My former Letters to your Excellency of the 20th. and 22d. Instant1 (a triplicate of the former and a duplicate of the latter are herewith enclosed) have already informed Congress of the disaster which imposed upon us the necessity of coming hither. But as that necessity has been and it seems still continues the subject of much Inquiry and investigation, it is proper that the facts from which it arose be minutely stated.

On the 7th day of November last, between the hours of five and six in the morning in Latitude 41° 3´ N. and Longitude 50° 39´ W. the Captain being in Bed indisposed, and the Master and 2d. Lieutenant on Deck, the Ship going nine knots an hour in a brisk breeze, and rough Sea, but by no means hard Weather, her Bowsprit, and all her Masts gave way in less than three Minutes: The Day was employed in clearing the Ship of the Wreck and getting up a little Sail; towards Evening a heavy Gale came on; During the Night the Tillar was lashed fast, and the Ship lay to very well, the wind blowing hard at South East. The next morning the shank of the Rudder was found to be so much wrenched and split that the Captain then told me he thought it a greater misfortune than the loss of the Masts: There were two French Gentlemen on board, who, it was said, and I believe with truth, were well skilled in maritime affairs, having been bred to that business from their Infancy; Vizt. Monsieur Roche a Knight of the Order of St. Louis and a Captain Remuy of Marseilles. Either this day or the next, I am not certain which, Mr. Gerard remarked to me, that, without any previous Counsil, it seemed to be the unanimous opinion of all the Naval Officers on board, to go to the West Indies; and that he believed it would be best, though he said he was at first inclined to oppose it. The first expedient to steer the Ship was by the Cable and a Spar: Below the split in the Rudder there was a Bolt with two rings, to which it had been intended to fix a Chain for the purpose of steering the Ship in case of such accidents, but the fixing the Chains had been omitted. Through this ring the Captain passed a Chain, and to each end of it, fastened a strong Rope which was conducted over the Quarters, and this was a second mode of steering her. But from the uncommon breadth of the Rudder, by which its power became unusually great, and the acuteness of the angle between it and the Chains, rendering a greater force necessary than if it had approached nearer to a right angle; the Bolt, though to appearance a good one, broke nearly in the middle and drew out: It seems the rudder of this Ship was hung after she had been launched, and that to do it the more easily, an Eyebolt had been fixed in each side of the rudder below the shank; to these Eyebolts two Chains were then fixed, which crossing the edge of the rudder in opposite directions, were fastened to Pennants made of Cordage provided for the Breechings of our twelve Pounders; These Pennants passed through Blocks at the End of spars run out of the Ports of the Cabbin. From thence they were led through blocks in opposite Ports of the Main deck to the Capstans; by means of which they were very conveniently managed, and the Ship without much difficulty steered; Such however was the force and wear they underwent, before our arrival in calmer Latitudes, and smoother Seas; that they generally gave way every day or two; and the Captain tells me, no less than six hundred weight of that Cordage has been consumed in that service.

So great was the swell off the Banks, and so high, though not severe, the winds, that near a fortnight elapsed before the Ship was put in her present Condition for sailing: The same obstacles also retarded the repairing of the Rudder, which after all was so weak, as that it was not thought adviseable to steer by the Tillar, and to prevent any further Injury from its striking against the Ship, which it constantly did, in calm weather Bags stuffed with Oakum were placed on each side of it, and a man employed night and day to tend them.

Some days before the 23d. of November the Captain told me he thought it advisable to call a council of his Officers, and submit to their Consideration the propriety of continuing our course towards Europe; Mr. Gerard shortly after mentioned to me the sitting of this Council; and said he could assure me that the Chevalier Roche, and Monsieur Remuy would not give their Opinions on the subject, but in writing, and on being requested to do it in writing by the Captain. This Intelligence appeared to me extraordinary; but as it was not necessary that my sentiments relative to it should be known, I made no reply to Mr. Gerard, but by degrees turned the conversation to another subject; nor did I give the least hint of it to the Captain, but observed a perfect silence relative to it. It appeared to me that those Gentlemen either overrated their Importance or entertained improper Ideas of the merit of our Officers; and I confess it gave me pleasure to hear that they were not consulted at all.

