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Cherson Oct 12th/23 1788 OS.
As the post from this part of the country uncertain
at all times is very little to be depended on in
the present state of affairs, I am happy in having
found an opportunity of sending a letter by a
merchant who I have just now heard sets out
tomorrow for different parts of Germany.
Since we began fighting this summer I wrote
twice to let you know of my existence, once
after our action of the 7th of June & once after
those of the 17th & 18th of the same month, and these
were the last I had any part in, for though
I continued with the Flotilla till the middle
of August there was no more fighting in that
time except on the 1st of July and I was then
absent on a commission Prince Potemkin had
given me to transport 8 vast sea mortars
from Cherson & to employ them on a land
battery.
You My I think, must have
known, that last Autumn, when the
Turks declared war by attacking two of our
ships here, we were as little prepared as
possible. 3 or 4 very indifferent frigates was
all the force we had at this port to defend
ourselves against a force ten times as great
on the side of the Turks. It was found
necessary therefore to arm in some manner
or other every bark that could swim.
The Vessels and which had been used
to transport the court down the dnieper,
though very ill constructed for such a purpose
were to become immediately vessels of war:
and as I happened to be at Cherson at
that time, Mardvinoff pressed me into
the Admiralty service, to assist in fitting
out this heterogeneous fleet of small vessels,
which then first took the name of the
Flotilla. Some of the people who ought
to have been the most acting were sick
others absent, so that it happened that
on several & some of the most important
occasions I may say the whole business
of the Admiralty rested on me. The employing
great guns of 36 & even 48 pounders on such
small vessels, even on Ships longboats, was
entirely my idea. But, besides the fitting out
I had often the care of manning & appointing Commanders:
and was just going to Command myself
this Flotilla under Mardvinoff, who had got together
4 or 5 frigates, when I got a relapse of the
ague, with a kind of nervous fever which
lasted me till the winter & rendered me in
an instant unfit for the least business whatever.
At that time I was in so bad favour with
the Prince, because he owed me money, that he
hardly had spoken to me even when I was every
day with him: however, when he came here
in the winter, he did vouchsafe to open his
mouth, to thank me in publick & acknowledge
great obligations to me for what I had done.
Mardvinoff on all occasions asserted in the
strongest manner possible that it was through
me that he was enabled to drive away the
Turkish fleet: yet, as nothing brillant was
done against the enemy, the mere defence
of this part of the country got Mardvinoff
but little credit: & therefore no great
store was set by my achievements.
Prince Nassau had long been backwards & forwards
with PP [Prince Potemkin] and the Empress had ordered him
here a command given him him by
distinguish himself: Therefore , as Mardvinoff
had declined the Sea command here, this Flotilla
was augmented as much as possible and
entrusted to P. N. and it was proposed to me
to serve under him. As my health was now
pretty well reinstated I could not decline putting
to proof the success of an armament which
was mostly of my own invention.
Fanshawe was also enlisted in this fresh
water service: by which we both became
objects of jealousy among the Navy: which,
added to the real want of Navy Officers, made
it difficult to find a commander for each
vessel. P.N. at the same time determined
to have none but Volunteers: which at length
were found. On the 7th of June, when we
had our first action, our Flotilla consisted
of about 35 vessels, counting 19 or 16 longboats
carrying only one gun each: of these 22
only were in the action, when we were
attacked by 57 Turkish vessels much superior
in the number of guns, but in general
of less caliber than ours. They had besides
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