British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Salsbury of Salisbury of Salem...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Salsbury of Salisbury of Salem (master Joshua Grafton).

Capture history: an American merchant ship with commission (brigantine, 100 tons, 4 guns, 2 swivels, 10 men, abandoned by her crew) bound from Baltimore, Maryland to Salem, Massachusetts, laden with wheat, flour, bread; taken on 9 October 1778 in the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia by the loyalist privateer Harriott (William Austin commanding), and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: within the United States.

Court papers numbered CP 1-5:-

• [CP 1]: libel in Austin v The brigantine Salisbury and her cargo, 21 October 1778;
• [CP 2]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master William Kennedy, 21 October 1778;
• [CP 3]: affidavit as to the perishing nature of the cargo, 21 October 1778;
• [CP 4]: monition, 21 October 1778;
• [CP 5]: wrapper, signed by William Kennedy and John Mosses.

[Decision: condemned, if no response to the monition by 13 November 1778].

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-10 (Massachusetts papers):-

• SP 1: ship's register (owners John Grafton, Joseph Spargue, John Stone, Samuel Page and W Bartlet), 4 August 1778;
• SP 2: clearance, 26 September 1778;
• SP 3: certificate of entry from Salem, in ballast and stores, Baltimore, 26 September 1778;
• SP 4: crew list and agreement, 12 September 1778;
• SP 5: owners instructions for the voyage from Salem to Baltimore, 12 August 1778;
• SP 6: bill of lading for ship's stores;
• SP 7: bill of lading for salt;
• SP 8: business letter from Ephraim Emerton, Baltimore, to Messrs William Orn & Co, Salem , 25 September 1778;
• SP 9: manuscript copy of the privateer commission;
• SP 10: bill of exchange issued to Cumberland Dugan for 3, 000 Continental dollars drawn on George Williams Junior, merchant of Salem, 17 September 1778

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-5; Ship's papers: 6-21 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].