A LETTER FROM LEGHORN, March the Twenty Foureh, 1690/1. FROM On Board the Brittania.  
SIR,  
AFter my most hearty Thanks for the Present of those Delicious Wines of Monte-Christo you sent me, with which several Friends of yours, and myself, frequently drink your Health. I know you will be not a little solicitous, to know the present State of our Ship, which according to my little Knowledge of so great a Body, is at present thus:  
You remember after our late Captain had deserted us, and went over to the Algerines, by unanimous Consent of the Ships Crew, (a few Mahometan Tarpaulins only excepted) we chose the Master of the Batavia to succeed him, who has given us all the Assurances of a Brave and Generous Commander: You have heard of his last Summer's Actions on Board the Hibernia, who is now almost forced to her Obedience, and to stri●e Sail to the Britania, tho' some few Mahometans, who lie skulking in hole, of the Ship, do sometimes appear upon Deck, but our Men do often kill 'em, and throw 'em overboard: the Lieutenant was killed last Summer, by a Shot in the Neck, and our Captain himself received a slight Wound on the shoulder, but we hope in a little time, to give a very good Account of that Ship, the Round house, the Great Cabin, the Steerage and Gun Room being entirely in the Christians Hands; and the Ships Crew are continually between Decks, to find out the lurking Mahometans.  
Our Captain, in January last, went on Board the Batavia, a Vessel lying at Anchor, some few Leagues from our Ship, to discourse with several other Captains & Lieutenants (who there make their Rendezvous) about the State of the War with the Algerines, this approaching Summer, who are now grown to a very considerable degree of Insolence, and bid desiance to all the Ships in the Mediterranean; but their several Breaches of Faith, and their frequent Cruelties, have rendered them very odious to all the Christian Vessels, now riding in these Seas: It must yet be confessed, they are a very politic sort of People, and by Means of their Barbary Gold, get Intelligence of almost all the Actions and Intentions of the Christians, who have a numerous Company of Renegades amongst them; who, though they do not openly profess the Mahometan Creed, yet are believed to be Musselmen in their Hearts; besides, their fixed Belief of Fatality emboldens the Algerines in their Barbarities, and interpreting every Action by its Success, they upon every prosperous Event, push their good Fortune on, and are the more Resolute and Daring, because they believe every Man's Fate to be wrote in his Forehead.  
You have heard, I presume, Sir, of the Villainous Actions of one of our Eore-mast, Men (a Fellow that used to fell Brandy to some of the Sailors) who was seen to swim on Board the Algerine Fleet when near this Port; he was taken and Tried, and making but a pitiful Defence for himself, a convenient Halter soon finished the Life of poor Godfrey.  
The most Remarkable Occurrence that lately happened, was of three of our Passengers, the one of Quality, and the two other Gentlemen of Fortune, who being Wellwishers to the Algerine Interest, contrived in a little Feluca they had hired for that Purpose, to go to Algiers in the Night; their Design succeeded so far, that they got off, and were gone some Miles at Sea, but our Secretary soon smoked the Design, and sent one or two of our ablest Sailors in the Long Boat after 'em; they quickly found 'em, and searching the Sparks, found a Bundle of Letters, with Lead affixed to the Bag that kept them; upon the Seizure of which, they endeavoured by large Promises, and insinuating Wheedles, to have persuaded our Boys to have thrown them overboard, but being honest trusty Lads they refused it, and bringing them back they were committed to the Fore Castle, and examined; two of them received sentence of death, and one of them was hanged at the Yard Arm, to the great grief of those in our Ship, who are favourers of the Mahometan Interest; the Copy of his Speech they got printed at the port, and value it as highly as the Alc ran, and what ever esteem he may have with others, with them he passes for a true believer, and is believed to be gone directly to paradise.  
The Captain's Lady (who by Consent) Governs the Vessel in his Absence; is a Woman of Extraordinary Conduct; Nature has furnished Her with a Thousand Charms, both of body and mind; so that Her very Enemies are forced to own Her to be a Lady fit to Rule; and which is yet more strange, so wisely does She Steer the Ship, that all the Mariners on Board, confess with an Unanimous Consent that She has a Soul purely Masculine, and justly Claims the most exalted Respect from all, who are spectators of her wise Management.  
The Mahometans on Board, tho' not countenanced, nor put into places of trust, yet while they behave themselves quietly, enjoy the private Exercise of their Religion, but the most pernicious Creatures amongst us are a sort of Mongrill Christians, who bear an equal respect both to the Cross, and the Half-Moon; they are continually in some private places of the Ship, forming projects to restore our late Captain to his post again, and frequently drink his health, and to his safe return to the Brittania, but in such odd, and Ambiguous Terms, that their words have a double meaning, and since the knowledge of the intention is hid from Humane Cognizance, by their ingenuous salvoes, they keep themselves within the intrenchments of their own thoughts, the want of which Equivocation, would often expose them to the ill Usage of the Bilboes, or the severe Discipline of the Capstern.  
We have a Numerous Company of the Clergy on Board, who have the charge of the Souls Health of those in the Ship; yet the Chief Head of their number with some few others, refuse in their public Devotions to pray for the present Governors of our Ship; yet take it for a most Abusive Affront, if any one should but express a thought that they were friends to the Algerines, nevertheless their Actions plainly tend to that interest; some of the Tarpaulins likewise (influenced by them) appear friends to their persuasion; but their number is so inconsiderable, that the Wiser Heads at the Helm are no ways afraid of them.  
We just now received advice, that the Algerines in great Numbers had Attacqed a large Vessel of the Spaniards, called the Montania, now in Confederacy with the rest in this Harbour; they made some show of a Vigorous Onset, but the Vessel, tho' not half Manned, 'tis believed will make a very bold defence, by reason their Lieutenant is a very Stout Commander: 'Tis reported our Captain will go from the Batavia, to Oppose the Enemy; and there are some whispers, that the Infidels have already quitted their pretences; but the certainty of this report with some other Remarkable passages of our Ship, you may expect to hear suddenly, from,  
SIR, Your Servant W. M.   

Licenced March the Ninteenth, 1690/1   

LONDON, Printed for L. C. 1691.