Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1811-04-15

1OTk, pETSOndiiy CdnlG anu "PPS1iSu
Andrew Nlalcomb, master, William.
Snow, mate, Peter Mash, and John
Weber, two OF the seamen late OF the
brig Summer, of Warren, III the Dis
trict Of Maine, belonging to James W..
Head, who being by me the said Nota-
~ seyerally duly sworn upon the Holy
Evangelist, did respectively and each
one for himself depose, protest and
say, that on the 25th day OF January
last past, they severally SIT sail and de-
parted in and on board the said brig in
the several capacities above mentioned
from Liverpool, bound for Lisbon with
a cargo of wheat and rice-That on the
Nth day of February following, being
in lat. 48 80 n. and in long. Is w. a.
bout eight o'clock in the morning they
discovered three sail astern, distant a.
bout ten miles, coming directly after
the Sumner, with good breeze. That
the Sumner kept her course, and the
sails astern gradually gained upon her
until about four in the afternoon, when
she received shot from the foremost
ship, and Immediately hove to--i hat
at this time two of the said sails were
under English colors, bat it afterwards
turned out that they were French
squadron having fifteen hundred troops
on board, bound to the Isle Of France.
That directly after the Sumner recciv-
ed the shot as aforesaid, size was boar
ded by two boats from the said foremost
ship, and not long after by four other
boats, being two from each of the other
ships as they successfully came up, the
said boats containing about ten men
each, the officers III the boats having
side armes and IN the FIRST boat were
several carpenters tcois. On boarding
the vessel tire officer demanded Of the
master where he was from, and where
bound, and Oh being informed that he
was from Liverpool and bound to Lis
bon the said officer told the master and
crew to pick up some Of :htir things
for the vessel would be sunk. That
the said FreRchmen then proceedt d TO
plumber the vessel, took her small stores,
broke open the main matches, knock Cd
IN the cealing and stern lockers Of the
cabin, and took out SOME porter, and
stripped the vessel of all the blocks and
Rigging which they could handily get VI.
hat they demanded the ships papers
which were given to one OF The boarding
officers, and finally detained from the
master as he for himself saith. That
all the officers and crew of the Sumner
were permitted 10 take their chests and
beds, and the master and mate we. {
permitted 70 take their trunks, which
were all the articles that were saved by
them from the Sumner. and of most
OF which they We're afterwards plundSv-
ed, while Oh board the squadron, as
hereafter mentloned-IAat by the time
they got ready to leave the vessel, they
perceived She was scuttled, end by the
time they got on board the squadron
she sunk-i hat tie crew Of the Sum.
ner consisted OF nine persons in al,
three OF watch We're put on board 81
each Irigate.--And the Opponents ala
further say tsat while Oh board the
squadron they heard the officers repsa.
tedly declare hat their orders were 10
capture aid dessroy all American YES,
seis not bound 10 or from France, and
not RELEASE the prisoners until they were
thirty IN number That Oh the twenty.
second day Q; February aforesaid, the
SAID sqladron came across and capulr.
co wv" American brigs, the ona the
Harriet, captain Hurd, bound for New.
YORK, and the other the Endeavour
Captain Powers, bound 10 Rlarblshasd
- nat they sunk the Esudearour. ang
put her crew, and also the crew OF the
Summer, OH board Of the Harriet
which, after plundering Der Of sundry
articles, they released, having On board
the crews Of three vessels, ta.rtv n
number.
Whereupon, | the said Notary. 4
the request, and on behall al lhr SAID
Andrew Malcolm, have protested, anc
by these presents do publicity and 20
lemnly protest, against the afor. eli,
french squadron, tneir officers an,
men, and against the aforesaid 1vanton