Philadelphia, 30 Nov^r 1795 Sir As the late Transactions at Rhode Island, which involved two of His Majestys Officers, in the Censure of this Government, have been long since submitted to the Issue of a Discussion between His Majestys Ministers and the Ministry of the United States, in London, I shall, in the Communication I am now about to make to you, avoid, as much as possible, any recurrence to the Subject, other than what relates to the contemplated Demands, contained in your letter to me of the 5 of last: After requiring Capt Home for the Causes therein Assigned, to Remove from his Station, within the Jurisdiction of the United States, in a limited Time, another Demand was to follow which was to extend to the liberation of three Seamen, "whom within that Jurisdiction" Capt Home was said, to have "unlawfully seized." In my Letter to you of the 8 of Sept I readily admitted that the Detention of any Vessel within the Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States, and the Arrest of any part of her Crew, in that position, could not be justified; but being then totally uninformed as to the Facts, independently of the Express Protest of Capt Tillinghast and others, which you were pleased to inclose to me, I took immediate measures, as well for the satisfaction of this Government, as to wipe away any Imputation against a man of high Rank in his Majestys Service, to enquire, into the truth of these Allegations; It turned out as I expected, it would, that Capt Home had failed, before my Inquiries reached him; a Circumstance, which accounts for the Delay that has happened in procuring the necessary Explanations. From the Information now in my possession, I am authorized to say, that at this Time Capt Briefs Packet and the Ann, Capt Tillinghast, were respectively brought to by his Majestys Ship Africa; neither of these Vessels was within the Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States. Having pointed my Inquiries to meet the expectation of this Government relative to the Seamen impressed from on Board the Ship Ann, I avoid, for the Reason I have above Assigned, any further Observation relative to the Rhode Island Packet. The original Paper signed, William Jones, &c and George White, a Copy of which I have now the Honor to inclose to you, was received by me this Day under Cover of Capt Home — It serves to Refute two Facts, which seem in some Degree, to have accelerated the marked Resentment of this Government against that Officer — It proves, by the Acknowledgment of the parties supposed to be injured, that these three Seamen were not "unlawfully seized, within the Jurisdiction of the United States. And that to these Seamen, in point of Citizenship, this Country has no Claim upon any Principles which His Majestys Government has Recognized; on the Contrary it unequivocally ascertains, that they were, natural born Subjects of the Crown. Moreover, it tends to establish, among innumerable glaring proofs an unceasing Exertion of Craft and Intrigue, calculated to unhinge that Harmony between the two Countries, which it is the earnest wish of our respective Governments, to cultivate and main-tain — I have the Honor to be with due Consideration & Respect, Sir, Your most Obed^t H^ble Serv^t — P Bond