Catalogue description Captured ship: Marie or Mary of Rotterdam (master Samuel Corbet). History: a Dutch...

Captured ship: Marie or Mary of Rotterdam (master Samuel Corbet).

History: a Dutch merchant ship (50 tons, 4 men), bound from St Malo to Rotterdam, laden with rum and honey; taken on 8/19 April 1745 three leagues off Calais by the privateer Sutherland (John Sutherland commanding), and brought into Dover.

Documents:-

Court Papers:

• [CP 1-CP 6]: standing interrogatories, four examinations, commissioners' affidavit;
• [CP 7]: attestation and claim of the master, brought into court on 25 April 1745;
• [CP 8-CP 9]: certificate attesting to the ownership of the vessel by Rotterdam merchants in Dutch and English, administered by the ruling authorities of Rotterdam, brought into court on 2 July 1745;
• [CP 10]: attestation of Samuel Corbet as to having been fired upon several times by the Sutherland despite cooperating, having been personally attacked with a sabre by the privateer's lieutenant despite showing his papers, his private goods being stolen and the ship plundered, and never having seen the additional ship's paper (SP A) instructing him to throw all ship's paper overboard which he implies was fraudulantly placed aboard his ship; brought into court on 2 July 1745;
• [CP 11]: attestation of John Sutherland as to having been forced to fire at Marie due to her attempts at escaping and that Samuel Corbet had refused to show his papers, instead drawing a knife on Sutherland's lieutenant and Corbet having only received injuries during this altercation from the lieutenant's self-defense; brought into court on 6 July 1745;
• [CP 12]: allegation, brought into court on 6 July 1745;
• [CP 13-CP 16]: counter-allegation of Samuel Corbet, list of additional interrogatories desired by John Sutherland and the responses given by Nicholas Friocourt in French and English, administered by the ruling authorities of Boulogne, brought into court on 8 September 1745;
• [CP 17-CP 18]: two commission of appraisement with annexed appraisements, June and October 1745;
• [CP 19-CP 23]: minitues, commission and two schedules of the auction selling off cargo from Marie with an affidavit as to its truthful execution, brought into court in June 1746;
• [CP 24]: attestation of Samuel Corbet as to the list of items which had been unlawfully seized by the crew of the Sutherland, brought into court in August 1747;
• [CP 25-CP 26]: two bills of court expenses, one drawn up on behalf of the captors, brought into court in August 1747;
• [CP 27-CP 29]: attestation as to papers, and abstract and translation of 12 ship's papers, additional attestation as to papers with another ship's paper (SP A) attached instructing the master to throw all ship's papers overboard if chased by an English privateer.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-SP 21, SP 21A, SP 22-26, SP 26A, SP 27, 27A, SP 28, SP 29, and a green booklet SP 30 with enclosed notes and a single playing card SP 30A-E, additional ship's paper marked SP A.

[Decision: restored, 31 March 1747]