Copy of a lettter received by, William Windham, Secretary of State, from William Bligh, 30 May 1806 (Series 40.061) - No. 0001

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(Copy)

His Majesty's Ship Porpoise
Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope
30th May 1806

To Secretary of State

Sir

I have the honor to inform you of my arrival here with His Majesty's Ship Porpoise and the Lady Sinclair Armed Transport on the 10th Instant at Night, after a passage of fourteen Weeks and five days tedious but free of accident, and I shall proceed to Port Jackson pursuant to my orders so soon as the Porpoise is ready for Sea, which will be in about ten days.

We happily found this place in possession of His Majesty's Troops, with every order and content as if it had been in our possession for a considerable time, necessary articles of Life are however scarce and extremely dear, but all this will be removed by the common intercourse which will now take place, and industry of the Farmers by the next year will produce every thing which rests with them. 

By a Danish Packet which I have detained having public Dispatches on board, the Enemy seem to have been very uneasy about their Colonies.  These Dispatches I have communicated to Lieutenant General Sir