The Council of Officers was held the 23d. of November last; The Captain gave me their report, together with a Return of the Provisions and Water on Board; and assured me of his readiness to proceed to any Port whatever that Mr. Gerard and myself should direct. I gave these papers to Mr. Gerard, and although I did not think it expedient by consulting the french Officers to give them reason to suppose that I concurred in sentiments with them, as to the Importance of their Opinions, yet I told Mr. Gerard, I was well satisfied he should communicate to them the Report of our Officers; and obtain their sentiments on the question stated in it, and the better to enable him to do it, I proposed that we should postpone the discussion of the subject ’till the next day, or longer if necessary; he took the papers, said it was very well, and that he would speak to those Gentlemen. A day or two after, being on Deck Mr. Gerard took me aside and gave me the papers, telling me that he had seen these Gentlemen, and that they both declined giving any opinion about it: That they had always been, and still were, really to do anything for the benefit of the Ship; That had they been requested to give their opinions while the matter was in agitation, they would have done it; That it was now over, and determined; That under these circumstances their opinion would be of no avail, and that they did not choose, by declaring their sentiments, either to confirm the report, or give it ineffectual opposition: Mr. Gerard further intimated that those Gentlemen seemed to think their giving their advice in the course of our troubles had given offense to the Officers of the Ship; but I had never reason to think their apprehensions well founded. Upon this Conduct of those Gentlemen, I briefly observed to Mr. Gerard that, as they were passengers, we had no right to demand their opinions, and that they had a right to withhold them or not, as they pleased, and for such reasons as they might think proper; but that as the captain of the ship had been directed by the marine committee to obey such orders as he should receive from us, it was necessary that in the present conjuncture we should decide on the report; That the Captain in my opinion would not be justifiable in further pursuing his course against the solemn and unanimous opinion of all the Officers, unless by our express Orders; and he would be culpable, in changing it without a previous application to us for direction: Mr. Gerard observed that he was sensible of the honor done him by the order alluded to, but that it was not convenient to him to give any Opinion or direction on the subject: It did not appear to me prudent to reply to this, and therefore I took the first opportunity of turning the conversation to another topic: As this circumstance prevented the Captain’s receiving any positive Orders from us on the subject, he was of course left to pursue his own judgment, but being desirous of my opinion, I gave it to him, in the manner endorsed on the Report of the Council, of which a copy is herewith enclosed.2

The Reasons on which this Opinion was grounded are in part contained in this Report, but there were others not mentioned in it: That Congress may the better judge of their force, it is necessary that they be informed of some previous circumstances.

The first fair day after losing our masts, I went to the door of Mr. Gerard’s Room on the deck, which was open, to bid him good morning: Chevalier Roche was with him; They were conversing on the Course most proper for us to steer and the Port most proper to make for; Mr. Gerard was for going to Cadiz: He had an excellent set of Charts, and he had then one of the Atlantic Ocean, with it’s American, European, and African Coasts, and the Intervening Islands, before him; By the assistance of this Map we perfectly understood his reasoning; The Chevalier at that time inclined to the West Indies, and I heard him on leaving the Room, tell Mr. Gerard, that to endeavor to get to Europe in the present Condition of the Ship would be to “run a very great risque of perishing in the Ocean”: Some time after this Mr. Gerard perceiving that I had adopted no decided Opinion of the subject (and that was really the case) in the course of an Evening he spent with us in the Cabbin, (none of the Officers of the Ship being present) desired me to attend particularly to his several reasons for going to Cadiz, and consider them maturely, before I made up my judgment. I promised him to do it and was as good as my word: He proceeded to observe

1st.	That the distance to Cadiz, and to Martinique differed but little, and that no weighty argument could be drawn from this difference.
2d.	That between us and Cadiz lay the Western and Canary Islands, into some one or other of which we might run, if necessary.
3d.	That if on our arrival at either of these Islands, it should appear impracticable or imprudent to proceed further, our persons at least would be safe, and we might get to Europe in one of the many Vessels which frequent those Islands: Whereas on the other hand there were no Islands between us and Martinico, and we should in steering Southward be obliged to run all that distance without finding any place by the way, at which we might touch, or, in case of danger, find shelter.
4th.	That if calmer Seas were our object, we should find them in going Eastward as well as Southward; That we must not expect to meet with the trade Winds at that Season but in a very remote southern Latitude; That in crossing the Latitude of Bermudas we should meet with heavy squalls and bad Weather; That in the Latitude between that and the trade Winds we must expect variable Winds, and particularly long calms, which are often more dangerous, and to be dreaded than hard Winds.
5th.	That in a voyage to Cadiz we should have nothing to apprehend from the Enemy, but to Martinique everything.
6th.	That if we should arrive safe at Martinique, we should probably be detained there ’till next Spring; That the Vessels which usually sail from thence for France every fall would have departed before the time we should reach the Island; That he had reason to believe it would be very difficult, if not impracticable, to obtain a frigate, and among other reasons, urged the absence of Count D’Estaing, and the improbability that any subordinate Officer would undertake without his Orders to grant us one, even admitting what was very unlikely that one might be spared from the service.
7th.	That the Ship might remain long at Martinique without being made ready for sea, for want of naval Stores, Provisions, &c.

