Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

TOM PICKERING -THE FRENCH FLEET. 115
1777 took eight prizes. On Friday, Dec. 20, of that year,
she took a wood Sloop commanded by Richard Pinkham.
Saturday, December 21, the valuables were taken from the
sloop and the vessel set on fire. The 25th, there came up
a storm when near York Ledges, and Capt. Willis being
drunk, the under officers and crew gave the command of
the schooner to Pinkham-and he pretending that he was
going into Boston Harbor, put her into "Little Harbor" at
Portsmouth and ran her ashore. The next day " Tom Pickering" boarded her with a picked crew and took vessel,
officers,' men and provision up to town. She had the Milford stores on board and was a valuable prize. Capt. Willis
and the officers of the George were billetted on Jonathan
Eastman and Philbrick Bradley, Esqs. in Concord. Their
prisoners were exchangej and the names of the prisoners
and their rank are upon the Cartel receipt now on file in
the Secretary's office. Capt. Willis in his receipt modestly
speaks of his vessel as being wrecked near Portsmouth.
This was permitted to save him a lady love, as he was engaged to a daughter of Admiral Howe. Willis however
concluded that this fiction would not keep his conduct a
secret, and committed suicide by jumping overboard in
Long Island Sound, rather than meet his Admiral and
intended father-in-law!
Page 243.-You quote from N. H. Gazette of Nov. 18.
Either you or I have copied erroneously. My extract is
noted thus, " Under date of Aug. 1782, the N. H. Gazette
has the following item of news.'Thursday last arrived
in this port an 80 and two 74 gun ships, with a frigate of
32 guns, being part of a fleet of our magnanimous Allies,
the French, lately arrived on this coast from the West
Indies.'" The ship struck with lightning Nov. 5, 1782,
was the 80 gun ship'L Auguste.
Page 244.-It may have been soldiers who rolled themselves in the chest, for I find from an old advertisement