To Clark Gayton Esquire, Vice Admiral of the White & Commander in Chief of all His Majestys Ships & Vessels Employ'd and to be Employ'd at & about Jamaica and in the Gulf of Mexico from the River Mississippi to Cape Florida

The Humble Petition of Charles Irving and Alexr Blair both of the Town of Kingston in the said Island Officers in his Brittanic Majestys Service.

Sheweth/

That your Petitioners being the Owners & proprietors of a certain Sloop or Vessel call'd the Morning Star whereof David Millar late was Master did in or about the Month of April last past send the said Sloop or Vessel on a Voyage to the Mosquitto Shore, loaden with the following Commodities, Three thousand two hundred pounds weight of fine fowling Powder at Five Shillings p pound, of the value of Eight hundd pounds, Five large Copper Boilers for making Pot Ash of the value of One thousand pounds, Four Iron Potts for the same purpose weighing Three Tons of the value of Sixty pounds, Iron hardware in various Tools of husbandry to the value of two hundr'd and fifty pounds, Iron Potts small Anchors and small Lead Shot & Sheet Lead of the value of One hundred pounds, Twenty six Fuses & Musquets of the value of Fifty two pounds, a quantity of Osnaburghs & Cheeqs & Linen of the value of One hundred & fifty pounds, Eighty Guineas in Cash, and sundry Pieces of Plate, & wearing apparel of the value of Sixty pounds, which together with the said Sloop or Vessel which was then worth One thousand pounds amount together in the whole to the sum of Three thousand, seven Hundred & twenty two pounds Current Money of Jamaica

That on the Thirtieth day of the said Month of April the said Sloop Morning Star was lying at Anchor near the Bar of Black River on the Mosquitto Shore, and then and there boardd and taken by Two Guarda Costas belonging to his most Catholic Majesty the Pacifico, of Fourteen Guns commanded by Don Juan Castello, and the Recur[so] of Twelve Guns commanded by Antonio Yepe, and carried into Porto Bello, and from thence to Carthagena as in and by the Affidavit hereun[der] annex'd will more fully appear²

Your Petitioners therefore most humbly pray you to take their Case into consideration and to obtain Restitution to them of their said Sloop and Cargoe or the Value thereof

And your Petitioners shall ever pray &c

(Sign'd) Charles Irving

Personally appear'd before me Charles Irving one [of] thP Petitioners above nam'd and being sworn upon the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God deposeth & saith that the several Allegations in the said Petition contain'd are true

(Signed) Charles Irving

Kingston Sworn before me September 21st 1776
(Signed) J. French Custos &c Kingston

[Endorsed] (A Copy) Clark Gayton