War
of 1812
Standing Interrogatories
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To be administered on behalf of Our Sovereign
Lord George the Third, by Grace of God, of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith. To
all Commanders, Masters, Officers, mariners, and other Persons
found on board any Ships and Vessels, which may have been, or
shall be seized or taken as Prize by any of His Majesty's Ships
or Vessels, which have or shall have Commissions or Letters
of Marque and Reprisals, concerning such captured Ships, Vessels,
or any Goods, Wares, and Merchandizes on board the same; examined
as Witnesses in preparatory during the present hostilities with
the United States of America. Let each witness be interrogated
to every of the following Questions; and their answers to each
Interrogatory written down.
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Where were you born, and where have you lived for these
seven years past? Where do you live? and how long have you
lived in that place? To what Prince or State, or to whom
are you, or have you been a subject, and of what Cities
or Towns have you be en admitted a Burgher or Freeman, and
at what time and in what manner were you so admitted? How
long have you resided there since you were admitted a Burgher
or Freeman, or where have you resided since? What did you
pay for your admission? Are you a married man, and if married,
where do your wife and family reside?
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Were you present at the time of the taking and seizing
the ship or her lading, or any of the goods or merchandizes
concerning which you are now examined, and Commission? What
and from whom?
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In what place, Latitude, or port, and in what year,
month, day, was the ship and goods, concerning which you
are now examined, taken and seized? Upon what pretence and
for what reasons were they seized? Into what place or port
were they carried, and under what colours did the said ship
sail? What other colours had you on board, and for what
reason had you such other colours? Was any resistance made
at the time when the said ship was taken; and if yes how
many guns were fired, and by whom, and by what ship or ships
were you taken? Was such vessel a ship of war, or a vessel
acting without any Commission as you believe? Were any other,
and what ships, in sight at the time of capture?
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What is the name of the Master or commander of the
Ship or Vessel taken? How long have you know the said Master,
and who appointed him to Command of the said ship? Where
did such Master take possession of her, and at what time,
and what was the name of the person who delivered the possession
to the said Master? Where doth he live? Where is the said
Master's fixed place of abode? If he has no fixed place
of abode, then let him be asked, Where was his last place
of abode, and where does he generally reside? How long has
he lived there? Where was he born , and of whom is he now
a subject? Is he married, if yes, where does his wife and
family reside?
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Of what tonnage or burthen is the Ship which has been
taken? What was the number of Mariners, and of what country
were the said Seamen or mariners? Did they all come on board
at the same port, or at different ports, and who shipped
or hired them, and when and where.
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Had you, or nay of the Officers or Mariners belonging
to the said Ship or Vessel. concerning which you are now
examined, any and what part, share or interest in the said
Ship or her Lading? If yes, set forth who and what goods
or interest you or they have? Did you belong to the said
Ship or vessel at the time she was seized and taken? In
what capacity did you belong to her? How long have you known
her? When and where did you first see her, and where was
she built?
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What is the name of the Ship? How long has she been
so called? Do you know of any other name or Names by which
she has been called; If yes what were they; Ha s she any
Passport or Sea brief on board, and from whom? To what Ports
or Places did she sail during her said Voyage before she
was taken? Where did her last Voyage begin, and where was
the said Voyage to have ended? Set forth the quality of
every cargo t he ship has carried to the time of her capture
from the time you have known her, and what ports such cargoes
have been delivered at? From what Ports and at what time,
particularly from the last clearing Port, did the said Ship
sail, previously to the capture? Under whose direction and
management has she usually been, with respect to her employment
in Trade? With whom do you correspond on concerns of the
Vessel and her cargoes? I what country was she built, as
far as you know, or have reason to believe?
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What Lading did the said Ship carry out at the time
of her first setting sail on her last voyage, and what particular
sort of Lading and goods had she on board at the time when
she was taken? In what year and in what month was the same
put on boar d? set forth the different species of Lading,
and the Quantities of each sort.
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Who were the Owners of the Ship or Vessel, concerning
which you are now examined, at the time when she was seized?
