AFter my most hearty Thanks for the Present of those Delici­ous Wines of Monte-Christo you sent me, with which se­veral Friends of yours, and my self, frequently drink your Health. I know you will be not a little sollicitous, to know the present State of our Ship, which according to my little Know­ledge of so great a Body, is at pre­sent thus:

You remember after our late Cap­tain had deserted us, and went over to the Algerines, by unanimous Consent of the Ships Crew, (a few Mahometan Tarpaulins only excepted) we chose the Master of the Batavia to succeed him, who has given us all the Assurances of [Page 2] a Brave and Generous Commander: You have heard of his last Summers Actions on Board the Hibernia, who is now almost forc'd to her Obedience, and to stri [...]e Sail to the Britania, tho' some few Mahometans, who lye skulk­ing in hole, of the Ship, do sometimes appear upon Deck, but our Men do often kill 'em, and throw 'em over­board: the Lieutenant was kill'd last Summer, by a Shot in the Neck, and our Captain himself receiv'd a slight Wound on the shoulder, but we hope in a little time, to give a very good Account of that Ship, the Round house, the Great Cabin, the Steerage and Gun Room being entirely in the Christians Hands; and the Ships Crew are con­tinually between Decks, to find out the lurking Mahometans.

Our Captain, in January last, went on Board the Batavia, a Vessel lying at Anchor, some few Leagues from our Ship, to discourse with several o­ther Captains & Lieutenants (who there make their Rendezvous) about the State of the War with the Algerines, this ap­proaching Summer, who are now grown to a very considerable degree of Inso­lence, and bid desiance to all the Ships in the Mediterranean; but their several Breaches of Faith, and their frequent Cruelties, have render'd them very o­dious to all the Christian Vessels, now riding in these Seas: It must yet be con­fest, they are a very politick sort of People, and by Means of their Barbary Gold, get Intelligence of almost all the Actions and Intentions of the Christians, who have a numerous Company of Re­negades amongst them; who, though they do not openly profess the Maho­metan Creed, yet are believ'd to be Mus­selmen in their Hearts; besides, their fixt Belief of Fatality emboldens the Algerines in their Barbarities, and in­terpreting every Action by its Success, they upon every prosperous Event, push their good Fortune on, and are the more Resolute and Daring, because they be­lieve every Mans Fate to be wrote in his Fore-head.

You have heard, I presume, Sir, of the Villainous Actions of one of our Eore-mast, Men (a Fellow that used to fell Brandy to some of the Sailers) who was seen to swim on Board the Alge­rine Fleet when near this Port; he was taken and Tryed, and making but a pitiful Defence for himself, a conve­nient Halter soon finish't the Life of poor Godfrey.

The most Remarkable Occurrence that lately happen'd, was of three of our Passengers, the one of Quality, and the two other Gentlemen of Fortune, who being Well-wishers to the Alge­rine Interest, contrived in a little Felu­ca they had hired for that Purpose, to go to Algiers in the Night; their De­sign succeeded so far, that they got off, and were gone some Miles at Sea, but our Secretary soon smoak'd the Design, and sent one or two of our ablest Sailers in the Long Boat after 'em; they quick­ly found 'em, and searching the Sparks, found a Bundle of Letters, with Lead affixt to the Bag that kept them; up­on [Page 3] the Seizure of which, they endea­voured by large Promises, and insinu­ating Wheedles, to have perswaded our Boys to have thrown them over­board, but being honest trusty Ladds they refus'd it, and bringing them back they were committed to the Fore Ca­stle, and examin'd; two of them re­ceiv'd sentence of death, and one of them was hang'd at the Yard Arm, to the great grief of those in our Ship, who are favourers of the Mahumetan Interest; the Copy of his Speech they got printed at the port, and value it as highly as the Alc ran, and what ever esteem he may have with others, with them he passes for a true believer, and is believ'd to be gone directly to para­dice.

The Captains Lady (who by Consent) Governs the Vessel in his Absence; is a Woman of Extraordinary Con­duct; Nature has furnisht Her with a Thousand Charms, both of body and mind; so that Her very Enemies are forced to own Her to be a Lady fit to Rule; and which is yet more strange, so wisely does She Steer the Ship, that all the Mariners on Board, confess with an Unanimous Consent that She has a Soul purely Masculine, and justly Claims the most exalted Respect from all, who are spectators of her wise Management.

The Mahometans on Board, tho' not countenanced, nor put into places of trust, yet while they behave themselves quietly, enjoy the private Exercise of their Religion, but the most pernici­ous Creatures amongst us are a sort of Mongrill Christians, who bear an equal respect both to the Cross, and the Half-Moon; they are continually in some private places of the Ship, form­ing projects to restore our late Cap­tain to his post again, and frequently drink his health, and to his safe return to the Brittania, but in such odd, and Ambiguous Terms, that their words have a double meaning, and since the knowledge of the intention is hid from Humane Cognizance, by their ingenu­ous salvo's, they keep themselves with­in the intrenchments of their own thoughts, the want of which Equivo­cation, would often expose them to the ill Usage of the Bilboes, or the severe Discipline of the Capstern.

We have a Numerous Company of the Clergy on Board, who have the charge of the Souls Health of those in the Ship; yet the Chief Head of their number with some few others, refuse in their publick Devotions to pray for the present Governours of our Ship; yet take it for a most Abusive Affront, if any one should but express a thought that they were friends to the Algerines, nevertheless their Actions plainly tend to that interest; some of the Tarpaulins likewise (influenc'd by them) appear friends to their perswasion; but their number is so inconsiderable, that the Wiser Heads at the Helm are no ways affraid of them.

We just now receiv'd advice, that the Algerines in great Numbers had At­tacq'd a large Vessel of the Spaniards, [Page 4] called the Montania, now in Confede­racy with the rest in this Harbour; they made some shew of a Vigorous Onset, but the Vessel, tho' not half Mann'd, 'tis believ'd will make a very bold defence, by reason their Lieutenant is a very Stout Commander: 'Tis re­ported our Captain will go from the Batavia, to Oppose the Enemy; and there are some whispers, that the In­fidels have already quitted their pre­tences; but the certainty of this re­port with some other Remarkable pas­sages of our Ship, you may expect to hear suddenly, from,