British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Elizabeth (master Michael Hopkins)....

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Elizabeth (master Michael Hopkins).

History: an American merchant ship with a letter of marque (brigantine, 200 tons, 10 guns, 20 men) bound from Guadeloupe to Boston, Massachusetts, laden with molasses, sugar, coffee, cotton; taken on 18 May 1781 in latitude 25°N, longitude 70°W by HMS Warwick (George Keith Elphinstone commanding), HMS Solebay (Charles Holmes Everitt commanding), and brought into New York.

Court papers numbered CP 1-4:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by Elphinstone, 27 June 1781 ;
• [CP 2]: libel in Elphinstone v The brigantine Elizabeth, 27 June 1781;
• [CP 3]: monition, 27 June 1781;
• [CP 4]: deposition of Hopkins, 28 June 1781.

[Decision: condemned, if no response to the monition by 18 July 1781].

Ship's Papers, including mail in transit, numbered SP 1-22 (Massachusetts papers):-

• SP 1: ship's register;
• SP 2: customs declaration, Guadeloupe, 24 April 1781;
• SP 3: clearance, Boston, 28 February 1781 (with descriptions of Michael Hopkins and Job Avery, mate, on the reverse);
• SP 4: printed instructions of Congress, 2 May 1780;
• SP 5: printed privateer commission, 15 August 1780;
• SP 6: crew list and agreement;
• SP 7-SP 11: ship's business papers;
• SP 12: owners instructions, from Thomas Russell, Boston 26 February 1781
• SP 13: letter from John Crocker, Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe, to his father Francis Shaw, Boston, with news of the taking of St Eustatius, and fears for his brother William there, 21 April 1781;
• SP 14: personal letter from John Crocker, Point a Pitre, addressed to himself (Dr John Crocker, Boston, to the care of Francis Shaw esq), but actually to his wife Mrs Nabby Crocker [Abigail Shaw Crocker], 24 April 1781;
• SP 15: personal letter from John Crocker to James Jervis [no envelope], exciting tales of his voyage to Guadeloupe, 24 April 1781;
• SP 16: business letter from Durault, Basseterre, to Messrs Davis & Spooner, Plymouth, [Massachusetts], good cod fish will be wanted for the whole war, encloses letters for the captains, 30 April 1781;
• SP 17: informal personal letter from Durault to Captain Consider Howland, Plymouth, repeating his desire for him to come to Guadeloupe, 25 March 1781;
• SP 18: informal personal letter from Durault to Captain William Holland, Plymouth, offering him a ship if should ever respond and come to Guadeloupe, 25 March 1781;
• SP 19: business letter from Durault to Messrs Davis & Spooner, Plymouth, 24 March 1781, asking them to send out Howland and Holland;
• SP 20: business letter from Jan Scholeden [?] & Co, St Eustatius and Basseterre, Guadeloupe, to Messrs Stephen Girard & Co, Philadelphia, 17 January, 14 April 1781
• SP 21: business letter from Jerome Peurron [?], Basseterre, to Messrs Bacheleur & Nichols, Newburyport, 25 April 1781
• SP 22: letter in French from S B Riviere, Point a Pitre, to Mr Thomas Russell, Boston, 18 April 1781.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-4; Ship's papers: 5-26 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].