Folios 7-8: Peter Halkett, HMS Ganges, the Tagus. He writes that on taking up his...

Folios 7-8: Peter Halkett, HMS Ganges, the Tagus. He writes that on taking up his command he found it necessary to employ a Mr Charles Pires as a Portuguese interpreter. Mr Pires has been attentive and useful not just to him but also to other officers. He encloses a copy of the certificate from Captain McKinley. Captain Halkett observes that Mr Pires was extremely helpful to him with the task of embarking the French army yet received no reward or money for this work. He asks the Admiralty to consider paying him a per diem sum for his work. Attached to the end of the letter is a certificate from Captain George McKinley. He writes that during the period he was Superintendant of the Arsenal at Lisbon Mr Charles Pires acted as his interpreter. He commends him for his attention and support and recommends that be rewarded for his efforts. the statement is dated 20 November 1808 aboard HMS Lively in the Tagus.

Folios 9-10: enclosure with folios 7-8. A statement of the state of the Portuguese navy made by Captain Peter Halkett dated 10 January 1809. This covers:

Maria Primeira 74 guns. While the lower masts are installed and rigged the rest of the ship is in a poor way.

Princeza de Deira 64 guns. Leaky and requires a lot of work to be done.

St Sebastian 64 guns. Even worse that the Princeza de Deira.

Amazona 48 guns, a fine large ship and almost ready to go to sea.

Perola, 46 guns, she is in the process of being repaired, but much work has to be done on her to make her seaworthy.

Triton 30 guns, she is old but has good timbers and is repairable.

Venus 26 guns. In a bad state.

Serpent 22 guns, she is a fine large brig in the process of being repaired which work should be completed in a month.

Magnanimo 22 guns, she is taking on stores and almost ready to sail.

Princeza de Beria 22 guns, will be fitted out for use as a store ship.

Princeza Real 12 guns, she is taking on stores.

Benjamin 18 guns, a fine flush decked ship manned and ready for sea,

Real Voader 16 guns, hauled on shore to break up.

The Augusto. A small ship which will be made a powder magazine.

A 74 gun vessel is under construction. Not very far advanced.

Folios 11-12: enclosure with folios 7-8. Letter dated 3 January 1809 by Peter Halkett, HMS Ganges, the Tagus. He refers to the arrival of HMS Jamaica and HMS Nautilus with the the convoy from Newfoundland and the orders of Admiral Holloway to which he referred in an earlier letter dated 27 December 1808. Those two ships have now been repaired and fitted out and are ready to sail when so ordered. He also wrote about his representations, through M. Villiers to the Regency about the state of the Portuguese navy. As a consequence they have commissioned both the Magnanimo of 22 guns and the Princeza Real of 12 guns and appointed the officers that Captain Halkett recommended. The Amazona and the Benjamin are also to be commissioned and will soon be ready. The Maria Primeira of 74 guns is also to be fitted out. He proposes to put on board these two ships the most valuable naval stores. The remaining ships of the Portuguese navy will require considerable work to be done on them. He repeats his request for more ships of war to be sent to The Tagus as he does not have any vessels to conduct convoys, of which one such is due to sail for Oporto in the middle of the next month. He also repeats the news that he has sent HMS Redpole to Vigo to request the commanding officer there to send the stores to Oporto a he is prevented from doing so by the prevailing northerly winds. He also repeats his suggestion that an Agent for Transports be appointed.