British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Little Joe (master Benjamin...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Little Joe (master Benjamin Cozzens).

Capture history: an American merchant ship (sloop, 60 tons, 5 men, formerly a Loyalist ship called Peggy taken on 14 June 1781); now bound from Newport , Rhode Island to Hispaniola, laden with 5, 000 ropes of onions, shad fish, oil, staves, lumber taken on 24 March 1783 off Block Island, Rhode Island by HMS Ceres (James Hawkins commanding), and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: from the United States to the Caribbean Islands.

Court papers numbered CP 1-4:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master James Ritchie, quartermaster, 28 March 1785;
• [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of Hawkins v The sloop Little Joe and her cargo, 31 March 1783;
• [CP 3]: affidavit as to the perishing nature of the cargo (onions and whale oil), 31 March 1783;
• [CP 4]: answer and claim of John Townshend merchant of New York, for himself and the administrator of the estate of Richard Magnan deceased, 22 April 1783.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-3 (Rhode Island papers):-

• SP 1: ship's register, owner George Champlin of Newport, 20 March 1783;
• SP 2: clearance bond, 20 March 1783;
• SP 3: monthly record of payments to Captain Cozzens.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-4; Ship's papers: 5-7 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].