We sailed from the Downes on 19 September in company with the NEWCASTLE to convoy yachts and saw them in safely and then anchored, the wind blowing hard from the south west. We shipped a sea and started a bulkhead of our forecastle and shipped so much water into our bread rooms and we have a thousand weight of bread damnified. Yesterday we saw a ship to the northward under courses standing to the southward, and we edged to her under foretopsails. She showed Swedish colours and I fired a shot for her to bear after me, but she did not and forced me to stand upon a wind after her, setting my foresail and main topsail, it blowing so hard that we carried our gunnel under water. I got up with her and commanded him to follow me into the Downes, but crowding so much sail after her has caused our ship to leak more. Signed Robert Arthur.