Autograph copy of a letter signed : to Earl Spencer, 1797 Jun. 15.

Commenting on the causes he believes are at the root of the most recent mutinies [Spithead, April 16-May 15; The Nore, May 12]; offering his perspective and his suggestions on how future mutinies could be avoided; saying that he believes "the great defects in the Naval Laws and Regulations to have been the principal, if not the sole cause of the late mutiny;" adding that the Articles of War are "much too severe and oppressive and they certainly do produce the effect of deterring good men from entering into the service of the Navy;" suggesting that the reforms necessary relate to the distribution of prize money, the modes of punishment currently required by the Articles of War and the need for new regulations regarding leave taking; suggesting a more equitable distribution of prize money, the use of shipboard trials before corporal punishment for small offenses, and a "reasonable liberty whilst in port and not under sailing orders, to a moderate number at a time;" expressing his wish that examples not be made of the current mutineers; concluding by drawing attention to the extra hardship of duty on the North Sea Station.