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LETTERS.

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by his Majesty's Ship under my command, except in cases ofimmediate and urgent distress, until her arrival and situationin all respects shall be reported to his Majesty’s Governor orhis Representative at any of the Islands where I may fall inwith such Foreign Ships or Vessels; and that if the Governor orhis Representative should give leave for admitting such Vessels,strictly charging me not to hinder them or interfere in theirsubsequent proceedings.

I ever have been, as in duty bound, always ready to co-operate with his Majesty’s Governors or their Representativesin doing whatever has been for the benefit of Great Britain .No Governor will, I am sure, do such an illegal act as to coun-tenance the admission of Foreigners into the Ports of theirIslands, nor dare any Officer of his Majesty’s Customs entersuch Foreigners without they are in such distress that neces-sity obliges them to unlade their cargoes, and then only to sellsuch a part of it as will pay the costs. In distress, no in-dividual shall exceed me in acts of generosity ; and in judgingof their distress, no person can know better than Sea -Officers,of which I shall inform the Governors, &c., when they ac-quaint me for what reason they have countenanced the admis-sion of Foreigners.

I beg leave to hope that I may be properly understood, whenI venture to say, that at a time when Great Britain is usingevery endeavour to suppress illicit Trade at Home, it is notwished that the Ships upon this Station should be singular, bybeing the only spectators of the illegal Trade, which I knowis carried on at these Islands . The Governors may be im-posed upon by false declarations: we, who are on the spot,cannot. General Shirley told me and Captain Collingwoodhow much he approved of the methods that were carrying onfor suppressing the illegal Trade with America ; that it hadever been his wish, and that he had used every means in his. power, by proclamation and otherwise, to hinder it: but theycame to him with protests,- and swore through everything,(even as the Sea phrase is, ‘ through a nine-inch plank,’) there-fore got admittance, as he could not examine the Vessels, himself; and further, by the Thynne Packet he had receiveda letter from Lord Sydney, One of His Majesty’s PrincipalSecretaries of State, saying, that Administration were deter-

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