These were Mr. Gerard’s reasons for our steering for Cadiz by the way of the Azores, and I do not remember to have afterwards heard an additional one. Whether the French Officers really thought them conclusive, or whether they found it convenient to make a compliment of their sentiments to a Gentleman very able to serve them is uncertain; but I believe they in appearance inclined to Mr. Gerard’s opinion, and gave him implied reasons to think their sentiments corresponded with his.

The matter appeared to me in a serious light, and to require caution on many accounts. Every Consideration called me to Spain: Private as well as Public good forbid a difference with Mr. Gerard. I had reason to believe him well disposed towards me; I perceived clearly that he could not with any patience admit the Idea of being absent from Europe at so important a Season, and that he could scarcely treat with common decency the reasons urged for going to Martinique. Hence it appeared obvious that should I be the means of his losing his objects, or should any public Inconveniences result from our not being in Europe during the Winter I should be censured, not only by him, but by all those who judge of the propriety of a measure only by its consequences, of which number are the far greater part of Mankind. Thus circumstanced, I found myself in a very unpleasant situation, without any way of extricating myself, but by agreeing to a sort of middle proposal, Vizt. to order the captain to land us on one of the Western Islands, and then leave the Ship to shift for herself: This would have satisfied Mr. Gerard, and we should have been as good friends as ever: I thought it my duty however to form my decision carefully and honestly, and abide by it firmly. It was that we should proceed to Martinique: Some of the Reasons for it are set forth in the Report of the Council of Officers: The whole together were briefly these:

1st.	That the officers of the Ship, including the Carpenter, who were to be presumed to be better Judges than Mr. Gerard or myself; were of opinion that we ought not to attempt to go to Europe; and had this Reason stood single, and unexplained, I should not readily have ventured to reject it, especially as it appeared to me against the Interest of the Officers to come to the West Indies, and I have heard them constantly, and uniformly regret the necessity of it but I also thought they decided on good Grounds: for,
1st.3	The Rudder daily gave us infinite trouble almost every day a Pennant breaking, and on every such occasion the Ship for some time left to the direction of the Wind and Waves, a circumstance which might be fatal in hard weather and near land; The quantity of Cordage consumed in this way of steering; The doubt of our having sufficient for the purpose without stripping the Guns which would thereby be rendered useless; The Rudder irons daily becoming more and more loose and by the nails drawing out, opening a passage for the water into the Stem of the Ship: By this circumstance our bread had been damaged; The danger of our being obliged to get rid of the Rudder entirely and steering only by the Cable, which in Northern Seas, and Winter Season, is very inadequate. This event would have arrived in case either of the Eyebolts in the Rudder had given way, as the first-mentioned one had done, or the upper Irons become entirely loose; and for this event it was thought necessary to prepare, by removing the Obstacles to unhanging the Rudder: Indeed the upper Irons in the course of our passage here, with fair winds and no storms, became so loose as to render it necessary to lash the Head of the Rudder with Ropes to a bolt fixed for the purpose in the cabin floor.
2nd.	The Sails we had left were bad, having been originally made, as Mr. Vaughan the second Lieutenant told me, of damaged Canvas;—they frequently split—we had none to replace them, nor a sufficient stock of Twine to mend them, eight pounds only being left of the twenty odd we brought from Philadelphia; nor were we much better supplied with Cordage, for which there was a daily demand, and some of which was very bad.
3rd.	Our Jury-Masts were not calculated for hard weather, the foremast being sprung a few feet below the top, and not able to endure a hard Storm.

For these Reasons the rough weather common in Northern Latitudes was by all means to be avoided, and smooth Seas sought.

As to the conveniences to be derived from the Islands laying between us and Cadiz. I took some pains to examine into that matter: We had Maps and descriptions of them all, and our Master had been at many of them; I found there was not a single Harbour in any one of them, in which a Ship could ride at Anchor in every Wind; On the contrary neither of them has any thing more than open Roads, out of which it is necessary for Ships to make the best of their way, and put to Sea, whenever certain winds blow; A Task which our Ship was very far from being in Condition to perform.

