High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: George (master Gregory Cozzens). Capture...

High Court of Admiralty.

Captured ship: George (master Gregory Cozzens).

Capture history: an American merchant ship (brigantine, 80 tons, 9 men, previously the May of Liverpool, taken from the English en route from Dominica and brought into Charleston), now bound on behalf of the Secret Committee of Congress from Charleston, South Carolina to Bordeaux, laden with rice and indigo; retaken on 16 March 1777 in latitude 44°N, longitude 27°W as a seizure by the crew of British and Irish seamen (Archibald McLean and 7 others) [in a revolt from the enemy, so droits of the Crown] who took Captain Cozzens prisoner and brought the ship into the Firth of Clyde, Glasgow. McLean and the others had been prisoners themselves in America and to regain their liberty had hired themselves to Cozzens separately so that he suspected nothing.

Intended voyage: from the United States to France.

Court papers numbered CP 1-39:-

• [CP 1]: attestation as to papers (numbered 1-9), sent by the Commissioner of Customs in Edinburgh and brought in by Samuel Seddon, Solicitor of Droits of the Admiralty, 15 May 1777;
• [CP 2]: commission to the magistrates of Edinburgh and Glasgow to take examinations, 15 May 1777;
• [CP3]: standing and additional interrogatories;
• [CP 4]: four depositions of Gregory Cozzens of Newport, Rhode Island; Archibald McLean second mate, mariner of Argyllshire; Robert Bower, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, late of HMS Falcon , and taken a prisoner of war when aboard her tender General Clinton ; and John Sheffield first mate, mariner of Scarborough, Yorkshire; commissioners' affidavit, taken at Glasgow Town Hall, 3-5 June 1777;
• [CP 5]: attestation and claim of John Dance, agent to Messrs John Benson and John Postlethwaite & Co merchants of Liverpool, for the May, (master William Taylor), 2 June 1777;
• [CP 6]: attestation by William Scales of Liverpool about the capture of the May in November 1776 by the American privateer Baltimore Hero, (commander Waters), 3 June 1777;
• [CP 7]: allegation, 21 June 1777.
• [CP 8-CP 9]: two grants of power of attorney to John Crawford merchant of Glasgow by the six loyal crew of the George, 21 April 1777, and by a seventh on 29 September 1777;
• [CP 10]: inventory and appraisement of the ship and cargo, taken at Port Glasgow, 1 August 1777;
• [CP 11]: continuation of the appraisement in 1777, sworn 18 February 1780;
• [CP 12]: commission of appraisement and sale at Glasgow, issued 25 June 1777, returned 7 Feb 1780;
• [CP 13]: petition of both proctors, 16 Feb 1780 ;
• [CP 14-CP 15]: two grants of power of attorney from John Crawford to Robert Hunter merchant of London, 26 Feb 1780;
• [CP 16]: detailed account of the bills and expenses of George Gostling, HM Procurator General, from Easter term 1777 to February 1780, totalling £1182 12s 11d, and referring to Annex A;
• [CP 17]: Annexe A, bill of James Dyson, Solicitor of the Admiralty.
• [CP 18-CP 19]: costs etc of bringing the prize from Arran to Port Glasgow, and a letter from the Customs officers who guarded her (her crew having deserted);
• [CP 20]: inventory of the brig May, August 1777;
• [CP 21]: account of Mr Lewis Grant, Edinburgh to Messrs Jackson and Colquhoun in Glasgow;
• [CP 22-CP39 ]: itemised bills from Edinburgh and Glasgow, many from John Jackson and Patrick Colquhoun, numbered 1-20.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-9 (South Carolina papers):-

• SP 1: ship's register, Levinus Clarkson owner, 12 Feb 1777;
• SP 2: clearance, 12 Feb 1777;
• SP 3: bill of lading, for delivery to Thomas Morris, Bordeaux, 20 Feb 1777;
• SP 4: owners instructions of Clarkson and John Dorsius, 19 Feb 1777;
• SP 5: empty envelope addressed to Messrs Samuel & J H Delap, Bordeaux, enclosing SP 6 and SP 7;
• SP 6: letter from the owners to Delap, 19 Feb 1777;
• SP 7: letter from the owners to Thomas Morris, 19 Feb 1777, enclosing SP 8 and SP 9;
• SP 8: invoice of cargo;
• SP 9: duplicate bill of lading, for delivery to Thomas Morris, Bordeaux, 20 Feb 1777.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-56; Ship's papers: 57-65 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].

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