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Barfleur Basseterre Road St. Kitts Feby. 6th. 1781

My dear General

My last letter from Antigua, which will probably have the same conveyance with this, would fully inform you of my situation, and that of the Enemy. The Views of Count De Grasse were most certainly against Barbadoes could he have gott to windward, but failing of that, owing to strong easterly winds and a lee Current, he bent his Course to this Island. The moment his design was clearly known to me, I quitted Carlisle Bay, and gott off English harbour, with all the dispatch in my power, where I could only hear that a very formidable attack was made on this Island, without any certain information, either of the Land or Sea force of the Enemy. The Squadron under my command having then but 14 days bread on board, and having made an equal distribution, and been at half allowance for several weeks, I anchored in St. John’s road to gett what flower I could, as a succedaneum for Bread; I sailed on the 23d in the Evening with 22 ships of the

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