Salem Committee to Massachusetts Council

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Committee of Safety and Correspondence, Salem, February 19, 1776.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOURS: The Committee of Safely and Correspondence of this town beg leave to represent to your Honours, that about the 24th day of January last, the sloop Rainbow, Lemuel Perkins, master, loaded with wood, was taken by one of our privateers, commanded by Captain Tucker, upon a suspicion that she was bound to Boston, and carried into Cape-Ann. Upon her arrival there, the master produced a certificate in his favour from the Committee of Safety of Newcastle, upon which, and his solemn declaration that he was bound for Salem, he and his vessel were released and suffered to proceed on his voyage. That soon after his departure from Cape-Ann, he was taken, as he says, by a British man-of-war and carried into Boston, where his cargo of wood was sold, which done, he was proceeding with his vessel to the Eastern-Shore, but, meeting with contrary winds, he put into this harbour, and came to anchor under cover of the guns of the Fort.

Upon the Committee having information thereof, they apprehended it to be their duty to make inquiry into the affair, in the course of which they found Captain Perkins' s conduct to have been attended with such circumstances as to make them think it necessary to detain his vessel, and to send him to the Committee of the honourable Board, to be proceeded with as they shall in their wisdom think proper.

The Committee have, likewise, directed Captain Benjamin Ward to wait upon your Honours, who is one of their members, and who is fully acquainted with all the circumstances relative to this matter that have come to the knowledge of this Committee. To him, therefore, the Committee

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By order of the Committee:

JOHN PICKERING, JUN˙, Chairman pro tem.

To the Honourable the Committee of Council.