The Deposition of John Barrett First Lieutenant of the armed Brigantine Raleigh late commanded by Edward Travis Esqr fitted out by & belonging to the State of Virginia —

The Deponent being duly sworn on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God deposeth & saith —

That in the Night of the 26th of April last the said Brigantine mounting ten four Pounders fell in with & was captured by the Thames frigate commanded by Capt Howe in the Service of his Brittanie Majesty & while on board the said ship the sd Captain Travis this Deponent & the other Commissioned Officers of the said Brigantine were kindly treated by the said Capt Howe & his Officers, butthe Mariners & other Men of the said Brigantine were confined in the Hold of the said Frigate with many other Prisoners in an uncomfortable Situation. That after being three Weeks on Board the said Ship this Deponent & the other Prisoners were landed at New York where they were delivered to the Charge of one Cunningham a Provost who abused them with the most illiberal & insolent Language order­ing th Common Soldiers to pull off the Hatts of this Deponent & the other Prisoners & take their Cockades out calling them Rebel Pirates & other dis­graceful Epithets. They were then marched up to a Place called the Sugar House where they were confined with common Soldiers, Sailors & even Negroes & were all treated alike both to Provisions & other Matters & indiscriminate Insolence & Cruelty. That the said Officers & all other American Prisoners were repeatedly abused & beaten by the Hessian Guards & Soldiers with Swords & Sticks. That the Provisions received by the Prison­ers at the said Sugar House were about one Pound & an half of Pork & about three Pounds & an' half of condemned Bread P Man for six Days. the said Pork was in general good but the Bread so mouldy & bad that it could not be eaten but when the more pressing Hunger obliged them to do it. They had also an Allowance of about one Pint of Pease P Man for the said Time but they were so hard that they could not be boiled so as to be eatable. they had also allowed them half a Pint of Rice or musty Oatmeal P Man. That this Allowance was the whole he ever saw or heard of during his Confine­ment which lasted about ten Weeks & two days. That after Captain Travis had been confined in the Sugar House about twelve Days he was taken from thence by the said Cunningham on Pretence of writing Letters of which he was said to be accused by a Prisoner who was detected in endeavouring to make his Escape. That the Person who was said to have accused Capt Travis of writing Letters on being brought Face to Face with Capt Travis denied that he had done it but said it was another Person who had written the Letters & tho Captain Travis solemnly protested his Innocence & denied the Charge he was hurried to the Provost & there confined in a Dungeon & was there when this Deponent came away as this Deponent was credibly informed not only by a Note from the said Captain but by a Person of un­doubted Veracity who was present at the Transaction & saw the said Captain in Confinement & who informed this Deponent that he saw Captain Travis beaten by the said Cunningham. That the Treatment towards Prisoners as far as has fallen under this Deponent's Notice is cruel to the last Degree, many of them sickening & dying from Want & the Loss of near half the Crew of the Brigantine Raleigh by hard Treatment & Sickness occasioned by it. That this Deponent made his Escape with seven others out of the said Sugar House on Monday the 28th Ulto & arrived at Philadelphia the third instant. And further saith not — Taken & sworn before