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munitions of war. The West Florida was olready fully equipped with arms by the British, but gun powder was one of the moterials which could not be so readily hod. However, Pollock succeeded in purchasing five hundred pounds of powder for his own use from the King's stores, paying "four hundred and fifty Spanish milled dollars" for it. Thus thoroughly prepared for her cruise, the West Florida was sent to the gulf to aid Don Galvez in his expedition against Mobile and Pensacola.*
?The following letter from Pollock to Captain Pickles will show with what energy he prosecuted the interests of the Colonies:
"NEW ORLEANS, 20th January, 1780.
"DEAR SIR: You are now appointed commander of the sloop West Florida, belonging to the United States of America, all ready dispatched with a sufficiency of provisions on board for sixty days, for your crew, consisting of 58 men, as you will see by the enclosed account. In consequence you will make all possible dispatch with the said vessel & crew under your command for Ship Island, where I expect you will meet with Governor Galvez's fleet, for which you hove herewith enclosed the signals agreed upon betwixt him & you, at which place you will join him, & proceed against Mobile & Pensacola, & give all the assistance in your power to Governor Galvez, & the commander-in-chief of the Spanish fleet, for the reducing of -those places, for the space of twenty days, or longer, if necessary, as requested by the commonder-in-chief of the Spanish fleet; afte r which should you be in want of provisions, you will deliver my letter to Don Bazilio Xemenez, or the commissary general of the Spanish fleet, or any who will furnish you with what you may think necessary for your voyage, & then you will proceed to Havana, & there deliver my letter to Monsieur Geronimo Zacheapella who I expect will'ship a cargo of tafia & sugar on board your vessel, to the amount of two or three thousand dollars, for the account of the United States, which you will receive on board & proceed immediately for the port of Philadelphia, or any other port on the continent you may think most safe from the enemy. For your government on that point you must procure the best intelligence possible at Havana, & proceed accordingly.
"And should it so happen that Mr. Geronimo is not there, or cannot supply you with the above cargo and the necessaries for you (sic) vessel, in that case you must apply to His Excellency Governor Navarro, or any other person you can procure it from, for which you will draw on the Honorable the Congress, and if that should not toke, you may draw on me, at as large a sight as you can, and I will do honour to your drafts; but as you know my situation of this you must be os tender as possible, particularly if you find there have been no vessels with flour from the continent touching at Havana for this place .
"Should you succeed in taking any vessels from the enemy, that will suit you better for the voyage than the sloop, either at Mobile or Pensacola, or on the way, you will dispose of said sloop to the best advantage and ship your men aboard the captured vessel, and proceed with your voyage in her os already directed, and keep a journal of the expedition and siege against Pensacola, which you will lay before Congress, with my letter to them, on your arrival there.
Tl>e West Florida proceeded on her voyage, ond reoching Mobile, reported to the Comrnander-in-Chief of the Spanish fleet. From him he received a supply of provisions and awaited the action of the fleet. A very severe storm arising and scattering the Spanish vessels, and rendering impossible the immediate capiure of Mobile, the West Florida proceeded to Havana. There rejoining the fleet, she returned in March to Mobile, rendering such service as was needed in the capture of that place. Thence she sailed for Philadelphia and reaching there safely her military stores were immediately applied by the naval agent at that time, in fitting out a vessel to carry Mr. Laurens, the United States embassador, to Holland. Captain Pickles was subsequently killed in an affray at Philadelphia, and his murderer hung .
Pollock's reputation as a financier and zealous patriot had become so well known in Philadelphia before the breaking out of histilities (sic) between the Colonies and Great Britain, that when the Congress decided to appoint an agent at New Oleans (sic) be was the first choice. On the 12th of June, 1 777, the Secret Committee of the United States, among whom were Franklin, Morris and Lee, appointed him Commercial Agent of the United States at New Orleans; at the same time directing him to ship at once to Philadelphia $50,000 worth of goods, blankets, etc., for the army. He also became very much interested in the efforts ofVirginia to take possession of the Illinois country. When, in 1778, General George Rogers Clarke was despatched by Governor Jefferson with a small force to reduce the English posts at Vincennes and Kaskaskia, Pollock had already forwarded to Fort Pitt by Colonel Gibson, a large quantity of gun powder obtained from the King's stores, part of which furnished Clarke with his ammuni tion.
In January, 1778, after Don Galvez had publicly recognized Pollock's official character as United States agent, the Governor of Virginia ordered Pollock to draw bills on France for $65,000 to aid Clarke. In order to meet these drofts, Virginia had proposed disposing of large quantifies of tobacco stored in various localities in the eastern counties. But this tobacco the traitor Arnold destrpyed during his raid into Virginia. The State being thus made powerless at the time to meet her engagement! to Pollock, the bills were returned to him protested, and his
? "Your experience ond good judgment must govern you entirely respecting your attacking any of the enemy'k ships or vessels. Not in the least doubting your care ond zeal for the lives of your good officers and men, and th<> property of the United States, I conclude, wishing you suc-cesss, and a safe and happy passage .
"I om, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"OLIVER POLLOCK.
"To Captain William Pickles.
"Postscript: Should anything turn up in your passage that may appear to you more advantageous than touching at Havana, you hove liberty to proceed direct from Mobile or Pensacola to the continent.11