Shipboard Employments in the Rainbow, 44 guns - Mark Myers PPRSMA

Extract of a letter from Sir George Collier, commander of His Majesty's ship the Rainbow, to Mr. Stephens, dated at Halifax July 12. giving an account of his falling in, on the 6th of the same month, with three sail, to which he immediately gave chase, and, after a pursuit of more than 39 hours, came up with and took a rebel frigate, fitted out by the Congress, called the Hancock, of 32 guns, mostly twelve pounders, with about 229 men on board. Her complement is 290 men; the remainder were in the Fox. She is a very large frigate, quite new of the stocks; and though from her foulness and their mismanagement, they came up with her, yet she is one of the fastest sailing ships ever built. While he was in pursuit, he was fortunately joined by the Flora frigate and Mr. Manley who commanded the Hancock, informed Capt. Collier, that the ship the Flora was in chase of, was his Majesty's ship the Fox, of 28 guns, which he had lately taken on the Banks of Newfoundland; and that the other frigate was the Boston, of 30 guns, commanded by McNeal. He found Capt. Fotheringham, late commander of the Fox, and 40 of his people, on board the Hancock; but his officers, and some of his men, were put on board the Boston frigate, and the remainder sent in a fishing vessel to Newfoundland.