BETSEY, Boat. Capt. John Barlow of New Haven, duly commissioned by Governor Trumbull as Letter of Marque and Reprisal, captured the British sloop Tartar of 70 tons burthen, in Oyster Bay, L. I., Dec. 18, 1780, according to papers on file in the New Haven County Maritime Court, where the captor was granted a favorable decree for his prize. The cargo contained a large quantity of provisions, dry goods, etc., for the British garrison in New York. BETSEY and SNAKE, Armed Boats. Ackley Riley of Wethersfield and Abraham Wright of Farmington, commanders, under commission of these two armed boats, captured a certain vessel, name unknown, June 23, 1780, containing a cargo of British goods, bound from New York to the eastern part of Long Island. Decree granted favorable to libellants, in Hartford County Court. BLACK PRINCESS, Snow. Humphrey Crary of Stonington, commander, commissioned February 7, 1781. 10 guns, crew 12. Bonded for $20,000. Bonders, Humphrey Crary, Clement Miner and Thomas Seymour. Owned by Dudley Woodbridge & Co. No record found of her captures. She went on cruise and was chased back into Stonington (from St. Martins) from Lat. 39°, Long. 68°, by a British frigate. BLACK SLOVEN, Schooner. James Young of New London, commander. Commissioned Oct. 16, 1781. 1 gun, crew 25. Bonded for $20,000. Bonders, James Young, John Deshon and Nathaniel Shaw of New London. Owned by John Deshon & Co. On the night of May 8, 1782, while in Great South Bay near Long Island, captured the British schooner Betsey, 30 tons, laden with lumber, then the property and in possession of the enemy, and brought her into New London for libel, where favorable decree was granted. The Betsey was commanded by John Green, and was permitted by John Moore, of the British Police Superintendent's office in New York, to have on board 25 lbs. of powder, permit signed Jan. 28, 1782. Cargo lists and other papers are also on file with the Betsey's papers. BLACK JOAK, Galley. In August, 1781, Captain Enoch Willett captured in Long Island Sound the British pettiaugre Betsey, John Mathews late master, and the sloop Polly, William Jones master, according to New London Maritime Court records. BRILLIANT, Sloop. William Wright of Norwich, commander, commissioned Oct. 10, 1778. 6 guns, crew 40. Bonded for $5,000. Bonders, William Wright, Benjamin Huntington and Jabez Perkins. Owned by Joseph Howland & Co., Norwich. No further record of this privateer has been found. BROOME, Sloop. William Nott of Milford, commander, commissioned July 2, 1776. 10 guns, crew 70. Bonded for $5,000. Bonders, Wm. Nott, Samuel Broome & Co. Owned by Samuel Broome & Co. On August 26, 1776, Captain Nott arrived at Bedford in Dartmouth (Mass.) with four valuable prizes, viz.: the British ship Charming Sally, John Stell, late master, bound from Dominica to Europe with a valuable cargo of sugar; the snow Ann, John Powes late master, from Tobago to Lancaster, England, with sugar and cotton; the British brig Caroline Packet, Mark Towle late master, from Antigua to London with sugar, rum and lignum vitae; the brig John, Daniel McKay late master, from Granada to Dublin with 90 hhds. of rum. On Nov. 16, 1776, two British schooners laden with fish and provisions, bound from Halifax to West Indies, were captured and sent into Bedford for libel. The privateer Independence participated in their capture. Captain Nott, after the loss of the Broome to the enemy, was exchanged, and was afterwards placed in command of the State armed sloop Guilford. BUNKER HILL, Schooner. Sanford Thompson of Middletown, commander, commissioned April 7, 1780. 10 guns, crew 45. Bonded for $5,000. Bonders, Sanford Thompson, Joseph Smith and Comfort Sage, all of Middletown. Owned by Comfort Sage & Co. On April 14, 1780, Lieut. John Smith of this vessel captured the British privateer sloop Dolphin, David Hunter, late master, from St. Kitts, and mounting 10 guns and with a crew of 21 men, also her cargo of 100 poncheons of rum. This was a spirited engagement, and the Bunker Hill lost Lieut. Samuel Stow and one man killed, and Captain Thompson and three others wounded. On April 28th, 1780, Captain Thompson returned to New London from a cruise and brought in as his prize the British schooner Lee, William Scott late master, from Martinico to Boston with rum, sugar and molasses. This was a recapture, on the south side of Long Island. On April 15th, Lat. 30° N. the Lee was taken by the British brig Arbuthnot, James Dowing commander, from New York, who ordered the Lee into that port. On May 26, 1780, Captain Thompson took a ship from Barbadoes with 450 hhds. of rum and sent her into Philadelphia. CATO, Ship. Daniel Tappan of Newburyport, commander, commissioned May 6, 1782. 12 guns, crew 50. Bonded for $20,000. Bonders, Daniel Tappan, Thomas Mumford, Norwich, and Nathan |