1. William Smith, royal chief justice of New York, wrote in his memoirs for Wednesday, 10 May: “Tho’ the Russell … 74 Guns and a Guard Ship lay at the Hook, a London Ship in Sight was attacked and carried off by three Rebel Privateers last Sunday Afternoon. The Merchants are incensed. The Delight Sloop of War did not go down till Yesterday” (Sabine, Smith’s Historical Memoirs description begins William H. W. Sabine, ed. Historical Memoirs . . . of William Smith, Historian of the Province of New York. 2 vols. New York, 1956–58. description ends [1971], 261). In a letter to Gen. Henry Clinton written at New York City on 8 May, Maj. Gen. James Robertson reported that “rebel Privateers carryed away a ship from London worth sixty thousand pound” (Klein and Howard, Letter Book of Robertson description begins Milton M. Klein and Ronald W. Howard, eds. The Twilight of British Rule in Revolutionary America: The New York Letter Book of General James Robertson, 1780-1783. Cooperstown, N.Y., 1983. description ends , 105–7).

2. In a portion of his journal entry for 9 May, New York City printer Hugh Gaine wrote: “Strong Report that the French intend to give us a visit” (Ford, Journals of Hugh Gaine description begins Paul Leicester Ford, ed. The Journals of Hugh Gaine, Printer. 1902. Reprint. [New York] 1970. description ends , 2:87; see also GW to Samuel Huntington, 5–6 May, n.5).