British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Happy Return (master John Blissard,...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Happy Return (master John Blissard, then Samuel Hollingshead ).

Capture history: an American merchant ship (sloop, 10 tons, [2 men]), laden with lumber; taken in July 1781 by the loyalist privateer whaleboat Trimmer (Levin Turner commanding), retaken in July 1781 by the American privateer Fair American , and brought into Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey but not condemned before any court there, retaken on 27 July 1781 by the loyalist privateer barge Earl of Tyrone (Daniel James Brooks commanding) and and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: from the United States to New York.

Court papers numbered CP 1-9:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master John Rogers, of the Earl of Tyrone, 1 August 1781;
• [CP 2]: libel in Brooks v The sloop Happy Return and her cargo, 1 August 1781;
• [CP 3]: answer and claim [very detailed] of the owner Samuel Hollingshead of Norris River, New Jersey, a loyal subject, claiming that Blissard had a pass to supply HM forces in New York with lumber; and that he bought the sloop from Blissard at Little Egg Harbor and registered her there, with their joint intention to conceal their loyal intent, 29 August 1781;
• [CP 4]: replication of Brooks;
• [CP 5]: rejoinder of Hollingshead;
• [CP 6]: deposition of Levin Turner, 29 September 1781;
• [CP 7]: deposition of Daniel James Brooks, 19 December 1781;
• [CP 8]: deposition of Samuel Dollasin of hearing from Cornelius Nicholls, late crew of the Happy Return, about conspiracies etc on the Happy Return, 19 December 1781;
• [CP 9]: deposition of Moses Robins of Little Egg Harbor, that Cornelius Nicholls is a rebel who had served as lieutenant on the Ameican privateer Yankey Witch, and is now out in a Philadelphia privateer, 21 December 1781.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1 (New Jersey papers):-

• SP 1: ship's register, owners Samuel Hollingshead of New Jersey and Jacob Miles of Pennsylvania, 26 July 1781.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-10 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].