Colony of Connecticut Hartford County ss.ー
Be it remembered that upon this second day of March In the Year of our Lord one Thousand seven Hundred and seventy six personally came and appeared befor me Titus Hosmer Esqr one of his majesties Justices of the Peace for said County Eleazer Treadwell of Haddam in said County Mariner who being duly sworn upon his Oath deposeth and saith that upon the 28th day of May last he shipped himself as a Mariner on board the Briga Polly, Giles Sage Master, owned by Colo Matthew Talcott and Capt Jeremiah Wadsworth upon a voyage from Middletown in said County to the Island of Jamaica in the West Indies and from thence back again to New York and Middletown; & soon after sailed in sd Briga from the port of New London and arrived at Kingston in Jamaica, and having lain there some time he sailed again in sd Briga from Kingston for New York, and that in his passage to New York on or about the 20th day of September last they fell in with his Majesties Ship the Nautilus, being near the Land, which immediately fired three Guns at us, and then sent her pinnace with Armed Men and took possession of said Brig and took the Master and all the people that belonged to the Briga except the Mate and carried them on board the Nautilus and put a prize Master and Mariners on board said Briga and then stood away for Newport on Rhode Island with sd Briga in Company ー
this Deponent farther saith that the Crew of said Brigantine, at the Time she was taken consisted of the following Persons to wit Giles Sage Master, Josiah Lee Mate, and Jabez Perkins, John Pike, John Hall, Noadiah Bailey Jeremiah Fullerton and this Deponent Mariners; this Deponent also saith that the Cargo of said Brigantine at the Time she was taken as aforesaid as far as he knows and can remember consisted of the following Articles to wit a large Quantity of Jamaica Rum and Sugar, Beef, pork, Oznaburghs, Duck, writing Paper, Ginger, Cotton-wool, Checkd Linnen, a large quantity of Indigo, a Negro, a Gun, a Spy Glass which this Deponent knows to have been on board but has not any means in his power to ascertain the Quantity or Quality of the same.
This Deponent farther says that the mate Josiah Lee at Newport in Rhode Island was brought on board the Nautilus & confined there & laid in Irons upon preten[s]e that he had conspired with two of the seamen of the Nautilus on board the Briga & run away with her, altho he steadily denied the Charge, and the Informer was not reputed a person of Good Character by the Crew of the Nautilus and it was not pretended that he made any attempt to rescue the Briga or had done any one thing tending that way, the loading him with Irons this Deponent thought to be very severe treatment, as there was no Danger from him on board the Nautilus notwithstanding his Irons were kept upon him till this Deponent made his Escape in October last
The Deponent further says that soon afterwards the Nautilus sailed with said Briga from Newport for Boston and on her passage near Beverly ran aground, and was there attacked by People from the shore when this Deponent & the other Seamen taken out of sd Brigantine were ordered to the Guns on board the Nautilus and compelled to fire them upon the Town and the people on Shore -
This Deponent further says that he was detained on board the Nautilus till towards the End of October when he had Liberty to go onshore in Boston when he took an Opportunity in the Evening to make his Escape in a Boat to Dorchester point & from thence returned home, leaving the rest of the Crew of said Briga on board the Nautilus, & sd Briga in the Harbour of Boston & further this Deponent saith not
sworn to by said Eleazer Treadwell the day and year above written before me
Titus Hosmer, Justs Pace