The Right Hon. W. W. Grenville to Governor Phillip.

It being the King’s intention that his Majesty’s ships Discovery and Gorgon—the former of which has been fitted for the purpose of surveying and the latter, as I informed you in my letter No. 6, for the conveyance of troops and stores to New South Wales—should be employed upon an expedition on the north-west coast of America, and his Majesty having, with that view, ordered that the lower-deck guns, carriages, &c., of the Gorgon shall be carried out in her hold, I am commanded to signify to you his Majesty’s pleasure that as soon as the said troops and stores shall have been landed from the ship you do direct her commander to mount her guns and to put her in a fit condition as soon as possible for proceeding on that service.

As the present company of that ship is barely sufficient for navigating her, it will be expedient that as many officers and men as can possibly be spared from the Sirius should be lent to her during the expedition, which you will order to be done as soon as possible, and such deficiency as will then remain in the number of her war establishment of men you will complete from the marine corps now serving on shore.

One of the objects of this expedition being to form a settlement on the no.-west coast of America,^* it is his Majesty’s pleasure that you should select from among the people with you a proper number of persons to compose it, and that you should embark them either on board the Discovery or Gorgon.

The extent of this establishment, it is imagined, need not at first exceed thirty persons, a moiety of whom at least should consist of drafts from the new corps, under the command of a discreet subaltern officer, who is to be entrusted with the temporary superintendance of the new settlement. The remainder should consist of two or three of the most intelligent of the overseers, who have lately been sent out, a storekeeper, and any other persons who may be desirous of accompanying them, together with a few of the most deserving of the convicts, to whom you may offer a remission of a part of their service [sentence] as an inducement to go.

And you will be careful to embark on board these ships such articles of stores, provisions, medicines, and utensils for building, &c., as you may judge sufficient for their use, in order to enable them to fulfil the object of forming such a settlement as may be able to resist any attacks from the natives, and lay the foundation of an establishment for the assistance of his Majesty’s subjects in the prosecution of the fur trade from the N.W. coast of America.

As the chief command of this expedition is intended to be entrusted to the captain of one of his Majesty’s ships now in the East Indies, directions have been sent to Commodore Cornwallis to despatch such frigate immediately to Owyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands, situated in the latitude 20° 00′ So., and long. 25° 00′ Et. from Greenwich, directing her captain to wait there until he shall be joined by the Discovery and Gorgon, when he is to lose no time in making the best of his way to the American coast, agreeably to the enclosed instructions, a copy of which is transmitted to you for your further information. You will entrust the original to the care of the commander of the Discovery, and the duplicate with the commanding officer of the Gorgon. You will despatch both these vessels to the place of rendezvous, at Owyhee, as soon as they are in a situation to proceed thither, and upon their meeting with the frigate above mentioned the commanding officer will deliver to the captain of the frigate the dispatches which you shall have committed to their care, and will put themselves under his orders.

It is hoped that the frigate from the East Indies and the two vessels above mentioned will arrive at Owyhee soon enough to allow some time for refreshment to their crews, and to enable them to be on the coast of America early in the spring; but if, from any unforeseen event, the frigate which Commodore Cornwallis is directed to order upon this service should not reach the Sandwich Islands before the end of the month of April, 1791, it is his Majesty’s pleasure that you should direct the senior officer of the two ships to open the dispatches, and proceed with those two ships to execute the instructions, leaving on his departure from thence one of his people with the natives, to be taken up again on his return, or adopting any other mode he may judge more advisable for conveying to the captain of the frigate information of the route he may design to take, with a view to his proceeding to the place of destination.

On the return of the Gorgon to Port Jackson from the intended expedition you will order the officers and men belonging to the Sirius on board their proper ship, and after embarking the remainder of the marines you will direct Lieutenant Harvey to make the best of his way with them to England, agreeably to the orders he has already received on that head.

In consequence of the information received from Lt. Bligh, late commander of H.M. ship the Bounty, of a mutiny having taken place in that vessel, by which he was deprived of his command, his Maj’y has judged it proper that the Gorgon should be directed, on her return from the N.-W. coast of America, to touch at the Society Islands, and eventually at the Friendly Islands, in order, if possible, to apprehend the mutineers, a list of whom, rec’d from Lt. Bligh, is enclosed. If he should succeed in this object, he is directed to bring those men, or any of them, in confinement, to Port Jackson. And you will, in that case, send them home in confinement by the Gorgon, in order that they may be brought to trial in this country for an offence so prejudicial to the discipline of his Majesty’s service.

If the Bounty should be recovered and brought to Port Jackson, it is left in your discretion to detain her or employ her in such manner as you shall judge best.

If, by any accident, the Gorgon or Discovery should be disabled so as to be unfit to be employed on this service, it is left to your discretion to send the Sirius in the room of the Gorgon, and any light vessel, if any such should then be under your orders, in the room of the Discovery.