To the infinite surprise of your memorialists, they have received advice from Philadelphia, that the Dutch ship, the Resolution, Captain Waterburg, was retaken from an English privateer, belonging to Carolina, by the Ariel, an American privateer, belonging to Messrs Robert Morris, Samuel Inglis, and William Bingham of Philadelphia, carried into that city, and was there condemned and sold with her cargo, without respecting either the capitulation, or the certificate and recommendation of his Excellency the Marquis du Chilleau. This ship was loaded at Dominica and regularly cleared there for Amsterdam within the time limited by his Britannic Majesty's Proclamation in favor of Dutch vessels, loading in the conquered Island, the commander of the Carolina privateer, unacquainted with the Proclamation, had detained her as a Dutch ship. That this ship would certainly have been released in Carolina cannot even be doubted, as she had before been carried into the Island of Nevis on the same voyage, and released with a compensation after her papers were examined. Your memorialists have received further advice, that another American privateer has taken and carried into Boston, the Ostend brig Eeirsten, Captain Thomson, bound from that port to this Island, and laden with provisions and plantation stores for the estates of your memorialists, where we fear she will have the same fate. If the Americans should persist and be authorised to take and confiscate neutral vessels, loaded with the produce of capitulants' estates under the authority of the French government, and those who in return are loaded with the provisions essentially necessary to them, what is the trade of this Island? This must put an effectual end to it; what resources are then left to us? The inhabitants of this Island are capitulants, and they dare flatter themselves, that under their present government they have the merit of having constantly manifested the most uniform propriety of conduct; the Americans should not only have respected, but protected their property. Bound to do so by their treaty of friendship with France, by the capitulation, and by the certificate and recommendation of the French Governor. Your memorialists do therefore most earnestly entreat, that your Excellency will be pleased to take this Memorial into consideration. Council Chamber, in Roseau, the 23d day of November, 1781.[5] ABRAHAM SHAW, _President in Council_. House of Assembly, Roseau, this 23d day of November, 1781. J. MORSOU, _Speaker of the House of Assembly_. FOOTNOTES: [5] Extract from an authentic copy of the capitulation, granted by the Marquis de Bouille to the Island of Dominica.