This deponent further says, that at Newport the mate, Josiah Lee, was, by order of Captain Collins, taken out of said brigantine, and confined in irons on board the Nautilus, and continued loaded with irons eleven weeks afterwards, and then was put on board his Majesty’s ship the Boyne, and sent to England. The pretence for this severe usage was an information from a mariner put on board the brigantine, that two other of said mariners had solicited him to join with them to rescue said brigantine; and likewise told him that said Lee would join with them; which charge the accused seamen denied, and declared said Lee never did say anything to them upon the subject; and said Lee likewise denied that he had any knowledge of a design to rescue said brigantine, or that he had ever said anything upon the subject to any person whatsoever.

The deponent further says, that, after the arrival of said brigantine in the harbour of Boston, she was libelled before Nathaniel Hatch, Esquire, Deputy Judge of the Admiralty, and, after a long time, condemned; but for what cause this deponent is ignorant: it was, indeed, given out that some cotton-wool he had on board was not shipped agreeably to the provisions of the act of navigation; but of this the de­ponent was ignorant, he having cleared out said brigantine in Jamaica as he had usually done on former voyages, when no exception had been taken either in the West-Indies, or here in the Custom-houses on the Continent.

The deponent further says, that he continued and was detained in Boston till about the 10th day of December last, when, upon being informed by Captain Collins that he had orders from the Admiral to put him on board the Preston, then bound for England, as soon as the sales of the brigantine and her cargo were closed, he found means to make his escape to Dorchester-Point, and from thence returned home.

Finally, this deponent says, that the crew of said brigantine, when taken, consisted of Josiah Lee, mate; Eleazer Treadwell, Jabez Perkins, John Pike, John Hall, Noadiah Bailey, Jeremiah Fullerton, and this deponent; of which, said Treadwell and this deponent have made their escape, and the rest are yet detained in captivity; and further this deponent saith not.

GEORGE STARR,
GILES SAGE.

Sworn the day and year above written, before me,

TITUS HOSMER, Justice of Peace.

COLONY OF CONNECTICUT, HARTFORD COUNTY, ss.

Be it remembered, that, upon this 2d day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, personally came and appeared before me, Titus Hosmer, Esquire, one of his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for said County, Eleazer Treadwell, of Haddam, in said County, mariner, who, being duly sworn, upon his oath deposeth and saith: That, on the 28th day of May last, he shipped himself as a mariner on board the Brig Polly, Giles Sage master, owned by Colonel Matthew Talcott and Captain Jeremiah Wadsworth, upon a voyage from Middletown, in said County, to the Island of Jamaica, in the West-Indies, and from thence back again to New-York and Middletown, and soon after sailed in said brigantine from the port of New-London, and arrived at Kingston, in Jamaica; and, having lain there some time, he sailed again in said brigantine from Kingston New-York; and that, in his pas­sage to New-York, on or about the 20th day of September last, they fell in with his Majesty’s ship the Nautilus, being near the land, which immediately fired three guns at us, and then sent her pinnace, with armed men, and took possession of said brigantine, and took the master and all the people that belonged to the brigantine, except the mate, and carried them on board the Nautilus, and put a prize-master and mariners on board said brigantine, and then stood away for Newport, in Rhode-Island, with said brigantine in company.

This deponent further saith, that the crew of said brigantine, at the time she was taken, consisted of the following persons, to wit: Giles Sage, master; Josiah Lee, mate; and Jabez Perkins, John Pike, John Hall, Noadiah Bailey, Jeremiah Fullerton, and this deponent, mariners.

This deponent also saith, that the cargo of said brigantine, at the time she was taken as aforesaid, as far as he knows and can remember, consisted of the following articles, viz: a large quantity of Jamaica rum and sugar, beef, pork, osnaburghs, duck, writing-paper, ginger, cotton-wool, check­ed linen, a large quantity of indigo, a negro, a gun, a spy­glass, which this deponent knows to have been on board, but has not any means in his power to ascertain the quan­tity or quality of the same.

This deponent further says, that the mate, Josiah Lee, at Newport, in Rhode-Island, was brought on board the Nautilus, and confined there, and laid in irons, upon pre­tence that he had conspired with two of the seamen of the Nautilus, on board the brigantine, to rise and rescue the brigantine, and run away with her, although he steadily denied the charge, and the informer was not reputed a person of good character by the crew of the Nautilus, and it was not pretended that he made any attempt to rescue the brigantine, or had done any one thing tending that way; the loading him, with irons, this deponent thought to be very severe treatment, as there was no danger from him on board the Nautilus; notwithstanding, his irons were kept upon him till this deponeut made his escape in October last.

The deponent further says, that soon afterwards the Nautilus sailed with said brigantine from Newport for Boston; and on her passage, near Beverly, ran aground, and was there attacked by people from the shore, when the deponent, and the other seamen taken out of the said brigantine, were ordered to the guns on board the Nautilus, and compelled to fire them upon the town, and the people on shore.

This deponent further says, that he was detained on board the Nautilus till towards the end of October, when he had liberty to go on shore in Boston, when he took an opportunity in the evening to make his escape in a boat to Dorchester-Point, and from thence returned home, leaving the rest of the crew of said brigantine on board the Nautilus, and said brigantine in the harbour of Boston; and further this deponent saith not.

ELEAZER TREADWELL.

Sworn by said Eleazer Treadwell the day and year above written, before me,

TITUS HOSMER, Justice of Peace.

The following is an account of the loss sustained by two Ministerial Cruisers on the 6th day of September, 1775; (the one belonging to the Rose, James Wallace, command­er, the other to the Glasgow, Howe commander;) by Lemuel Brooks’s Sloop Neptune, laden with Sugar and Salt, bound to New-York, belonging to John Brooks, of Stamford, in Connecticut, one-eighth part; Josiah Hubble, one-eighth part; Jonathan Boothe, one-eighth part; Benjamin Brooks, one-fourth part; Lemuel Brooks, three-eighths. As the honourable Continental Congress have advertised for said losses to be brought in to the Committee appointed for that purpose, the following is a true account, attested by the master, mate, and one of the mariners:

Sloop NEPTUNE, burden ninety-five tons, forty-four feet.

LEMUEL BROOKS,
ELEAZER SCOTT,
GEORGE RAYMOND.

Then personally appeared Lemuel Brooks, master; Eleazer Scott, mate; and George Raymond, mariner; they and each of them made solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing account.

Sworn before me,

JOSEPH PLATT, Justice of Peace.