The Deposition of capt. Seth Clark, ² of Newbury Port in the state of Massachusetts Bay, in America, is as follows:

That on his return from Cape Nichola Mole to Newbury Port, he was taken on the seventeenth of September last by an armed schooner in his Britannic majesty's service: ——— Coats [James Cotes], esq; commander, and carried down to Jamaica; on his arrival at which place, he was sent on board the Squirrel, another armed vessel,———[Stair] Douglas, esq; commander, where, although master and half owner of the vessel in which he was taken, he was turned as a common sailor before the mast, and in that situation sailed for England in the month of November; on the 25th of which month they took a schooner from Port a Pe to Charlestown, South Carolina, to which place she belonged; when the owner, Mr. Burt, and the master, Mr. Bean, were brought on board, on the latter's denying he had any ship papers, capt. Douglas ordered him to be stripped. tied up, and then whipped with a wire cat of nine tails that drew blood every stroke, and then, on his saying that he had thrown his papers overboard, he was untied, and ordered to do his duty as a common sailor, with no place for himself or people to lay on but the decks.³ On their ardval at Spithead, the deponent was removed to the Monarch, and there ordered to do duty as a foremast man, and on his refusing, on account of inability, to do it, he was threatened by the lieutenant, a Mr. Stoney, that if he spoke one word to the contrary, he should be brought to the gangway, and there severely flogged.

After this he was again removed, and put on board the Barfleur, where he remained till the 10th of February. On board this ship the deponent saw several American prisoners, who were closely confined and ironed, with only four mens allowance to six. These prisoners and others informed this deponent that a number of American prisoners had been taken out of this ship and sent to the East-Indies and the coast of Africa, which, he was told, would have been his fate, had he arrived sooner. This deponent farther saith, that in Hasler hospital, to which place on account of sickness he was removed froin the Barfleur, he saw a captain Chase, of Providence, New England, who told him that he had been taken in a sloop of which he was half owner and master, on his passage from Providence to South-Carolina, by an English transport, and turned over to a ship of war, where he was confined in irons thirteen weeks, insulted, beat and abused by the petty officers and common sailors, and, on being released from irons, was ordered to do duty as a foremast man until his arrival in England, when being dangerously ill, he was sent to said hospital.

Paris, March 30, 1777.