British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Bon Basque (master Hervé François...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Bon Basque (master Hervé François Jean Paschal).

Capture history: a French merchant ship belonging to Jan Bronkhorst the Dutch consul in Bordeaux (snow, 200 tons, 18 men, 1 passenger) bound in December 1777 from Bordeaux to Saint Domingue, but meeting with contrary winds and leaking was forced to put in first for Lorient and second for Virginia, laden with salt, wine, brandy, vinegar, cordage, dry goods; taken on 18 July 1778 about 3 leagues E of Cape Henry, in latitude 36°40'N, longitude 75°W by the loyalist privateer Active (John Powell commanding, but with no commission against the French), and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: from France to the Caribbean Islands.

Court papers numbered CP 1-8:-

• [CP 1]: inventory of the snow Bon Basque, taken by the marshal Thomas Ludlow junior on the order of the court (dated 14 August 1778) and the cargo placed under lock and key, 18 August 1778;
• [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General for the King v The snow Bon Basque, 26 August 1778 [droits];
• [CP 3]: affidavit of papers by John Powell and William Reid prize master, who were handed a number of papers in a tin canister, and found other papers in the chests of those on board the prize, 31 August 1778;
• [CP 4]: deposition of Hervé François Jean Paschal, 15 September 1778;
• [CP 5-CP 6]: depositions of Dominique Sainton and Christophe Jean Sainton, 17 September 1778 ;
• [CP 7]: libel in Advocate General for the King v The snow Bon Basque, 2 October 1778 [droits];
• [CP 8]: account of sales of the vessel and cargo, condemned to the King, net proceeds £1,383 9s 8d, 6 November 1778.

Ship's Papers [14 in total]:-

• SP A and SP B: factures des merchandises (cargo manifests).
• SP 1-3, 8-10, 12, plus five not previously numbered.
• SP 1-SP 3: bills of lading;
• SP 4-SP 8: [wanting];
• SP 9: pass for the passenger Jean Romain Dusayer to go to Saint Domingue;
• SP 10: owner's instructions;
• SP 11: [wanting];
• SP 12: receipt for salt, Isle de Ré;
• SP 13-SP 14: official ship's papers;
• SP 15: bill of health, Bordeaux;
• SP 16: receipt for salt and vinegar consigned by Etienne Dechereaux;
• SP 17: a 12 month pass for Joseph Bernard of Carnac to sail [?] from Nantes or Lorient, 15 October 1777.

[CP 1 and CP 3-7 and all the ships papers were added from HCA 30/753/3; CP 8 added from HCA 49/91; in 2024].

See also T 1/548/133-134. See also T 1/561/236-245, for further proceedings about alleged embezzlement of the cargo, with Powell declaring the missing wine, brandy and sugar were used to succour the wounded; also Powell had no commission against the French.

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International

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Caribbean

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Piracy and privateering

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