Folios 136-137: John Sprat Rainier, London. Enclosing a 'memorial' for their Lordships'...

Folios 136-137: John Sprat Rainier, London. Enclosing a 'memorial' for their Lordships' attention.

Folios 138-139: enclosure with folios 136-137. Four times the size of an ordinary sheet of paper, Rainier's memorial, written from his ship, the Norge. His account of events the previous August (1811), when he had been ordered to blockade Oseley Bay, near a 'double force of the enemy' off the Texel. Due to unusual desertions from his ship he had given orders that a press of suitable men from passing vessels was to be made. On 13 August 1811, his first Lieutenant sent the master to press men from a Thames-bound Greenland ship, the Ocean, and they brought back 7 men, whose protections and papers he suspected were false. The following day, the master went aboard another Greenland ship, the Dundee, and took 3 men under similar circumstances. Both ships had pilots aboard and Rainier says they would not have been endangered by the loss of a few hands. Both ships' masters applied to the Admiralty for their men to be discharged, but not until 10 September (Rainier says he would have imagined they would make an immediate application as they had said they would do, if the loss of men were a great inconvenience), and Admiral Young, Commander-in-Chief of the North Sea fleet was asked to report. Rainier gives details of reasons to distrust the men's documents, mentioning particularly Bews, and Spencer, from the Ocean, and Thomas Peters, from the Dundee, also Tindel, Hunter and Clint. Gives further detailed justifications for his keeping the men and mistrusting their claims. Next, an order came on 22 October from the Admiralty to Rear Admiral Foley to send the 10 men aboard HMS The Monmouth. The men were eventually discharged by the Admiralty and an action laid against Rainier by the owners of the two ships for wrongful impress: he asked for a defence from the Admiralty having, he said, acted properly and kept them informed of his actions and reasons. However, being informed this was not possible, and to avoid trouble to the Service, Rainier then paid the sum of £42 to the owners for damages, and £88 for their costs, as well as £28 11s 10d to his own legal advisor. Now asks to be indemnified for these costs and charges, claiming that he had always acted in the discharge of his duty and 'zealous for the good of the Service'.