My Dear Sir, Boston Augt. 19th 1776

My necessary absence, last Monday, at my Island Hospital, prevented your having the weekly Journal as usual. I shall now send you the whole.

Monday 5th }

Tuesday 6th } No public occurrance of any kind in these day’s

Wednesday 7th }

Thursday 8th. Receiv’d your letter of the 30th ulto.

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Friday 9th. This afternoon arriv’d here a large prize Ship from Granada, laiden with Rum Sugar & a 130000 lb. of Cotton; she was taken by two Letters of Mart from New York. Likewise arriv’d this week, at Portsmouth a large Ship (she formerly mounted 20 Guns) from Tortola having on board 790 hhds. of Sugar, a large quantity of Cotton, Rum &c. with 12—9 pounders, Iron & 6—6 pounders, brass, most of ’em mounted; she never fir’d a Gun, supposing that an American privateer was invincible. She was right. She was taken by the Hancock privateer.

Saturday 10th. Receiv’d sundry articles of Intelligence, per post, together with your Letter of the 3d instt. Nothing new here.

Sunday 11th. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 12th. Two Briggs were sent into Salem & Dartmouth by one of the Colony Arm’d Vessells, both belonging to people of this Colony & have been traiding from the West India’s to N. Scotia. I hope they’ll be condem’d. Villains.

Tuesday, 13th. Jamaica Cargoes have been selling off this week past; Sugar is reduc’d to 32/ per C. & the best Jamaica Rum to 5/1 per Gall.— grand effects of arm’d Vessells. Their is now more Sugar in the New England States, than they can consume in three years.

Wednesday, 14th. This Day was celebrated here with the usual Ceremonies, firing of Cannon &c.1 In the afternoon arriv’d a Schooner from Hispaniola in 21 days. She brings no perticular news.

Thursday, 15th. Yesterday arriv’d at Newbury port a prize Ship from Antigua, having 400 hhds. Sugar & 100 hhds. Rum. She was taken by the Hancock privateer from Philadelphia.

Fryday 16th. A Brigg from St. Augustine with Indigo, Furrs, Deer skins &c. was sent into Marblehead yesterday by two of the Continental Cruizers; she has on board a Recruiting party of the 14th Regt. that was going home commanded by a Lieutt. The Brigg came up to this port this afternoon. Likewise arrivd. this week at Portsmouth a Schooner from Hispaniola with dry Goods & West India produce.

Saturday 17th. A Schooner arriv’d here to day from Martineco, with Molasses &c. She sail’d some time since from Salem.

Sunday 18th. Last Fryday was carried into Bedford, Dartmô, a prize Ship with 300 hhds. Sugar & 300 hhds. Molasses. She is said to be own’d by Thos. Boylstone of this Town; but is now cover’d under the Name of Lane & Frazier, London.2

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Do send me what ever is new & curious. Your Family are well. Your Friend &c.

David Cobb

RC ; addressed: “To The Honble. Robert Treat Paine Esqr. Philadelphia per post”; endorsed.

1.

On Aug. 14, 1765, the Boston Sons of Liberty hung an effigy of Lord Bute on the local Liberty Tree in protest of the Stamp Act. Thereafter the whigs kept the day as a regular anniversary (Justin Winsor, ed., The Memorial History of Boston [Boston, 1881], 3:12).

2.

Thomas Boylston (1721–1798), a well-established Boston merchant, was reported as the owner of the ship Argo, Capt. William Cochran, which the privateer Warren took as a prize while coming from the West Indies laden with sugar and molasses. Boylston, a cousin of John Adams, moved to London after the war. In 1793 the then-recently failed firm of Lane, Son & Frazer sought Boylston’s services as a “sleeping partner” (Boston Gazette, Aug. 19, 1776; Sabine, Loyalists of the American Revolution, 1:248–249).