High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Le Basque of Bordeaux (master Dominique Dascoube),...

High Court of Admiralty.

Captured ship: Le Basque of Bordeaux (master Dominique Dascoube), formerly La Magdalene and other names.

The papers of this case are split between two pieces: see HCA 32/277/7 for the capture history and description of the court papers, which are in that piece. This piece, HCA 30/728, contains the ships papers taken from the prize by the captors.

Ships Papers:

SP 1 to SP 10: papers handed over to the captors on capture:

• SP 1-SP 6, SP 8, SP 10: false papers purporting to show the ship sailed for Bordeaux from Saint-Domingue.
• SP 7: brevet de contrôle de passage from Bordeaux.
• SP 8: false muster / role de l'equipage (false as regards place of origin, but probably accurate as to names).
• SP 9: certificate of health from Bordeaux.
• SP 10: false log.

SP 11- SP 100: papers found concealed in the ship, inc:

• SP 11, 14, 17, 19, 20, 28, 30: papers selected by the court as evidence, all in English (hence no translations of the ship's papers):
  • SP 11: clearance under bond to sail from New Bern, North Carolina, America.
  • SP 14: invoice of tobacco sent from Edenton to New Bern for Dascoube.
  • SP 17: Dascoube's account current with Savage & Westmore, Edenton.
  • SP 19: receipt for Dascoube's tobacco, Edenton.
  • SP 20: letter to Dascoube at New Bern.
  • SP 28, 30: bill of sale for the brig Sally, bought by Dascoube for £5000, at New Bern; and account current.
• SP 12-13, 15, 20-26, 29, 33-34, 36-38, 57-59, 62: letters to Dascoube at New Bern and Ocracoke, from Ocracoke, Edenton, Washington etc concerning the cargo and loading (several from Domé).
• SP 16: Dascoube's account current.
• SP 32, 50-53: individual named seamen's engagement agreements for men taken on at New Bern, including thee Italian sailors and the survivors from two shipwrecks (others similar: SP 73/11-17 and SP 74/73-78, 81).
• SP 27: inventory of the brig Sally.
• SP 39: instructions for the captain.
• SP 40: extract from the minutes of the registry at Cap François for Le Basque bound for St Pierre et Miquelon.
• SP 41: Spanish pass to sail from Portugalete in Spain to Martinique, 1777.
• SP 42-44: storage of tobacco.
• SP 45: receipt from the Trésorier des Invalides de la Marine at Bordeaux.
• SP 47: account of merchandise.
• SP 48, 68-69: tobacco cargo.
• SP 49: receipt for seaman's wages (signed with a cross, no name).
• SP 54: personal letter to the cooper (not named, but Bathelemy Desbatie) of Le Basque at New Bern, c/o"Maitre Lavigne" [Jean Lavigne] (actually the master and cooper of the wrecked snow Le Diamant, rated as matelot and novice in Le Basque - see SP 74/82).
• SP 55: last page written in Basque language (found 10 Feb 2025).
• SP 56: statement by crew of L'ami de Williamsburg concerning their seizure by the privateer Scipion of Bordeaux.
• SP 60: Dascoube's percentage on sales.
• SP 61: list of dressmaking materials ordered from Dascoube by William Stanley, New Bern, for Mrs Stanley (English).
• SP 63-67, 71-72: letters from Dascoube et al at New Bern to Domé at Ocracoke.
• SP 70: personal letter, undated and unaddressed, perhaps draft. From nephew to uncle.
• SP 73: a packet of assorted papers described at item level: HCA 30/728/1.
• SP 74: a packet of assorted papers described at item level: HCA 30/728/1.
• SP 75: cargo sales (SP 75A enc).
• SP 76: account book A (SP 76A enc).
• SP 77: cargo sales (SP 77A-D enc).
• SP 78: facture generalle cargo and pacotilles.
• SP 79: Grand Livre A.
• SP 80: alphabet du Grand Livre.
• SP 81: Livre de Recapitulation pour la pacotille.
• SP 82: Brouillard pour la pacotille no. 2. (SP 82A-C enc).
• SP 83: Journal pour la pacotille no. 2; Grand Livre pour la pacotille no. 2. (SP 83A enc).
• SP 84: captain's letterbook (SP 84A enc).
• SP 85: captain's expenses; (SP 85A-H various odd accounts; SP 85G mentions 51 mink skins and 6 otter skins (in English).
• SP 86: livre de recapitulation.
• SP 87: livre des factures.
• SP 88: Journal A.
• SP 89: livre de recapitulation (SP 89A-D enc).
• SP 90: facture generale.
• SP 91: cargo manifest.
• SP 92: navigational journal of lieutenant [Pierre François] Chambon 2 Aug to 26 Dec 1777. (SP 92A is a quartier de réduction navigational aid).
• SP 93: rough navigational papers [of Chambon] 3 Aug - 23 Dec 1777.
• SP 94, 95-95A: cargo manifests (SP 94A-B enc).
• SP 96: letterbook of Domé, 2nd in command (SP 96A-B enc).
• SP 97: navigational journal of Domé.
• SP 98: navigational journal.
• SP 99: navigational journal.
• SP 100: alphabet.

Sundry odd Ships Papers found concealed in the ship, not numbered for the court, now numbered [101] to [112], inc:

• [101]: livre de Blanchesage / laundry list, Fort Royal, 1777.
• [102]-[105]: statements of several small cargoes carried to New Bern from Le Basque in American vessels.
• [106]-[109]: accounts of victuals.
• [110]: Domé's account current with Dascoube.
• [111]: invoice for tobacco in L'Ami de Williamsburg.
• [112]: rough notebook.

Languages: French, English, Basque (SP 55 and SP 74/1), Spanish (SP 41), a few words of Italian (SP 52).

Note on currency: All the sums of money given in £sd at New Bern relate to the local colonial pound, which evidently equalled 10/- sterling (see SP 74/44).

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Catalogued January-February 2025.

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