British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Le Perseverant or Perseverance...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Le Perseverant or Perseverance of Saint Domingue (master Etienne Ferehaud).

Capture history: a French merchant ship with a privateer commission (ship, 250 tons, 12 guns, 22 men, formerly the British vessel Sim (master Nathan Richardson), taken at the capture of Tobago by the French in May-June 1781), now bound from Cap François, Saint Domingue to Bordeaux, laden with sugar, coffee, lemons, indigo, cotton; taken on 6 February 1782 in latitude 24°30'N, longitude 64°30'W by HMS Amphion (John Bazely commanding), HMS Garland (Charles Chamberlain commanding), and HMS Centurion (Samuel W Clayton commanding), and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: from the Caribbean Islands to France.

Court papers numbered CP 1-6:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master James Richey, master's mate of HMS Amphion, 27 Feb 1782;
• [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of Bazely v The letter of marque Perseverance and her cargo, 27 Feb1782;
• [CP 3]: monition, 27 Feb 1782;
• [CP 4]: answer and claim of William Nixon of New York, on behalf of Messrs Eden & Court merchants of London for the Sim, 13 March 1782;
• [CP 5]: replication of the Advocate General, James Tabor Kempe;
• [CP 6]: rejoinder of Nixon.

[Decision: condemned, if no response to the monition by 19 March 1782].

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-36:-

• SP 1: letter of marque issued to Etienne Ferechaud, Le Cap, Saint Domingue, 1 Oct 1781;
• SP 2: ship's pass from Cap Français to Bordeaux, 1 Oct 1781;
• SP 3-SP 20: bills of lading, 20 Oct 1781-9 Jan 1782;
• SP 21: list of some merchandise on board, with merchants marks;
• SP 22: Louis Foucher, Le Cap, to Etienne Berechaud; instructions to deliver the cargo of coffee to M. Tuffereau, merchant in Bordeaux, 8 Jan 1782;
• SP 23: tabulation of the cargo, 30 Nov1781;
• SP 24: attestation that Etienne Ferechaud paid custom fees on cargo to leave Port-de-Paix, 30 Nov 1781;
• SP 25: owners instructions from B Larauy, Le Cap, to Etienne Ferechaud, for the voyage to Bordeaux, 11 Jan 1782;
• SP 26: list of English sailors (Robert Morte, John Martin, John Lewis, John Wooper and Edward Griffin), prisoners of war, to be added to the muster [not done], 12 Jan 1782;
• SP 27: extract from the register of the admiralty of Le Cap, relating to a visit of the ship Le Perseverant to declare it fit to sail, 29 Sept 1781;
• SP 28: extract from the register of the admiralty of Le Cap, declaring that the material and food on board is sufficient for the upcoming journey to Bordeaux, 3 Oct 1781;
• SP 29: extract from the register of the admiralty of Port-de-Paix, Saint Domingue: declaration of Ferachaud that bad winds forced him to anchor in this port, 13 Oct 1781;
• SP 30: extract from the register of the admiralty of Port-de-Paix, declaration of Ferachaud that he went to Anse à Bodin to collect 73 barrels of sugar, but one hawser of the ship broke and he had to go back to Port-de-Paix, 27 Oct 1781;
• SP 31: extract from the register of the admiralty of Le Cap, declaration that some merchandise on board the ship has been damaged by water, 21 Dec 1781;
• SP 32: extract from the register of the admiralty of Le Cap, account of how the rudder broke, and asking permission to make a new one, 2 Jan 1782;
• SP 33: extract from the register of the admiralty of Le Cap authorising Ferachaud to have a new rudder made, 3 Jan 1782;
• SP 34: extract from the register of the admiralty of Le Cap relating to the rudder of the ship needing repairs, 11 Jan 1782;
• SP 35: account of expenses for the new rudder, 9 Jan 1782;
• SP 36: muster roll, including four English prisoners of war (John Twigs, John Jenny, Thomas Nigt and Daniel Rintaire, added on 8 Jan 1782); 6 Oct 1781-11 Jan 1782.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-7; Ship's papers: 8-43 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].