from the King to inform you that your Sovereign highly applauds the spirit, discretion, and manly perseverance which you have manifested in the defence of that important place.

His Majesty likewise much approves of the behaviour of the officers, soldiers, sailors, British and Canadian Militia, and the artificers from Halifax and Newfoundland, and orders me to acquaint you that it is his Majesty’s pleasure that his approbation be by you signified to them, and also to the Judges, the other officers of Government, and the merchants who have so cheerfully submitted to the inconveniences of a long siege and blockade.

It will give you satisfaction to know that Colonel Hamilton, who, in your absence, with so much spirit stepped out of his line in order to put that garrison into the best state of defence, and who, continuing there, by his example excited the inhabitants to join him in the defence of it, has been honoured with the Royal approbation, as have also Lieutenant-Colonel Maclean and Major Caldwell, and Captains Law and Macdougal.

I must necessarily regret that you have neither specified the actual force of the Rebels, nor communicated the intelligence which you may have received, or the conjectures which you have formed relative to their intentions. Your silence also as to your own intended operations and the present disposition of the Canadians, is much to be lamented, because the ignorance in which you have left me concerning those matters renders it impossible for me to convey to you at present any further instructions. His Majesty, however, trusts that the reinforcement which must have reached you long ago, together with the second division of the Brunswick forces and the Hanau Artillery Company, (which are now arrived at Spithead, and it is hoped will sail in a few days,) will be fully sufficient, not only to reduce the Canadians to lawful obedience, but, being under the command of an officer of your experience, will make such an impression upon his Majesty’s rebellious subjects in arms as will influence even distant operations, and enable General Howe more effectually to carry into execution those coercive measures which have unhappily been found necessary for the maintenance of the constitutional authority of this Kingdom over its Colonies.

As General Howe, through his zeal and anxiety for the safety of Quebeck, sent you the Forty-Seventh Regiment of foot without orders from hence, His Majesty has been pleased to direct that the regiment of the Prince of Waldeck, and the artillery thereto belonging, which were intended to make part of the Army under your command, shall be forthwith conveyed to and join the Army under the command of General Howe. It is, therefore, His Majesty’s pleasure that you do not return the Forty-Seventh Regiment of foot to General Howe, notwithstanding any request that may be made by him to you for that purpose.

At the time when I transmitted to you the warrant relative to vacancies in the Army under your command, it was understood that Lord Amherst, when he commanded in America, only gave commissions to the rank of Captain, inclusive, and posted to vacant Majorities and Lieutenant-Colonelcies; but I have now the satisfaction to inform you that his Majesty, always intending that your powers should be as great as those enjoyed by Lord Amherst, has been graciously pleased to order that you should give commissions to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, inclusive; and as many inconveniences might result from your not having power to make and fill up vacancies by sale, his Majesty has also been pleased to consent that in cases of sickness, and where the benefit of the service may warrant it, you permit the officers under your command, to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, inclusive, to sell, and that you give commissions to the succeeding officers; but in other instances His Majesty wishes that requests for leave to sell may, with your observations thereupon, be transmitted to the Secretary at War, for his Majesty’s consideration.

I am, &c.,

G. GERMAINE.

P. S. As the foreign ships which make part of this embarcation cannot be employed in any other service in America, as soon as the troops are landed you will give orders for their being discharged; and as, from the behaviour of the masters, there is good ground to suspect that they have stores of different kinds concealed on board, it will be very proper that their holds be carefully examined.

DEPOSITION OF JOHN EMMES, A DELAWARE PILOT.

PHILADELPHIA, ss:

On the 21st day of June, Anno Domini 1776, before George Bryan, one of the Justices, &c., cometh, voluntarily, John Emmes, aged about twenty-six years, Pilot, duly licensed for the Bay and River of Delaware, dwelling in the City of Philadelphia, and, being sworn on the Holy Gospel, doth depose, testify, and say, in manner following, viz:

That on the 9th day of September last this deponent departed from said City in the brigantine Sea-Nymph, of which Joseph Bradford was master, bound for Jamaica, and that on the 17th day of September last the said brigantine, being then off the Capes of Virginia, and beyond soundings, the said vessel was taken by a ship of war called the Mercury, of twenty guns, and sent for Boston, in New-England; that this deponent was on the day of said capture removed from the Sea-Nymph to the Mercury; that the Mercury, in which was this deponent, arrived in Boston harbour within two weeks after; that this deponent was found out to be a Delaware Pilot by means of some of the crew of the Sea-Nymph telling the same to the officers of the Mercury, as he understood and believes; that from the Mercury in Boston harbour this deponent was removed to the Preston ship of war, of fifty guns, on board of which Admiral Graves had his flag hoisted; that this deponent continued in the Preston from the 1st of October last until the 26th of January following, when this deponent went aboard the Chatham, of fifty guns, on which Admiral Shuldam had his flag hoisted, and continued in the Chatham till the last day of March, when the Chatham arriving at Halifax, in Nova-Scotia, this deponent was turned over to the Fowey, of twenty guns; that on the 7th day of April this deponent left Halifax in the Fowey, and arrived on the last of April off Cape-Henlopen, and on the 3d day of May last was put on board the Roebuck, of forty-four guns, commanded by Captain Hammond; that, about two days after, the Roebuck proceeded up Delaware-Bay to the road of Bombay-Hook, and anchored there, sending a barge with ten men in it towards the shore of New-Jersey, in pursuit of two shallops, or small country sloops, which had come down the river; that the barge aforesaid and a boat from the Liverpool frigate, then in company with the Roebuck, forced one of said shallops ashore, and burned the same, seizing the other, and bringing off from the shore twenty-five or thirty cattle in the shallop last mentioned and boats, as he understood; that the Captains of the two ships of war sent assistance in other boats to help their people in the boats first mentioned to bring off the cattle, on perceiving resistance was made by the country people; that the carcasses were delivered and divided to the two frigates, and a brigantine, a sloop, and two pilot boats, which were in company with the frigates; that the shallop last mentioned was soon after dismasted and scuttled; that said frigates proceeded up the Delaware to Morris Listen’s land, and there anchored during the following night; that the next day, the wind being at northeast, the said frigates and the other vessels in company turned up with the flood-tide, and, approaching to Reedy-Island, the armed sloop Wasp was seen within said Island, also beating up; that on this Captain Hammond ordered Captain Bellew, of the Liverpool, to stay at the lower end of Reedy-Island till the Wasp was above Reedy-Point, and then to follow him upwards; that the Roebuck arriving in the bite of Newcastle, this deponent saw a brigantine somewhat higher at anchor, but on the approach of the Roebuck, the anchor of said brigantine was lifted, and said brigantine turned upwards, the Roebuck gaining on said brigantine, and firing several guns charged with eighteen-pound shot, to oblige said brigantine to bring to; that the brigantine, nevertheless, escaped into Christine-Creek, where the Wasp had also retired; that a small schooner, laden, outward bound, was seen on shore just below the entrance of said creek by the crew, and that Captain Hammond sent his boat on board the schooner, and dropped his anchor opposite to said creek; that immediately after the Roebuck was thus anchored, being afternoon, the crew were employed in hoisting up the ship’s water-casks, and cleaning them in order to fill; that next day a flag of truce was sent ashore, and Captain Budden, a prisoner, was sent away with the flag; that before the flag of truce returned the galleys appeared upwards, coming towards the Roebuck and Liverpool, which