Captured ships: four French East Indies merchant ships, captured in the Indian Ocean...

Captured ships: four French East Indies merchant ships, captured in the Indian Ocean and near Batavia, processed locally, and the papers sent back to the HCA together.

Ship 1: La Chandanagore (master or supercargo M du Casse). History: a merchantman (500-600 tons, 16 guns, 50 or 60 black mariners, 5 French officers), bound from Jedda [Jeddah] and Mayé to Chandernagore [Chandannagar], laden with wine, nuts, fruit and salt; taken on 15 September 1745, after a chase off the coast of Orissa, in Ballasore Road [Baleshwar] (having thrown her papers overboard) by HMS Preston (George [Carnegie] Earl of Northesk commanding) and HMS Lively (Henry Rosewell commanding), and brought into Fort William, India.

Ship 2: Le Dupleix (master M le Blanc). History: a merchantman (500 tons, 16 guns, lascar or black mariners, and French officers), bound from Mocha to Chandernagore, laden with coffee, salt and other goods; taken on 15 September 1745 in Ballasore Road by HMS Preston (George [Carnegie] Earl of Northesk commanding) and HMS Lively (Henry Rosewell commanding), and brought into Fort William, India.

Ship 3: L'Heureux (master François Mitard). History: a merchantman (700-800 tons, 18 guns, lascar or black mariners, and 16 French officers), bound from Surat to Chandernagore lasden with cotton and other goods; taken on 22 September 1745 by HMS Preston (George [Carnegie] Earl of Northesk commanding) and HMS Lively (Henry Rosewell commanding), and brought into Fort William, India.

Ship 4: Le Favory (master Lachenais Gilbert Du Chaesne). History: a merchantman witha letter of marque (500-600 tons, 32 guns, 130 men, all French) bound from Sumatra to Pondicherry to take on more cargo, and thence to Old France, laden with opium, redwood and bomb shells; taken in fight on 23 November 1744 at Achin Road, Sumatra, by HMS Medway (Edward Peyton commanding) and HMS Dolphin (John Moore commanding), and brought into Batavia.

Documents:-

Court Papers:

• [Examinations taken in London, see: HCA 13/90, fos 360-362, 366]
• [CP 1-CP 3]: attestation as to the arrival of 19 papers relating to the condemnation of the 4 ships, sent from Fort St David on HMS Deptford, 19 September 1746, with 2 court cross-references;
• [CP 4-CP 5]: two release, 26 September 1746;
• [CP 6-CP 8]: three allegations, 2 October 1746
• [CP 9 -CP 10]: abstracts and translations, of four papers in French, nos 12, 13, 15 and 19, and of examinations relating to Le Favory.

Ship's papers and process received from Fort St David, now numbered SP 1-SP 19 (of which most are examinations).

[Decision: Chandernagore, Dupleix and L'Heureux condemned as prize to HMS Preston and HMS Lively, 2 October 1746]

[Decision: Le Favory condemned as prize to HMS Medway and HMS Dolphin, 2 October 1746]