Marine Committee to Nicholas Biddle

Your letter of the 14th instant is the only one we have received since the misfortune of carrying away your masts or indeed since you left the Capes of Delaware so that we are strangers to the cause and manner of that unfortunate accident, if you wrote us any previous Letter it never reached our hands. We observe with infinite concern that your people have been and remain Sickly-this has happened in so many of our Ships that we cannot help attributing it to some cause that may with proper care & attention be removed. You should therefore insist that your officers do frequenly see the Ship thoroughly and perfectly cleansed, aloft and below from Stem to Stern, burn Powder and wash with vinigar betwixt Decks order Hammocks, all bedding, bed Cloths and Body Cloaths daily into the quarters or to be aired on Deck, make the people keep their persons cleanly and use exercise - give them as frequent changes of wholesome food as you can, Fish when you can get it and fresh food in Port. Ventilate the Hold and between Decks constantly. In short cleanliness, exercise, fresh air and wholesome food will restore or preserve health more than medicine and it is deserving the utmost attention of any or every officer to preserve the Health & Spirits of the men. If he does not do it he never can make a figure but performing this there is nothing he may not accomplish be his ambition ever so great. We expect the Randolph will be fitted and ready for Sea by the time that this reaches you, and it is sent by Express that it may not arrive too late, you are then to follow these Instructions, as we hereby revoke those given you by Mr. Morris on our behalf.¹ You are to receive from the Continental Agents at Charles Town, any quantity of Casks or Packages of Merchandize that they may have to ship on the public account and take them on board the Randolph. It is not meant by this that they will ship more than you can conveniently take in, or so much as to make the ship deep, or in any degree interfere with the duty or business of a Ship of war. Perhaps 50, 60 or 70 Casks of Indico may be the extent, and at the same time that we avoid as much as possible incommoding the ship, we recommend accommodating the Public service all in your power. It is absolutely necessary that we make immediate Remittances to our Agent at Cape Francois in the Island of Hispaniola as his Credit is nearly ruined there for want of them, and ours has greatly suffered by having three Vessels laded here intended for his relief blocked up by the enemy a long time & no likelyhood of their getting away. You will therefore consult with the Agents and receive from them as much of the goods as they have to Ship as you possibly can without injuring the fighting or Sailing of the Ship. It is not only necessary to make these Remittances but to make them speedily, and therefore we expect your utmost endeavours will be used to get away with the goods immediately.

The Agents will be ordered to Load one or more Vessels if possible and send along with you to the Cape; you are to receive them under your Convoy and give them proper Signals and Sailing orders and then proceed with them direct for the said Port of Cape Francois useing your utmost endeavours to keep Company and carry them safe into that Port where you will apply to Mr Stephen Ceronio our Agent, whom you will probably find in a good deal of distress which your safe arrival will relieve him from. To this Gentleman you are to deliver the goods shipped by the Agents at Carolina and to him the other Ships will be consigned. He will procure for you any necessarys wanted there and will attend you in a Vissit to the Governor, Intendent and proper officers of whom you will ask the liberty and protection of the Port and pay the proper Compliments on behalf of the States you serve. We have advice that the American Trade to and from Hispaniola is nearly destroyed by the Cruizers from Jamaica consisting of two Frigates, Two Brigantines, Two 14 Gun Sloops and 4 or 5 small schooners and it will be a work of great merit to take and destroy such of these plunderers as your force will enable you to Cope with; and that we judge may be either of the Frigates separately, or all the others in any Shape. Going with your Convoy and goods on board it will be prudent to avoid large Vessels, but when you have delivered the goods at the Cape, we desire you may not loose an Hours Time in that Port, take in any fresh provisions or stores you want and immediately go out on a Cruize against these enemies of our Peace, Happiness and Prosperity. The Randolph by all accounts comes to our ears has the Heels of most ships that swim-therefore if the Frigates Cruize together you can avoid them, if you meet either single we hope you can & will take them but particularly exert your utmost diligence and endeavours, to take, sink or destroy all the small Cruizers of our enemies that infest that Coast, and after driveing them from the Cape go down to the Mole St. Nicholas and clear that Coast of them as America has much valuable Commerce there. Any American Traders that may be ready to sail when you leave these Ports convoy them safe off, and meeting any bound in you will contribute what you can to their safety. Mr. John Dupuy at the Mole will supply you with what may be wanting there. The Ship or two Ships that go under your Convoy from Carolina, as also a Brigantine Anne, Captain Garrigues, and Sloop Phoebe, Captain Gilbert, will have to sail from thence to America soon after your arrival there wherefore you will fix with Mr. Ceronio the time when they will [be] ready to depart and return from your first Cruize at that time on purpose to Convoy them out and off that Coast as they will have stores on board for the Continental service. You will procure at every Port you go into and from every Prize you make as many Seamen as possible to enter our service. We hope you will have the good fortune to take many Prizes & amongst them a Number of those Cruizers that have been fitted out against us. You may send your Prizes into the Cape or Mole consigned to Mr Ceronio, or Mr Dupuy, who will make sale of them to the best advantage if permitted by the Government there as is done in other French Ports both in Europe and the West Indies; or you may send them to the Continent to the first safe Port they can make. But should you take any fast sailing Vessel with Guns and Stores suitable and can spare officers and men for her you may employ one or more such as Tenders to Cruize in Concert with you, giving the Commanding officer a Copy of your Commission and suitable Instructions; and we hope by this means you will be able not only to Clear Hispaniola of Cruizers but also to retaliate the injuries they have done us, on the Trade of Jamaica; and for this purpose you should get Mr. Dupuy or some other Person to employ a proper person in Jamaica or to send one on purpose to send up accounts regularly to the Mole of the Times when single ships or fleets are ready to sail and the Convoys intended to gaurd them. Such intelligence will be very useful to you on many accounts and on every occasion. You may employ the Randolph in the manner already pointed out to the 10th of July next, when you are [to] open the Sealed Instructions inclosed herein² and as those Instructions require from you an other Service you must keep your ship in as good Order and as well manned as possible and in every respect fit for Action at that period or as much so as the Circumstances of your Cruize will permit. Should it be necessary we immagine you might heave down or give the ship a Parliament Heel at the Cape or Mole. Any Prisoners that you take who will not enter into our Service you may Exchange at Jamaica for Americans taken in Armd Vessels and held as Prisoners there, sending down a flag from the Mole for that purpose if you think it necessary or if convenient you may send or bring them to the Continent always treating them with humanity. We wish to hear of strict discipline being introduced in our Navy, at the same time we recommend kind usage and great care of the Crews. You must attend to the Printed Instructions of the Navy Board and with the best wishes for your success,

We remain Sir, Your very hble servants