Folio 183: Frederick William Burgoyne, 55 Sloane St, Chelsea. The Commissioners for...

Folio 183: Frederick William Burgoyne, 55 Sloane St, Chelsea. The Commissioners for Victualling have applied to him for accounts from his time in command of HMS Express in 1805, but he was in poor health at the time and unable to keep complete accounts. Encloses a petition to the Admiralty asking for a dispensatioin, as well as a certificate from William Holmes, at the time Secretary of the colony of Trindad, about his poor health.

Folios 184-185: enclosed with folio 183. Petition dated 13 May 1811 from Frederick William Burgoyne, 55 Sloane St, Chelsea, to the Admiralty. He refers the Admiralty to the enclosed letter from William Holmes to show that he was in poor health when he temporarily took command of HMS Express in order to carry a valuable confoy from Trinidad to Tortola, at the request of the Governor and Council. He only assumed command of HMS Express because her previous commander, Lieutenant William Glanvill, had died and he felt it was his duty to fulfil the request of the Governor and Council, and because his doctor had suggested that going to sea might improve his health. No survey was carried out of the stores aboard the ship, and then Lieutenant Burgoyne did not draw any pay for his time in command and is prepared to swear that there was no embezzlement. Asks for an order dispensing with the need to produce accounts. PS. Notes that he was left sick at Trinidad by HMS Alligator and that the few accounts he had from HMS Express were captured in a mail boat carrying them to Antigua, after he had left them in the possession of Lieutenant William Swiney, who succeeded him in command when he was promoted to HMS Cyane.

Folios 185-186: enclosed with folios 184-185. Letter dated 11 May 1811 from William Holmes, 10 Grafton Street, [London], to Commander Frederick Burgoyne. Apologizes for the delay in replying to Commander Burgoyne's letter, but he has been occupied with a select committee of the House of Commons. Recounts that then Lieutenant Burgoyne came to his house in Trinidad in the summer of 1805 while he was working for the Government of the island, having arrived unwell aboard HMS Alligator. After a period of recovery he was asked by the Governor and by a petition from several merchants to take command of HMS Express in order to escort a convoy from Trinidad to Tortola. When he returned to Trinidad his health was again poor and Mr Holmes again had him taken to his house to recover from yellow fever.