How do you know that they were the Owners of the said Ship
at that time? Of what Nation or Country are such Owners
by birth? Where do they reside, and where do their Wives
and Families reside? How long have they resided there? where
did they reside before, to the best of your knowledge? To
whom are they Subjects?
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Was any Bill of sale made, and by whom, to the aforesaid
Owners of the said Ship; and if any such was made, in what
month and year? Where, and in the presence of what Witnesses,
was such Bill of Sale made? Was any and what engagement
entered into concerning the Purchase further than what appears
upon the Bill of sale? If yes, was it verbal or in writing?
Where did you last see it? and what has become of it?
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Was the said Lading put on board in one Port and at
one time, or at several Ports and at several times, and
at what Ports, by name? Set forth what quantities of each
sort of Goods were shipped at each Port.
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What are the names of the respective Laders or Owners,
or Consignees, of the said Goods? What Countrymen are they?
Where do they now live and carry on their business or trade?
How long have they resided there? And where were the said
Goods to be delivered, and for whose real account, risk
or benefit? have any of the said Consignees or laders any,
and what Interest, in the said goods? If yes, whereon do
you found your belief that they have such Interest? Can
you take upon yourself to swear that you believe, that at
the time of the lading the Cargo, and at the present time,
and also if the said Goods shall be restored and unladen
at the destined Ports, the Goods did, do and will belong
to the same Persons, and to none others? What is the ground
of your knowledge or belief?
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How many Bills of Lading were signed for the Goods
seized on board the said S hip? Were any of those Bills
of Lading false or colourable, or were any bills of Lading
signed which were different in any respect from those which
were on Board the Ship, at the time she was taken? What
were the contents of such other Bills of Lading, and what
became of them?
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Are there, in Great Britain, any Bills of Lading, Invoices,
Letters or Instruments, relative to the Ship and Goods,
concerning which you are now examined? if yes, set forth
where they are, and in whose possession, and what is the
purport thereof, and when they were brought or sent into
this Kingdom?
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Was there any Charter-Party signed for the Voyage in
which the Ship, concerning which you are now examined, was
seized and taken? What became thereof? When, where and between
whom, was such Charty-Party made? What were the contents
of it?
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What Papers, Bills of lading, Letters, or other Writings,
were on board the Ship at the time she took her departure
from the last clearing Port, before her being taken as Prize?
Were any of them burnt, torn, thrown over board, destroyed
or cancelled, concealed or attempted to be concealed, an
when, and by whom, and who was then present?
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Has the ship, concerning which you are know examined,
been at any time, and when seized as prize, and condemned
as such? If yes, set forth into what port she was carried,
and by whom and by what authority, or on what account was
she condemned?
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Have you sustained any loss by the seizing and tasking
the ship, concerning which you are know examined? If yes,
in what manner do you compute such, your loss? have you
already received any indemnity, satisfaction, or promise
of satisfaction, for any part of the damage which you have
sustained, or may sustain by this capture and detention,
and when, and from whom?
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Is the said Ship or Goods, or any, and what part, insured?
If yes, for what Voyage is such Insurance made, and at what
premium, and when and by what Persons, and in what Country
was such Insurance made?
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In case you had arrived at your destined Port, would
your Cargo, or any Part thereof, on being unladen, have
immediately become the property of the consignees or nay
other Person, and whom? Or was the Lader to take the chance
of the Market for the Sale of his Goods?
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Let each Witness be interrogated of the Growth, Produce,
and manufacture of what Country and place was the lading
of the Ship or Vessel, concerning which you are know examined,
or any part thereof?
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Whether all the said Cargo, or any part thereof, was
taken from Shore or Quay, or removed or trans shipped from
one Boat, Barque, Vessel or Ship, to another? From what
and to what Shore, Quay, Boat, Barque, Vessel, or Ship,
and when and where, was the same so done?
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Are there in any Country, besides Great Britain, and
where, or on board any and what Ship or Ships, Vessel or
Vessels, other than the Ship and Vessel, concerning which
you are now examined, any Bills of Lading, Invoices, Letters,
Instruments, Papers, or Documents, relative to the said
Ship or Vessel and cargo, and of what Nature are such Bills
of lading, Invoices, Letters, Instruments, Papers, or Documents,
and what are the Contents?
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