Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 3
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.
266Friday 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
267Do send me what ever is new & curious. Your Family are well. Your Friend &c.
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).
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).
I have received your Favor of the 8th Instant.1 I had been Informed you were very sick but am hopes, as you say nothing about it in your Letter, that you have recover’d your Health, which God long preserve. Am sorry there is no better prospect of speedily obtaining Cannon for the Frigates. Pray hurry them along as fast as possible. The 24 Gun Frigate waits only for her Guns & orders for Enlisting the men. It is a great pity she is not at sea. It is highly probable she might by this time have taken prizes sufficient to have defreyed the Costs of Building her. The other Frigate might be ready for sea in a Month if her Guns were here. Capt. Manly is quite Impatient. I am hopes of getting sufficient for the 24 Gun Frigate as the Council have Voted to Lend the Continent a sufficient Number for that Ship untill they can be obtained from Philadelphia if the Committee for fortifying the Harbor of Boston think they can be possibly spared from those in & about Boston.2 The Committee are now Examining into this matter & will do all in their power to accomodate me. I have no prospect of getting any Cannon from Providence for some time. Their Hearth has broke lately & retarded their works. They have not as yet cast more than sufficient for one of their Frigates. Salt Petre making goes on Briskly. We are dayly paying Money 268out of our Treasury for that Article. We have so much of it on hand that we shall not be able to turn what the Continent sent us into powder this twelve months. The Powder we make, I am Informed is very good and of sufficient strength. Pray send me a Copy of the Confederation when finished and also a printed Copy of the resolves of Congress as far as the printer has gone. We stand in great need of them. Pray let me hear from you frequently & particularly. Our Privateers are very successfull. We have sugar & Cotton in plenty. I conclude with great respect Your Freind & humble Servt.,
P.S. You have not as yet Informed me whether there is any agent like to be appointed to take care of & supply the Continental ships with what they want from time to time; There is an agent appointed for Prizes but none as yet for the ships. This is a different department.
Not located.
Capt. John Manley commanded the 32–gun Continental Navy frigate Hancock, and Capt. Hector McNeill, the 24–gun Boston. Both ships were built at Newburyport, Mass., during the spring of 1776 with Thomas Cushing as agent. Both ships ran into problems of supply and enlistment, and it was not until Oct. 23, 1776, that their captains, along with Capt. Thomas Thompson of the frigate Raleigh, received their sailing orders from the Continental Marine Committee (Naval Documents of the American Revolution, 6:1126, 1385).