The Deposition of John Hutchason Mariner taken before the Worshipful Alexan­der Sympson Sole Judge of the Court of Vice Admiralty to certain standing Inter­rogatorys on behalf of our Sovereign Lord the King concerning the recapture of a certain Brig called the Venus.—the fifteenth day of October One thousand seven hun­dred & seventy seven—

Interrog^y. 1^st To the first Interrogatory this deponent saith that he was born in the Province of Pensilvania in America, & has resided in that province for these seven years last past & upwards that he is and has ever been a subject of His Majesty the King of Great britain, that he never was admitted a burgher or free man of any City or Town.—

Interrog^y. 2 To the second Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he was pre­sent at the time of taking and seizing the Vessel concerning which he is now exam­ined, that she had no Commission

Interrog^y. 3 To the third Interrogatory this Deponent saith that it was in Lati­tude fourteen on the ninth day of this Instant that the said Vessel was retaken & seized, for being American property as was supposed, that the said Vessel was brought into the port of Saint George in this Island and sailed under Continental Colours, that there was resistance made at the time the Vessel was taken & seized, that there were two Muskets & [ ]¹ Cohorns fired, that this deponent fired the Cohorns & the Muskets were fired by some of the French men that were on board, that the said Ves­sel was taken by an Armed brig called the Revenge commanded by one Daniel Camp­bell, but does not know whether she had a Commission or not.—

Interrog^y. 4 To the fourth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he was Mas­ter of the Vessel taken, that he was appointed to the Command by one Gustavus Cun­ningham Commander of an American Privateer Sloop² called the Revenge, that this deponent took possession of the said Vessel at Sea in Latitude 57.³ & that the pos­session was Delivered to this Dep^t. by the said Gustavus Cunningham who lives in Philadelphia, which is his fixed place of abode, that this Dep^t. doth not know where the said Gustavus Cunningham was Born nor of whom he is a Subject,⁴ that he is mar­ried & his Wife and family reside at Philadelphia

Interrog^y. 5 To the fifth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the Vessel taken is about One hundred and fifty Tons burthen, that there were five Seamen on board the said Vessel, that two were English one Scotchman, one American, that there were also Nine Frenchmen on board who acted as Marines on board the American Pri­vateer Sloop, that they all went on board in Latitude 57. & were sent on board by the said Charles Cunningham

Interrog^y. 6 To the Sixth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he had not nor had any of the Mariners or people on board  the said Vessel any part share or Inter­est in her, that this Deponent did belong to the said Vessel at the time she was taken in Capacity of Master, that this Deponent hath known her since the third of August last at which time she was taken by the said American Privateer Sloop

Interrog^y. 7 To the seventh Interrogatory this Deponent saith that she is a Brig called the Venus that she hath been so called ever since this Deponent knew her, but doth not know of her being called by any other name or names, that she had no pass­ port or Sea brief on board, that the said Brig sailed from the Coast of Greenland bound for Liverpoole as this deponent hath been informed & believes.—

Interrog^y. 8 To the eighth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that at the time she was taken she had fourteen butts & some barrels of Oil on board but does not know when the same was put on board.—

Interrog^y. 9 To the Ninth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he doth not know who were the Owners of the said Brig.—⁵

Interrog^y. 10 To the tenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he doth not know

Interrog^y. 11 To the Eleventh Interrogatory this Deponent knoweth not

Interrog^y. 12. 13. 14. & 15 To these Interrogatorys this Deponent knoweth not

Interrog^y. 16 To the sixteenth Interrogatory this  Deponent  saith that at the time the said Vessel was retaken she had no other paper or papers than a Register.­—

Interrog^y. 17 To the Seventeenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that on the third day of August last the said Vessel was taken & seized as a prize by the aforesaid Charles Cunningham, but was never condemn'd as such.—

Interrog^y. 18 To the Eighteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he hath not

Interrog^y. 19 & 20^th. To these Interrogatorys this Deponent knowth not.­

Interrog^y. 21 To the twenty first lnterrogatory this Deponent saith that the aforesaid American Privateer was fitted out at Dunkirk by the said Gustavus Cunningham that this Deponent entered on board the said Privateer on the seventeenth of July last in the capacity of ChiefMate, that she sailed from Dunkirk the 17 of July & cruized in the North Seas, that while this Deponent continued on board the said Privateer she took five prizes the first a Sloop from Rotterdam bound to Scotland loaded with Gin⁶ the second a Brig from England bound up the Baltic in ballast⁷ the third also a Brig from England bound up the Baltic also in ballast⁸ the fourth likewise a Brig from the Baltic bound for the North of England loaded with lumber,⁹ that the first prize was sunk by the said Cunningham scuttling her, the second, was manned & sent to some port but where this Deponent doth not know, the third was ransomed by the Master for Six hundred guineas by Bills on Holland payable to some person in France & for the securing the payment of those Bills a Hostage was put on board the priva­teer but this Deponent doth not know either the name of the Drawer of the bills or whom they were drawn or to whom payable nor the name of the hostage,¹⁰ that the fourth prize was burnt, & that the fifth prize was the Vessel concerning which this Deponent is now examined, that he did intend to have carried her to Martinico & was to have delivered her to the American Agent¹¹ residing at Martinico.—

Taken & Sworn before me
this fifteenth day of Oct 1775¹²
Alexander Symson

And the deponent further saith that John Gelle and ReChristmast Leverick were frequently asked to enter on board the American Privateer but refused & wanted to go in the ransomed Vessel along with the greatest part of the crews of the first & sec­ond prizes but were not permitted to do so & that he hath seen the Depositions of the said John Gelle & ReChristmast Leverick & that he believes them to be true in every particular & being further Interrogated with respect to the number of Men that were on board the Privateer at the time of her leaving Dunkirk deposeth & saith that there were about Ninety five, but it is not certain with respect to the number, that the one half of the Crew were Frenchmen & foreigners as the Deponent believes.—

(signed) John Hutchason

Sworn before me the 17 October 1777
Al: Symson (Copy)