From this, and other circumstances it was evident we could not refit in either of those Islands, not even so much as get a new Rudder; for admitting materials for the latter could be had, yet such was the difficulty, if not impossibility of hanging it, in an open Road, from whence the Ship was every moment exposed to the necessity of going to Sea by an unfavorable wind that we could expect to derive no advantage from these Islands, except the Prospect of obtaining some refreshments, which we could do without, and the value of which would not have compensated for the risk of approaching them in our condition.

As to the Idea of our steering that course with a view of being landed on one of those Islands; and from thence going to Europe in another Vessel; leaving our own to her fate, no earthly consideration could ever have reconciled me to it. The Reasoning which was insisted on, that our being seasonably in Europe was of more importance to the United States than a frigate, and that in time of War, and for the public good, lives were to be risked by sea as well as by land; was a species of reasoning which, applied to this Case, led to conclusions, which never have been, and I pray God, never may be among my Principles of Action: Had this Plan of being landed on one of the Azores or Canaries been adopted, we should either have landed the Crew with us or not: If the first, the Frigate would have been given to Destruction: This appeared to me inconsistent with the public good, because, if we reached Martinique, I had no doubt of a Passage, and my arrival in France, eight weeks sooner or later, did not appear to me of equal Importance to the United States with the Frigate’s: Had the Crew been left on Board, it must have been with a view of saving the Ship, either by her reaching Europe, or the West Indies: The Probability of her Effecting either, became then a most important Question; as the lives of between two and three hundred Americans depended on the Event; Against it were opposed the dangers of the Seas, and the want of Provisions; The former would have encreased with the approach of Winter, and therefore the longer the Ship was detained to the Northward the more she had to suffer, and to fear. The Frigate after having landed us on either of the Islands must either have gone on towards Europe or endeavored to get to the West Indies.

All the considerations above mentioned opposed the first and whoever compares the time necessary for a Voyage for a Ship under Jury-Masts, and almost without a Rudder, from the Banks of Newfoundland, to the Azores or Canaries, and from thence to the West Indies, with our stock of Provisions; will find them inadequate to the purpose, and be convinced of the Cruelty of subjecting one’s Fellow Citizens to such Extremities: For these reasons I positively refused to join in this System.

As to the position in favor of going to Europe, that we should find the Seas calmer as we advanced Eastward, equally as we went Southward, all the Officers of the Ship testified against it, nor would they admit that we had as much to dread from calms, as from hard gales. The supposed difficulty of obtaining a Passage from Martinique, made but little impression on me; I could not suppose the Islands left unprotected by Ships of War, or that the Commanding Officer would refuse to order a Frigate on this Service, if Mr. Gerard would represent it to be of importance, which I was sure he would do. How long our Ship might be refitting here was not to be ascertained, but I could not prevail upon myself to believe that the King of France would keep so considerable a Fleet in those Seas without providing for the usual Accidents they would be exposed to from the Sea, and the Enemy. At the worst, the Ship would be in a safe Port, and among a People bound by Treaties, and by Interest to afford Aid, and Protection, at least until Congress should be informed of her situation, and have an opportunity of providing for her wants. As to ourselves; in case we meet with the imagined difficulties, respecting a Passage, it would be easy, by passing over to St. Eustatia to get very safely in a Dutch Ship to Holland.

On these Reasons, the advice I gave to the Captain to come here was founded. I thought them right then, and was daily more and more confirmed in an Opinion of their propriety. In the course of our run here we had all the way fine, fair Breezes; and except in the Latitude of Bermuda smooth Seas and scarce any calms. The night before we made the land it was thought proper to lay the Ship to after the Moon set, which was between twelve and one OClock, and she continued in that Position only four Hours, and a half. Such, however was the Effect of it upon the Rudder, and so much damage did it receive from it, that had the Ship continued as much longer in the same State, it was agreed on all sides that the Rudder would have been rendered useless.

Mr. Gerard, hurt by being disappointed in his Expectation of being seasonably in France and perhaps mortified at my preferring my own Sentiments to his, ceased to observe that cordiality and frankness, which had before attended his conduct toward me: Nay he once went so far as to tell me I had my reasons for coming here. I appeared not to understand him, and continued to endeavor to render the conversation as light and general as possible. This was a Tax imposed on my Feelings by regard to public good; As a private Man I should have acted differently.

