FOR the discovering and apprehending the persons who plundered and burnt the Gaspee schooner ; and barbarously wounded and ill-treated Lieutenant William Dudingston, commander of the said schooner.

Whereas, we have received Information that upon the 10th day of June last, between the Hours of Twelve and One in the Morning, in the Providence or Narrowganset River, in Our Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, a great Number of Persons, armed with Guns and other offensive Weapons, and led by Two Persons, who were called the Captain and Head-Sheriff, in several armed Boats, attacked and Boarded Our Vessel called the Gaspee Schooner, then lying at single Anchor in the said River, commanded by Our Lieutenant William Dudingston, under the Orders of our Rear-Admiral John Montagu, and having dangerously wounded and barbarously treated the said William Dudingston, took, plundered, and burnt the said schooner:

We, to the Intent that said outrageous and heinous Offenders may be discovered, and brought to condign Punishment, have thought fit, with the Advice of our Privy Council, to issue this Our Royal PROCLAMATION:
And We are hereby graciously pleased to promise, that if any Person or Persons shall discover any other Person or Persons concerned in the said daring and heinous Offences above-mentioned, so that he or they may be apprehended and brought to Justice, such Discoverer shall have and receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of each of the said Offenders, the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds. And if any Person or Persons shall discover either of the said Persons who acted as, or called themselves, or were called by their said Accomplices, the Head-Sheriff or the Captain, so that they, or either of them, may be apprehended and brought to Punishment, such Discoverer shall have and receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of either of the said Persons, the further Sum of Five Hundred Pounds, over and above the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds herein before promised for the discovery and apprehending any of the other common Offenders above mentioned; and if any Person or Persons concerned therein, except the Two Persons who were called the Head-Sheriff and Captain, and the Person or Persons who wounded Our said Lieutenant William Dudingston, shall discover any one or more of the said Accomplices, so that he or they may be apprehended and brought to Punishment, such Discoverer shall have and receive the said Reward or Rewards of Five Hundred Pounds or One Thousand Pounds as the case may be: and Also our gracious Pardon for his said Offence.  And the Commissioners for executing the Office of Treasurer of our Exchequer, are hereby required to make Payment accordingly of the said Rewards. And We do hereby strictly charge and command all Our Governors, Deputy-Governors, Magistrates, Officers, and all other Our Loving Subjects that they do use their utmost Diligence, in their several Places and Capacities, to find out, discover, and apprehend the said Offenders, in order to their being brought to Justice. And We do hereby command that this Our Proclamation be printed and published, in the usual form, and affixed in the principal Places of Our Town of Newport, and other Towns in Our said Colony, that none may pretend Ignorance.

GIVEN at Our Court at St. James, the Twenty-Sixth Day of August, 1772, in the Twelfth Year of Our Reign. GOD save the KING.