British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: General Howe of Montego Bay,...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: General Howe of Montego Bay, Jamaica (John Underwood).

Capture history: an English merchant ship (sloop, 70 tons, 10 guns, 10 men) bound from Montego Bay, Jamaica to New York, laden with wine, dry goods, sugar, rum, coffee, earthenware; taken by the American privateer General Washington , retaken on 12 October 1777 in latitude 22°N about 15 leagues east of Havana, Cuba by the loyalist privateer Fame (William Thornton commanding) herself laden with rum for HM troops at New York, and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: from the Caribbean Islands to British America.

Court papers numbered CP 1-12:-

• [CP 1]: libel in Thornton v The sloop General Howe and her cargo, 1 December 1777;
• [CP 2]: affidavit of William Thornton about the unloading of cargo from the General Howe without permission, 1 December 1777;
• [CP 3-CP 5]: three depositions of Charles Graham of New York, John Underwood of Wexford, Ireland, and RIchard Webber, 12 December 1777;
• [CP 6]: answer and claim of John Ellis merchant of London for Madeira wine and dry goods, 15 December 1777;
• [CP 7]: answer and claim of William McAdam of New York for the sloop and part of her cargo on behalf of Alexander Pope, and of Messrs Longland & Rennald, merchants of Jamaica, 19 December 1777;
• [CP 8]: replication of William Thornton to the answer of John Ellis;
• [CP 9]: replication of William Thornton to the answer of William McAdam;
• [CP 10]: rejoinder of John Ellis;
• [CP 11-CP 12]: depositions of John Underwood, 19 December 1777.

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