British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Swift (master William Newton)....

HCA 32/459/4

1782 Sept 25

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Swift (master William Newton).

Capture history: an American merchant ship (schooner, 30 tons, 12 men), bound from Edenton, North Carolina to Boston, Massachusetts, laden with naval stores, pitch, tar and turpentine; taken on 25 September 1782 off Ocracoke a little south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in latitude 35°18'N by the privateer Fair American (Joseph Hews Burton commanding), and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: within the United States.

Court papers numbered CP 1-4:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master Thomas Robinson, 3 October 1782;
• [CP 2]: libel in Burton v The schooner Swift and her cargo, 7 October 1782;
• [CP 3]: deposition of Henry Rooms, foremast hand aged 11 or 12, who has known the schooner since she was built, 5 November 1782;
• [CP 4]: charges on sale of the schooner Swift to Thomas York, 15 November 1782, for the payment of salvage to the Fair American [this is odd, as there is no indication that this was a recapture; perhaps this relates to another capture].

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-4 (North Carolina papers):-

• SP 1-SP 3: official ship's papers;
• SP 4: wrapper.

Mail in Transit numbered MT1-21 (personal letters, most from Edenton, North Carolina, 30 August-3 September 1782, including several excellent letters from Dr Zuriel Waterman, an American privateer surgeon and prisoner of war on a British prison ship at Charleston:-

• MT 1-MT 2: letter from Oliver Perry to Susannah Burlinggam [Burlingham or Burlingame] at East Greenwich, Rhode Island (your son was well when he left with schooner, Billy has gone to France, Johnny left his rum which sold for 32 dollars), enclosing a memorandum of sundry articles;
• MT 3: letter from John Burlinggam [Burlingham] to Betsy Burlinggam his sister at East Greenwich, Rhode Island (doing well, coming home in spring) [MT 1-MT 3 are all in the same hand on the same kind of paper; MT 3 probably enclosed in MT 1];
• MT 4: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Joseph Rhodes his father (many misfortunes since leaving home, broken bones etc); enclosing MT4a: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Joseph Rhodes his father at Warwick County, Rhode Island (has no thoughts of marriage and will be back latter part of year);
• MT 5: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Samuel Dunton his brother [freemason ?] at Molbrow [Marlborough], Massachusetts (accident, broken bones);
• MT 6: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Captain Job Perce his uncle at Greenwich, Rhode Island (made a safe voyage to St Croix, but met with great misfortune and lost part of a vessel and cargo);
• MT 7: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Captain Zachariah Rhodes junior his brother at Boston, Massachusetts (account of prices of goods in North Carolina, currency at 8/- to dollar; the enemy outside Charleston);
• MT 8: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to his brother (not heard from brother in 18 months);
• MT 9: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Captain Joseph Rhodes his brother at Boston, Massachusetts (family matters, bad relations with father);
• MT 10: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to his brother (unhappy his brother hasn't written, put his ankle out of joint. met with Dr Rial Waterman [Zuriel Waterman] in this place);
• MT 11: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to Captain Daniel Rhodes his brother at Boston, Massachusetts (losses in part of vessel cargo, expects to return to Newburn [New Bern ?], Dr Rial Waterman sends compliments to you and brothers Zachariah and Joseph. [North Carolina] is an exceedingly good country for business and to make a fortune would be three times as quick as in the north);
• MT 12: letter from Benjamin Rhodes to William Rhodes his brother at Pertucat [Pawtucket], Rhode Island (recommends him to study);
• MT 13: letter from Z Waterman [Dr Zuriel Waterman] to Dr Robert Wickes his friend at Cranston, Rhode Island (capture, illness, news of war);
• MT 14: letter from Z Waterman to Captain Zachariah Rhodes his friend at Boston (fortunes of war, Charleston a"liberty trap");
• MT 15: letter from Z Waterman to [Zachariah Rhodes] his friend (war news, religious speculation, freemasonry) [enclosed in MT 17 ?];
• MT 16: letter from Z Waterman to George Waterman his brother at Pawtucket, Rhode Island (safe arrival from Charleston);
• MT 17: letter from Z Waterman to Phebe Waterman his sister at Pawtucket (various news);
• MT 18: letter from Z Waterman to Polly Whitney [Mary Whitney] his sister at Pawtucket (expressions of friendship, patriotic sentiments, people in south have greater news and plenty than New England but"the poor negroes sweat for it", intelligence from South Carolina where back countrymen did not like the rebels and instead showed loyalty to the king, plight of rebels in Charleston), enclosing MT 18A: the text of a patriot song about a rising of the American prisoners of war on the British prison shipsPack Horse and Esk at Charleston, in the hand of Zuriel Waterman;
• MT 19: letter from William Evins to Gilsond Evins his loving brother at Freetown, Boston (leaving on schooner last of month), 6 September 1782;
• MT 20: letter from Henry Rillom to John Dunton, care of Jeremiah Collins, of Edenton (status of a former slave allegedly freed in Baltimore, Maryland), 5 September 1782;
• MT 21: letter from Joseph Lobdell at Ocracoke Barn to Nicholas Lobdell his father at Congress Street, Boston (is bound to the Cape [Cap François, Sain Domingue ?] in a schooner, will make his way to Philadelphia, then Boston), 12 September 1782.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-5; Ship's papers: 6-32 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].

HCA 32/459/4/1-32

Public Record(s)

English

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Internment

International

Litigation

Trade and commerce

Marriage and divorce

Europe and Russia

Conflict

Piracy and privateering

Slavery

Race relations

Food and drink

Navy

Freemasons

Crime

Americas

Banking

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Operations, battles and campaigns

Prisons

Personal and family papers