Folios 224-225: Edward James Foote, HMS Sea-horse [Seahorse], off the Bolt. Reports...

Folios 224-225: Edward James Foote, HMS Sea-horse [Seahorse], off the Bolt. Reports he has just received the letter of 6 December from the Fly hired tender. The list of transports supplied to Captain James Young on 16 November only carried about half of those ships now under his convoy and which were listed by the Transport Office in Portsmouth. Lieutenant Walsh has told him that the Dove, George, Hope, London Packet and Sibella have cargo for Gibraltar and are meant to carry home merchandise from there, which means he will have to stop there although Gibraltar is not mentioned in his orders. Those are to see the majority of the trade bound for Lisbon to the bar of the River Tagus and then with HMS Pique to take the store ships and victuallers to Minorca and Malta. Since the wind is Southerly, he has sent Captain Ross Donnelly of HMS Maidstone to Falmouth to bring out all the ships bound for Lisbon and Oporto while he keeps a good offing. He has now examined the bills of lading of HMS Alliance, HMS Chichester and HMS Serapis and he will order only the Serapis to discharge her cargo there. If the other two proceed to Malta, there will be a good supply of masts, spars and stores at both places.