High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Port-au-Prince (master Joseph Heath, mate...

High Court of Admiralty.

Captured ship: Port-au-Prince (master Joseph Heath, mate William Finley), otherwise the Diligence of Bahamas] (master William Finley, mate Joseph Heath).

Capture history: a British merchant ship (schooner, 20 tons, 6 men, 1 passenger) using a false identity as American to trade in American produce; bound from South Eddistow [Edisto] near Charleston, South Carolina to St Augustine, Florida, laden with rice and indigo; taken on 5 December 1776 about 50 leagues west of Bermuda in latitude 31°20'N, longitude 69°W by the privateer Betsey (Alvara Lofthouse commanding), because there was Carolina produce on board, and then taken into the custody of the Duke of Cumberland Packet (Francis James commanding), and brought into Plymouth as prize and perquisites of the Admiralty for breaking the Prohibitory Act].

Intended voyage: from the United States to British America.

Court papers numbered CP 1-21:-

• [CP 1]: attestation as to papers (numbered 1-11) brought in [five months after capture] by John Furby of Mansion House Street, London, that on 21 April 1777 he received in the General Post the packet marked A, containing the said papers, from Francis James, late commander of the Duke of Cumberland Packet; James retained a book, 12 May 1777];
• [CP 2]: standing interrogatories and additional interrogatories;
• [CP 3]: three depositions of subjects of King George, Joseph Heath of Newport, Rhode Island, William Finley of Glasgow but now of Carolina (who before signing his deposition privately withdrew himself from the persons in whose custody he was sent ashore, left Portsmouth and has not since been heard of), and John Roche of Cork, Ireland, with commissioners' affidavit, taken at Portsmouth, 10 June 1777;
• [CP 4]: allegation, praying condemnation as droits of the Admiralty, under the Prohibitory Act, 21 June 1777;
• [CP 5]: commission of appraisement and sale of the ship and part of the cargo,1 June 1777; endorsed with details of execution in Falmouth and Plymouth;
• [CP 6]: inventory and appraisement of the ship at £75, and the cargo at £385 18s 1d, 26 August 1777;
• [CP 7]: account of sales in Falmouth, total £470 3s 4d, 30 August 1777;
• [CP 8]: account of sales, less expences of £335 2s 7d;
• [CP 9]: commission of appraisement and sale of the cargo of indigo, 29 July 1777;
• [CP 10]: inventory and appraisement of the indigo at £184 13s 3d, 14 August 1777;
• [CP 11]: account of sales of the indigo at Old Lloyds Coffee House [London], at £241 17s 2d, 21 August 1777;
• [CP12-CP 20]: receipts for expences;
• [CP 21]: bill of expences of Mr Gostling, HM Procurator General, total £91 1s 6d.

Ships Papers numbered SP 1-12: (South Carolina papers and Bahamas papers)

• SP 1: ship's register, Charleston: declaration that the previous register was lost for the schooner Port-au-Prince (Joseph Heath master), owner John Roche, 5 November 1776; torn up in pieces [on capture?] and pasted together;
• SP 2: invoice of cargo; rice , 15 November 1776;
• SP 3: clearance from Charleston, 5 November 1776;
• SP 4: clearance bond from the Bahamas for the schooner Diligence (William Finley master), 16 October 1776;
• SP 5: crew list and agreement for the schooner Diligence (William Finley master, Joseph Heath mate) for a voyage from New Providence to St Augustine, Florida, October 1776;
• SP 6: certificate for the Diligence to ship but not yet export 1000 bushels of salt, New Providence, 7 October 1776;
• SP 7: clearance from the Bahamas to St Augustine for the Diligence, 16 October 1776;
• SP 8: ship's register, New Providence, Bahamas, for the Diligence, previously registered there as the Lovely Betsey, (William Finlay master), 5 September 1776;
• SP 9: customs certificate or cocket for the Diligence from New Providence, Bahamas to St Augustine, 16 October 1776;
• SP 10: bill of lading on the Diligence from New Providence to St Augustine, 16 October 1776;
• SP 11: clearance bond for the Diligence not to unload anywhere but a British port, 16 October 1776;
• SP 12: logbook or journal of Joseph Heath; pp 1-10 on the Port-au-Prince from Cape Nichola Mole to Charlestown in South Carolina, 12-24 October, and then, on the Diligence under William Finley, from South Eddistow to Harbour Island, one of the Bahamas, 26 November -5 December 1776, the day of capture, with pasted into p 10 the affidavit of Francis James of St Michael's Mount, Marazion that this book was the logbook he had not sent to John Furby, 19 May 1777; and at the other end detailed accounts for the Port-au-Prince and the Diligence on pp A1-.A19.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as done (large pencil numbers): SP 12 added from HCA 30/715/5 in July 2023. All sorted and renumbered in 2026]