High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Dolphin (master Daniel Rider). Capture history:...

High Court of Admiralty.

Captured ship: Dolphin (master Daniel Rider).

Capture history: an American merchant ship (schooner, 30 tons, 9 men) bound from Dartmouth, Massachusetts to the Connecticut River, laden with fish oil, salt, molasses, rum and sugar; taken on 10 November 1777 about 2 leagues from Point Judith by HMS Lady Parker (George Murray commanding), a tender belonging to HMS Chatham (Toby Caulfield commanding), and brought into Rhode Island.

Intended voyage: within the United States.

Court papers numbered CP 1-4:-

• [CP 1]: release of interest by George Murray, 30 November 1778;
• [CP 2]: attestation as to papers (numbered 1-2) brought in by the prize master George Murray gent, late a midshipman of HMS Chatham, but commanding the Lady Parker, and John Read of Portsmouth esq, agent for the officers and company of HMS Chatham, with Read deposing that there was not at that time any Court of Vice-Admiralty established at Rhode Island or New York [this is plain wrong]; also that he was at that time Commissary for the Prisoners taken by the Fleet in North America and that Admiral Lord Howe had ordered Americans taken prisoner to be exchanged for British as quickly as possible, and that none of the captured crew can therefore be examined, 1 December 1778;
• [CP 3]: deposition of George Murray of Chichester, Sussex, commissioners' affidavit, taken at Portsmouth, 1 December 1778;
• [CP 4]: allegation, 8 January 1779.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-2 (Massachusetts papers):-

• SP 1: ship's register;
• SP 2: clearance, 8 November 1777.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-6; Ship's papers: 7-8 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].

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