Folios 147-148: Joseph Turner, Gosport. Letter enclosing extract of a report from...

Folios 147-148: Joseph Turner, Gosport. Letter enclosing extract of a report from Lieutenant Nepean, giving the circumstances of his impressing John Parsons. Turner considers the man to be suitable for sending to the Royal William but says he expects there to be an effort to obtain his discharge.

Folio 149: enclosure with folios 147-148. Extract from John Nepean's letter dated 17 April. Says John Parsons was impressed on 14 April at Fareham. The man had formerly served on HMS Boadicea, and says he was paid off from that ship. However, the impress had information about him and tried several times to take him to no avail, he being hidden in a house at Titchfield. When he was taken, in a public house in Fareham, he claimed to be master of a small sloop called the Dispatch, producing its Register - on enquiry, a man called Warner said he had been master for nine years, was paid for the job, and was not aware of having been displaced. Parsons was paid only £3 per month and had to find his own rations, so it was obviously a stratagem for avoiding the service. Parsons gave up the Register and said he would enter voluntarily to serve with Turner, but reneged the following day - at which point Turner sent him on to the Royal William.