, and even the buckles and wearing-apparell of the Spanish sailors, also holding a consultation to decide whether they should sink the vessel. The names of the privateer and its commander are not known, nor is the armament of the vessel.

The Governor of St. Domingo, having need of some provisions for the laborers of the new settlement of Semanà, permitted Francois del Valle to go with his vessel to Gaurico; and he, not being able to find provisions in that port, took some merchandize to exchange for supplies at Curazoa. As he was going to Curazoa, he was met by a privateer from New York, who took possession of the Spanish vessel, and maltreated the crew, saying that he did the same with every other vessel which came from a port belonging to the French, especially as he believed that already war had been declared with Spain, and he wished to take the first step. Finally he took with him the Spanish Captain and two of the crew, putting the others ashore in the Port of the Ysabella; they do not know the name of the privateer.

The packet-boat, Nuestra Senora del Pillar, of the Company of Barcelone, going to St. Domingo, was obliged, on the 28th of March, to enter the Bay of Montechristi. The same day, it was met by an English vessel, Captain Robert Funclan, who without heeding the remonstrances of the Spanish commander, opened the dispatches of the Court for the Governor of Puerto Rico; and after he had read them, he gave the vessel an escort which conducted it to the said Bay. Two English privateers, which were crossing towards the Islands of Mono y la Mona, attacked a Spanish packet-boat, named Nuestra

Senora de las tres Fuentes, alias the Pastora, commanded by Captain Don Alonzo Diaz, who was going to Vera Cruz. They spoke to him in French, and obliged him to "lay to" his vessel, notwithstanding he told them that it was a dispatch-boat with the dispatches of the King. Nevertheless they sent some Englishmen on board the Spanish packet, whose crew were put ashore on the Isle de la Mona. They took on board, the Spanish Captain with his papers and dispatches, which they opened and read, destroying several patents and orders of the Court of Madrid. They also took all the coffers, baggage, and other effects belonging to the Spanish officers, and the most of the cargo. The privateers belonged at Antigua; the names of the commanders were Benjamin Rady and Charles White, and those of the proprietors, John Dearmen Nantes, and William Sechel. Our Governor of St. Domingo wrote to the Governor of Antigua, to reclaim the vessel, and to demand the punishment of the privateers; to which was returned a very satisfactory answer, the Governor offering to punish the guilty and sending back some of the property which had been stolen.

Another privateer captured and took to the Isle of St. Christopher, the Spanish vessel Sabana, commanded by Don Joseph de Inchaurraga, which was making a voyage from Guaira to St. Domingo, with a cargo of cocoa; and, although he set it at liberty again, he had the boldness to open the packets of letters of the Governor of Caracas.

Another privateer met a small Spanish vessel, which was sailing without cargo, from Puerto Rico to St. Domingo, stopped and kept charge of it for six days, maltreating and plundering the whole crew. It is known also that another Spanish vessel, which was going from the Port of Coro, in the Province of Venezuela, to the Spanish Island, was taken by English privateers.

Pedro Mandaro Peregrin, a native of Havana, and Pedro del Mura of the Port of Principe, left Havana to carry lumber for the service of the King; they were encountered by a privateer from New York, whose men abused them and plundered all they could find.

The vessel Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion, commanded by Don Fermin de Sansinenea, going from Puerto Rico to Mayaquez, was met, on the 18th of December, by two English privateers of Santa Cruz, one named Joseph Cornell, whose men abused the captured crew and put them in irons while they plundered the vessel, and then set them at liberty; the Spanish Captain presented himself to the commander of the privateers, who for his answer, gave back a blow of his sword.

The Spanish packet, Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, commanded by Don Alexandro Joseph Savinon, which was going from the Isle of