British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Three Friends (master Robert...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Three Friends (master Robert Craig).

Capture history: an American merchant ship under French colours (polacre, 100 or 200 tons, 13 men, formerly the British ship Union taken by Americans), now bound from Ochayes [Aux Cayes, Les Cayes], Saint Domingue to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, laden with sugar; taken on 12 or 13 May 1782 off Cape Henlopen by HMS Warwick (George Keith Elphinstone commanding) and HMS Bonetta (James Cotes commanding) and brought into New York.

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

Court papers numbered CP 1-5:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master George Cockburn midshipman of HMS Warwick, 18 May 1782;
• [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of Elphinstone v The polacre Three Friends and her cargo, 18 May 1782;
• [CP 3]: deposition of Jean or John Picah, of Guadeloupe, mate, 21 May 1782;
• [CP 4]: answer and claim of William Backhouse merchant of New York (a Quaker) and others, owners of the Union, 22 May 1782;
• [CP 5]: replication.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-10:-

• SP 1: French pass to trade in American waters, 10 April 1782;
• SP 2: French pass to Baie des Flamands, [Martinique], 6 February 1782;
• SP 3: crew list, Les Cayes, 9 April 1782;
• SP 4: business letter from John Withard, Aux Cayes, to [his partners] Messrs Haynes & Crawford, Philadelphia , enclosing SP 4A, bill of lading, 12 April 1782;
• SP 5-SP 7: receipts;
• SP 8-SP 9: customs papers;
• SP 10: sale of the polacre, 9 April 1782, used as wrapper.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-9; Ship's papers: 10-23 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].