you will be on your guard, as it will not lay in my power to give you the particulars by the land express; but when the ships move upward, I shall send off the alarm by the armed barge, you may depend.

Gentlemen, you will be so kind as to inform the Congress of the proceedings of the Tories at the head of our country, as I think there will be occasion for some troops from upwards to quiet them, as they are breaking out in a surprising manner; and believe me that I shall do everything in my power to give you the earliest accounts of the proceedings of the pirates. In the mean time, I remain your humble servant to command,

HENRY FISHER.

Any Committee that this letter may fall in the hands of are requested to furnish the bearer hereof with a horse, upon sight.

H. FISHER.

DEPOSITION OR WILLIAM BARRY.

NEWCASTLE County, on DELAWARE, ss.

The deposition of Mr. William Barry, mariner, aged about twenty-seven years, taken before me, the subscriber, one of the Justices in and for Newcastle County aforesaid, who deposeth and saith: That, on or about the 13th day of March last, he left Cape-Henlopen, as mate on board the ship Grace, belonging to Philadelphia, and then bound for York River, in Virginia, Captain Erwin, commander; that, on or about the 17th of said month, about twelve o’clock, noon, they espied a sloop towards the land, bearing for them, having a jack in her shrouds, which the Captain supposed to be some American vessel, with powder, inward bound, in distress, yet they still kept on their course. When the sloop came nigh, she hailed them, and ordered them to lower their topsails and come on board their vessel; but they made all the sail they could, in hopes to get off. The sloop then fired several shots at them, as they apprehended with an intent to kill them; upon which, the Captain of the ship hauled down the sails, and went on board them; that this deponent then up with the sails again, to try to get off, but they fired; so he got wounded in his leg, and was forced to come to; and as they had no boat belonging to the sloop, there came a number of men back in their boat, which the Captain had taken, and took them all prisoners on board the sloop, which was called the Lord Howe, commanded by a certain — Ord, a Second Lieutenant belonging to the Roebuck man-of-war, whose tender the sloop was. They took the ship, and called her their prize. The crew were all (except the Captain) put in irons, though this deponent’s leg was very sore; after which, they were all carried and put on board the said Roebuck man-of-war, of forty-two guns, commanded by Captain Hammond, which was then lying in Hampton-Roads, and who strongly urged them to enter freely, which this deponent would not do, nor the Captain and some of the men, though others of our men did, rather than be kept in irons and ill used. However, after some time they were taken out of irons, and made to do ship’s duty, (which all prisoners must do,) with many insults and very bad usage. About three days after he went on board said Roebuck, she came to Henlopen aforesaid, and, cruising out and in there, took several vessels said to belong to the Rebels in America, which they said were, by their orders, to be lawful prizes, though, when their sailors asked when they would get their shares, they were abused by the officers, and told they must go to England first. About three weeks after they came to Cape-Henlopen, there came three men, one night, in a small boat from Lewistown shore, on board said vessel, and staid on board till about ten o’clock at night. The next night, when they came alongside, they reached up a small bag, which one of the men belonging to the ship told the deponent were letters, &c. Said three men were kindly received and entertained by the Captain and officers, but no prisoners permitted to speak to them. Said three men informed the people on board that they had, or that there were, cattle, stock, &c., for them at Indian River, which the tenders endeavoured to get, but were prevented by Barry’s brig, as they call her, and a small schooner; but he was not in the tenders. When the three men went off in their boat, they rowed as far as the back of the Light-House, as he could see, and were convoyed by one of the man-of-war’s tenders. One of the people that came on board as aforesaid had a mark like a half-moon on (he thinks) his left cheek, and looked like a cut—a well coloured man, and had on, he thinks, a brown coat and buckskin or other leather breeches; which man he would know again. Another of said men was pale looking, and wore blue clothes, he thinks, but is not certain.

About the first week in May, the Roebuck and Liverpool frigates, tenders, &c., came up Delaware River a piece, and sent some boats on the Jersey shore to try to get fresh provisions, of which there was great want on board, (viz: of flesh, fowls, &c.,) and where they brought on board several cattle, which were very poor, but were greedily eaten; after which, they proposed to go up the river for fresh water, of which they were in great want, and then afterwards, as he understood from the lower officers, they designed to go to Philadelphia and take it, if they could pass the chevaux-de-frise; but, if they could not pass them, then to return and lay at Chester awhile. As they came up the river, they fired several shots at vessels that were before them, and, opposite Newcastle, they fired two or three shots out of the bow guns at a small sail-boat; that, knowing the cruel disposition and threats of the men-of-war, he was in great pain for some acquaintances he had in Newcastle, but, with the spy-glass, perceived the doors and windows shut, and no smoke in the chimneys, and, seeing many carts carrying off goods, was in hopes they had fled.

On or about the 8th of said month, (May,) the row-galleys attacked the men-of-war, which the officers looked on with disdain, as apprehending they could do little damage to them. However, the Roebuck had a deal of her rigging damaged, and some shot in her sides; and as she was endeavouring to get nigh the row-galleys, to sink and destroy them, she got into shallow water, so that she could not steer, and ran on the ground, on the Jersey shore, above or near Christiana Creek’s mouth. At night they expected the fire-ships and galleys down upon them; and as she lay and took such a heel, they could not bring her guns to bear, and could not make any resistance in the Roebuck but with small-arms. There were therefore an anchor and two stream-cables carried out to endeavour to get her off, and three boats were kept all night rowing around her, and often going nigh the galleys to watch their motions, as they were expected every minute to come down on them; and, as far as he could learn, if they came and hulled them, they had orders to fly on board the Liverpool frigate, to save their lives, (for which purpose boats were ready,) and then the Liverpool was to retreat. But, about four o’clock in the morning, they got the ship off; after which, about forty men were employed in filling and stowing away fresh water, (of which they were scarce,) though they had stove many of their water-casks, and also did not expect the galleys would attack them again, as they thought they were much damaged; but as they attacked the men-of-war the second day with more courage and conduct, the Roebuck received many shots betwixt wind and water: some went quite through, some in her quarter, and was much raked fore and aft; but the carpenters soon covered most of the holes with what some called a “plaster,” which prevented her from receiving in the water; otherwise would have soon filled. During the engagement, one man was killed by a shot, which took his arm almost off. Six were much hurt and burned by an eighteen-pound cartridge of powder taking fire, among whom was an acting lieutenant, and several were hurt by splinters; but night coming on, and it being difficult to sight her guns in the night, and the galleys could not be seen, it was judged best to retreat; during which they ceased firing for a while, and every man got a dram given him at his quarters, with directions for every man who was called by his name to be ready to go ashore at Newcastle, under cover of the cannon, to plunder the town, and afterwards to burn and destroy it that night; but they were prevented by the row-galleys following so close. During the engagement, the Captain ordered several of the guns to be loaded with round and grape shot, which were fired at the Rebels (as the Captain and officers called them) who stood on the shore and banks. After the vessels had passed Newcastle they came to in the bite below the town that night to repair the rigging, &c., and next day the vessels went down to Ready-Island, where Captain Hammond hailed the Liverpool, and ordered her to go in betwixt the island and the main and destroy the town of Port-Penn, (we heard drums beating ashore;) accordingly he went, and soon after

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