Thus matters continued ’till about ten or twelve days before our arrival here, when Mr. Gerard observed to me in the presence of the Captain, that it was time to think which side of the Island of Martinique it would be most prudent for the Ship to go, the North or South Side, and proceeded to state the reasons which ought to induce us to prefer the North; particularly that in the present condition of the Ship, she would, if she went to the South side, be in great danger of running by the Island to the Leeward; for that as we might expect the Wind at North East, she would not be able to lay sufficiently close to the wind, to reach Port Royal or St. Pierres; besides, that she would be in danger of calms, and being in sight of St. Lucia would be exposed to the Enemy’s Ships of war, without having reason to expect succor from any French Ships of war; none of which, he said, cruised off the Eastern Part of the Island, between Martinique and St. Lucia. He then shewed the advantages of going the other side by an enumeration of many circumstances, of which I have notes, but which it would be too tedious to mention: The obvious meaning of all this appeared to me to be, that we should direct the Captain to go to the Northward of the Island: But as I neither thought myself authorized, nor found myself inclined, to interfere with the particular Navigation of the Ship, to which I was not competent; I only observed to Mr. Gerard, that his reasoning appeared to me to have weight; That it was a subject I did not understand, but that I thought his observations merited attention: On this the Captain remarked, and I thought with Propriety, that it was impossible to determine on which side of the Island it would be best to go, until we were at, or near the parting point, for, that circumstances at present unforeseen, might render that way rash, which we might now think prudent; For Instance, an unexpected change in the wind, or the appearance of an Enemy. He therefore thought a decision of the question improper, till we arrived off the Eastern part of the Island. This appeared to me so perfectly reasonable, that I thought no more about the matter, and I did not suspect that Mr. Gerard would have felt any further anxiety about it: But it nevertheless so happened, that in the afternoon of the 14th. Instant, there was a conversation in the Cabbin relative to a Wager, which of the two we should see first Land or a Sail. In the course of this conversation Mr. Gerard observed, that it would depend on our going on the North or South side of the Island, and insensibly leaving the subject of the Wager, proceeded minutely to recapitulate his Reasons for the one, and his Objections to the other. In the Progress of this disquisition, he grew warmer and warmer, and at length addressing himself more particularly to the Captain, said He was surprised that those facts and observations should meet with so little attention. That he owed it to his conscience, and personal safety to mention and enforce them, and that he should represent the whole matter to his Court &c. The Captain repeated what he had before said relative to the impropriety of deciding on which side of the Island we were to go, until we had made the Land, observed whether any Vessels were on the Coast and knew how the wind would be. He then questioned some matters relative to the Navigation round the Island, on which Mr. Gerard had insisted.

For my own part, as the subject was so serious, I wished to be informed of some others, which appeared to me to want explanation. The Captain had informed me that the Master had been at the taking of Martinique last War, and was well acquainted with it’s Bays, Harbours, and Coasts. I desired the Captain to send for the Master which was immediately done. On this Mr. Gerard, more animated than usual, said, he pretended to no extraordinary knowledge on the subject, but that he had made inquiries and was satisfied with the Opinion he had given; then repeated what he had before said, about his conscience, personal safety, and Court, and was opening the Door to go on Deck, when I asked him if he would not stay and hear what the Master had to say: He said: No, he did not want to hear any thing farther about it; he had done his duty in delivering what he had to us, and we might do as we pleased about the matter. I made no reply; but proceeded to examine the Master and one of the Lieutenants. On the whole it did not appear to me necessary but on the contrary invidious to give the Captain any positive Orders on the subject; Nor did I enter into any farther conference respecting it with Mr. Gerard. I knew that no good would result from altercation, and that the best way of treating unreasonable propositions, cavalierly dictated, was silently to go my own way uninfluenced by them. This last business rendered Mr. Gerard still more dissatisfied with me; We observed, nevertheless, and still observe great politeness towards each other, but it proceeds more from the Head than the Heart. On coming a shore I flattered myself we should have left all these controversies behind us; but this City was soon entertained with them: The opinions of French Officers were taken by Mr. Gerard about the sufficiency of the Rudder to have gone to Europe; The Question about the Northern; and Southern Navigation was stated and agitated. Mr. Gerard claims the merit of having saved the Ship, by having, as he insinuates, dragged us into the measure of taking the Northern Passage, &c. &c. As we are safe in the Harbour, these matters are now of no consequence, and therefore I constantly avoid the Subject. How they may be represented at Philadelphia is of some moment, and therefore it appears to me expedient to trouble myself and Congress with this Narration.

I can not conclude this Letter without expressing my satisfaction with the attention and Politeness observed by the Captain, and other Officers towards the Passengers, as far at least as my knowledge extends. I have the honor to be &c.