4th. To the fourth Interrogatory this deponent Saith that he saw a certain Schooner pretended to be a spanish Schooner, But did not know her name, and first became acquainted with her the 7th of December 1756, In the Latitude of 21 and 23 N: and Longitude 81 and 30, this deponent was on board the privateer peggy when the said Schooner was taken, that he was Capn. Clerk,[3] this deponent is not very positive but believes there was about fourteen men on board the said schooner at the time she was taken, that the said schooner had four carriage [and] six swivel Guns at the time she was brought too, as this deponent afterwards heard, and that she had no regular papers or Clearances from any publick authority, as this deponent saw or heard at that time or since. This depont. also knows and remembers that particular pains was taken by Capn. Haddon and all the officers belonging to the said privateer to discover whether there were any regular ships papers or Clearances on board the said schooner at the time of her being taken, and in particular the Capn. when he sent Christopher Miller on board, his first Lieutt., desired him to send all the papers of the schooner on board the privt.; that after the sd. first Liet. got on board he made a search and told the said Capn. Haddon from the said schooner that he could find no regular papers on board her, whereupon the Capn. told him bring all the papers he could find and the Capn. of the sd. Schooner, upon which the Liet. made answer he could not tell which was the Capn.; upon that the Capn. told him to bring two or three of the Likeliest of the men, that he did so and these men belonging to the said schooner came on board, one of which, which the deponent took to be Don Philip, being asked for the papers delivered a pocket book to the Capn. which the Capn opened upon the Quarter deck and took out the papers; that this deponent was there and saw nothing but a few Letters, sealed up and directed to Different persons in Kingston; then sd. Capn. Haddon told the said Philip that he certainly must have more papers; upon that sd Philip shrugged up his shoulders and was Silent, and after that Capn Haddon called to the first Liet., wo [who] was still on board the said Schooner, to make a further Search, and this deponent never heard of any papers at all being found that were satisfactory. the said Philip appd.[4] to be the Capn. or principal officer of the said schooner. this deponent further Says that he heard Capn. Haddon say, upon the peoples asking what he Intended to do with them, that he would carry them to the Havannah, upon which as this deponent understood by the Interpretation of one Francis De Spania, a Spaniard belonging to the privateer peggy, and from the Declarations of Capn Haddon, they begged and Intreated he would not, for that if he did they would either be hanged or made slaves, and that they said they did not value the money, and their lives would be of Little Service to Capn. Haddon, and the said Capn. told this deponent the reason he did not send her into any port for condemnation was partly out of humanity to the people and partly in regard to the Interest of his owners. This deponent does not know certainly but has been Informed that the said Schooner was not properly equipped or fitt to come upon this Coast in the months of December or January.
5th. To the fifth Interrogatory this deponent saith that to the best of his Knowledge the said Schooner had on board of her at the time she was brought to by the said privateer peggy about fourteen men, composed of a Mixture of Nations, that the following Quantitys of Money was taken out of the said and brought on board of the peggy and Sorted on the deck and there counted, viz. 5764 Dollar, 10 Doubbloons, 105 pistereen, 1 Two Shilling, 1 shilling, five bitts, two pair of Silver Knee buckles and one Box containing Sundry Trinkets of Gold, to witt, one Bracelet, twenty Gold rings and one pair of Gold Sleeve buttons; it was brought on board in a publick manner and it was sorted and counted in this deponents presence and this deponent understood that the said money and other things were owned among the different persons on board.
6th. To the Sixth Interrogatory this deponent Saith that he heard that the persons on board the said Schooner delivered up or gave the said box or Trinkets to Capn Haddon on condition that he would not Carry the said Schooner with the Crew thereof to the Havannah and further saith not to this Interrogatory.
7th. To the Seventh Interrogatory this deponent saith that he knows that Capn. Haddon acquainted the persons on board the said Schooner with the name of his vessel, his own name, the port she belonged to, and that he should carry the things he had from on board the said schooner to the port of New York for condemnation.
8th. To the eighth Interrogatory this deponent Saith that he remembers That another Schooner was brought to by the peggy some short time before the schooner was brought to out of which Capn. Haddon had the money belonging to the Spanish Nation, and richly Laden and they were Treated extreamly Civil by Capn. Haddon; this depont. Could not observe from any of his conduct that he was desirous to rob or pilfer them, but on their producing regular paper and clearances discharged them, and this deponent knows of his supplying a Spanish Sloop with provisions on the Twelfth of Jan'y 1757.
9th. To the Ninth Interrogatory this depont. saith that he knows of nothing further that will tend to the advantage of the defendt. in this Cause except That Capn. Haddon found a french Letter on board of a prize which he took coming from the Mississippi, from a french officer in Luisiania to a person of distinction in old france, by which he understood that the french were Incroaching upon the Spanish Territories and had still designs so to do, upon which Capn. Haddon Inclosed the said french Letter in a Letter Directed to the Governour of the Havannah, which said Letter this depont. wrote by direction of the Capn.,[5] and that the said Capn. always Treated prisoners and others with humanity and Civilly and always acted with much care.
10th. To the Tenth Interrogatory this deponent Saith that he shall not gain or loose by the event of the suit any other wise than by reason of the near relationship he stands in to Capn. Haddon and by his belonging to the said Vessel in the said Cruize.
Willm. Haddon.
Examined this 16th of Novr. 1759
Per me
Silvester, D: Register
[1] "At a commodious House ... in Bound Brook, Province of East New Jersey, young Gentlemen are educated and boarded on reasonable terms, by William Haddon, Professor of ab, eb, etc." Advertisement in New York Mercury, Mar. 30, 1761. He taught there seven years, then at Newark from 1768 on. New Jersey Archives, first ser., XX. 548.