British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Erick (master John Basset)....

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Erick (master John Basset).

History: a loyalist American merchant ship (schooner, 60 to 70 tons, 5 men, using a pass issued for the Rover/emph>, a different vessel) bound from Boston via Nantucket to New York, laden with rum, lumber, ginger; taken on 5 April 1782 off Nantucket, Massachusetts by the loyalist privateer Spitfire (George Younghusband commanding), and brought into New York.

Court papers numbered CP 1-10:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers (numbered 1- and A by the court) brought in by the prize master Joseph Allen, 10 April 1782;
• [CP 2]: libel in Younghusband v The schooner Erick and her cargo, 10 April 1782;
• [CP 3]: deposition of Moses Lewis of Martha's Vineyard, assisting hand on board, 11 April 1782;
• [CP 4]: answer and claim of George Gracie, a loyalist attempting to recover property and debts from patriot Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, who appointed William Payne as his agent. Payne accepted the Rover, laden with lumber , in lieu of debts etc, but by the time the loyalist pass for the Rover had been received from Admiral Digby, the Rover and her cargo had been sold. Gracie ordered Payne to buy another vessel and lumber, which he did using the services of John Bean, loyalist of Nantucket, buying the Erick in Boston; he had also obtained false papers from the rebels, and created colourable papers (SP A), 20 April 1782;
• [CP 5]: replication on behalf of Younghusband;
• [CP 6]: rejoinder on behalf of Gracie;
• [CP 7-CP 8]: two depositions of William Payne, merchant of East Hampton, Long Island, New York, 14-16 May 1782;
• [CP 9]: deposition of Benjamin Brooks, mariner of New York, 22 May 1782;
• [CP 10:] affirmation of Jacob Watson, merchant of New York, a Quaker, 13 June 1782.
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Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-6 and SP A (Massachusetts papers):-

• SP 1: permit or pass issued by Admiral Robert Digby for the schooner Rover/emph>, laden with lumber belonging to some secret friends to the government, 28 December 1781;
• SP 2: clearance from Boston, 1 April 1782;
• SP 3: ship's register, 1 April 1782;
• SP 4: account of expenses in buying and fitting out the Erick, 3 March 1782;
• SP 5: receipt;
• SP A: three sets of instructions on one sheet, allegedly to give colour to the deceipt that this was a patriot ship.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-11; Ship's papers: 12-19 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].