our harbour the Viper sloop-of-war, and she has taken five fishing vessels, two of which had about one hundred quintals of fish each; all of which vessels were taken as they were passing by our harbour, bound home; and said man-of-war, after tarrying here two days, sailed for Annapolis Royal, with her prizes, where the ship Merlin, of eighteen guns, lies, there to fix out one or two of the schooners for tenders, to cruise upon this shore for three months, to pick up every vessel that passes. Her station, as we are informed by Mr. Ralph Hacock, is from Mount Desert to Granmenan. Mr. Hacock was master of one of the vessels taken, owned in this place, and the Captain of the Viper gave him leave to come on shore, by his pleading the great necessity of his family; and Mr. Hacock gives further information that the Viper mounts ten guns, six-pounders, and twenty swivels, and has one hundred and thirty men; but have been on two-thirds allowance all their cruise. We would inform your Honours, that had the Machias privateers been here, we should have tried to have taken the Viper; but being destitute of any such assistance, we lie almost at the mercy of our enemies. If we cannot pass with our vessels, we can maintain our families but a short time in this place. Therefore, we beg that your Honours would take our difficult circumstances into your consideration, and grant us such relief as you in your wisdom shall think proper; and we, the Committee, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

By order of the Committee:

BENJAMIN FOSTER, Chairman.

To the Hon. Council and the Hon. House of Representatives for the Colony of the Massachusetts-Bay.

THOMAS OLIVER TO EDWARD WINSLOW.

London, July 10, 1776.

DEAR NED: I received your very obliging letter of the 23d of May, by Mr. Simpson, with a number of other letters returned, which went out from England, directed to me at Halifax, or Boston; and I am much obliged, not only for your kind attention to my concerns, but for your early correspondence, containing a fund of intelligence and entertainment.

I wish it were in my power to make you a suitable return, by giving you such information as would be new and entertaining; but long, I hope, before this reaches your hands, you will have known the great preparations which are already made for prosecuting with vigour the American war. We hope that these appearances of determination may have great effect upon the southern Governments, in bringing them to a proper temper of mind for a speedy reconciliation; but have not the least expectation of the New-England people giving up without real correction.

At this season of the year, London is more barren of interesting events, or any great movements, than Nova-Scotia.

I am glad you did not come over, as I am confident you would have been disappointed, entrenous. The application from the sufferers in America are like to be so very numerous, that I apprehend it will prevent the gratification of any. There is scarcely a Province in America which does not afford shoals of petitioners hanging about the Treasury; and Administration, however well inclined, are unable to answer all the numerous demands. Therefore, my friend, I advise you to trust your fortune in the channel you are in. If times alter in America, it may alter appearances here. I am still in the neighbourhood of London, but mean to get into some cheaper part of the country. Colonel Vassal and family are well; they will continue in London. I am not able to form any conjecture whether I shall succeed in my West-India plan, for reasons before mentioned.

I remain, your affectionate friend,

T. OLIVER.

To Edward Winslow, Esq., Halifax.

LETTER FROM THE CAMP BEFORE GWIN'S ISLAND, DATED JULY 10, 1776.

Yesterday morning Brigadier-General Lewis, accompanied by the Colonels Stephens, Woodford, Weedon, and Bucknor, arrived here; when a vigorous attack was made on the fleet and camp of the enemy. The ships were so roughly handled that the Dunmore and several others were in a short time towed off, and the enemy abandoned their works, after carrying away all their cannon except a six-pounder. We have taken the Lady Charlotte tender, with three guns, a very fine schooner, and a pilot-boat, which they made use of as tenders. The want of boats prevented our seizing many Tories, all their cannon, the greatest part of their baggage, and the negroes; the enemy have burnt several of their vessels, among them a very fine ship, supposed to be the Dunmore, which was rendered unfit for sea. His Lordship lost his china, by a double-headed shot, and it is said he himself was wounded in the leg by a splinter. The fleet is driven off without water; and although they have plenty of prize flour, there is not a biscuit on board. The houses, ovens, and fortifications, which they have begun on the Island, plainly prove that they had no intention to leave it in so precipitate a manner. All the loss that we sustained was in poor Captain Arundel, of the Artillery, who was killed by the bursting of a mortar. The officers and soldiers of Colonel Dangerfield's regiment behaved with great bravery.

PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF THE ATTACK AND ROUT OF LORD DUNMORE, WITH HIS PIRATICAL CHEW, FROM GWIN'S ISLAND.

We got to the Island on Monday, the 8th of July, and next morning, at eight o'clock, began a furious attack upon the enemy's shipping, camp, and fortifications, from two batteries—one of five six and nine-pounders, the other mounting two 18-pounders. What forces the enemy had were encamped on a point of the Island, nearly opposite to our five-gun battery, covered by a battery of four embrasures, and a breastwork of considerable extent. Besides this, they had two other batteries, and a stockade fort higher up the haven, where troops were stationed to prevent our landing. In the haven, were three tenders—one a sloop, (the Lady Charlotte,) mounting six carriage-guns, a schooner of two carriage-guns, six swivels, and a cohorn, and a pilot-boat, badly armed—who had orders from Captain Hammond, of the Roebuck, to prevent our boats passing over to the Island, and to annoy the Rebels by every means in their power.

General Lewis announced his orders for attacking the enemy, by putting a match to the first gun, an 18-pounder, himself; and the Dunmore, being the nearest to us, at the distance of only four or five hundred yards, the shot passed through her hull, and did considerable damage. Our five-gun battery likewise began playing on the fleet, the enemy's camp, and works; and the fire soon became so hot, that the Dunmore was obliged to cut her cables and haul off, after receiving ten shot, some of which raked her fore and aft. The Otter lay next to her, and it was expected would have taken her birth; but the first shot we gave her took effect, supposed between wind and water, as she immediately slipped her cable likewise, and hauled out on a careen, without firing a gun. By this time, all the fleet any way near shore began to slip their cables, in the utmost confusion; and had the wind set in with a flood tide, we must have taken great numbers of them. Our 18-pounders did great execution from the upper battery, which raked the whole fleet; and Captain Denny, who commanded the other battery, soon silenced the enemy at the point, knocking down several tents, which put their camp into great confusion. At half after nine, the firing ceased, which was renewed again at twelve, with double vigour, from both batteries; and nothing prevented our pushing to the Island, during the caononade, but the want of vessels.

The General being determined to cross next day, gave orders for all the small craft to be collected together from the neighbouring creek that night, and two brass field-pieces, six-pounders, to be carried to a place called Lower Windmill Point, to attack the tender that lay there, and facilitate our crossing. Accordingly, in the morning Captain Harrison, who had the direction of those field-pieces, began playing upon the tenders, which he galled so much that the schooner ran up a small creek which made into the Island, where the crew abandoned her, and the sloop got aground in reach of our cannon; upon which, the General ordered Captain Smith, of the Seventh Regiment, with his company, to man the canoes and board her, which was done with alacrity. However, before our men came up with her, the crew got into