FORM No. 16 (referred to in Sect. 324). Standing Interrogatories administered to persons found on board Captured Ships, and examined as witnesses in preparatory, during the late Russian war.1 Standing Interrogatories to be administered on behalf of our Sovereign Lady Victoria, by the grace of God of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith. To all Commanders, Masters, Officers, Mariners, and other persons found on board any Ship or Vessels which hath been or shall be seized or taken as prize by any of Her Maiesty's Ships or Vessels of War, concerning such captured Ships or Vessels, or any goods, wares, or merchandise on board the same, examined as Witnesses in preparatory during the present hostilities. Let each witness be asked the following questions, and let his answer to each question be written down distinctly and separately, 1. What are your true names ? Where were you born? In what place or places have you lived during the seven years last past? Where do you now live, and how long have you lived in that place? To what prince, state, or power are you now, or have you at any previous time, and when, been a subject? or said or represented that you were a subject? Have you ever, and when, taken any and what oath of allegiance, and to whom? or obtained, or received, or applied for any and what certificate of your being a citizen or subject of, or entitled to the protection of, any and what state or country? Of what cities or towns have you ever been admitted a burgher or freeman? And when and in what manner were you so admitted? How long have you resided there since you were so admitted? Where have you since resided? What did you pay for your aforesaid admission? Are you married? If yea, where do your wife and family reside? 2. Were you present at the time of the taking and seizing of the ship or her lading, or any of the goods or merchandises concerning which you are now examined; Had the ship concerning which you are now examined any and what commission or letters of marque? If she had, what was that commission or letter of marque, and by whom, when, and where was it granted? 3. In what port or place, by latitude and longitude, bearing and distance, and in what year, month, and day were the ship and goods, concerning which you are now examined, taken and seized? Upon what pretence, and for what reasons, were they, or any, and what part thereof, so seized? Into what port or place were they These Interrogatories having been framed many years ago, are not in every respect well adapted for use at the present day. In the event of Great Britain being engaged in a Naval war, it is probable that a new set of Interrogatories will be officially issued. carried? Under what colours did the said ship sail first on her voyage? What colours had she hoisted or flying when seized or captured? What other colours had she on board, and for what reason had she such other colours? Did she ever, and when, hoist the same, or any, and which of them? Was any resistance made at the time the said ship was taken ? and if yea, what sort of resistance, and by whom? Were any and what description of firearms, or cannon, or muskets, or any other and what kind of weapons used in such resistance? By whom, or by what ship or ships were you taken? Was such vessel a ship of war, or a vessel acting without any commission, as you believe? Were any other, and if yea, what, ships in sight at the time of the capture ? 4. What is the name of the master or commander of the captured ship concerning which you are now examined? How long have you known the said master? Who appointed him to command the said ship? Where and when did he first take possession of her, and at what time? and who by name delivered the possession of her to him? Where is such person? and where is the master now? Where is the fixed place of abode of each of them? If the witness replies that either has no fixed place of abode, then ask him where was the last place of abode of such person? And where did he generally reside? How long has he lived there? Where was he born, and of what state is he now a subject? Is he married? If yea, where do his wife and family reside? 5. Of what tonnage or burthen is the ship concerning which you are now examined? What was the number of mariners on board her when you joined her? And at the time of her capture or seizure? And of what country was each of the said mariners? Did all such mariners come on board at the same port? And if nay, at what ports did they severally come on board? Who shipped or hired each of them, and when and where were they so shipped or hired? and for, or upon, what voyage? 6. Had you, or any, and which of the officers or mariners belonging to the ship concerning which you are now examined any, and if yea, what part, share, or interest in the said ship or her lading? Set forth who among the said officers or mariners are so interested, and to what extent you or they are so interested? Did you belong to the ship at the time she was seized and taken ? If yea, in what capacity? How long have you known the said ship? When and where did you first see her? Where was she built? 7. What is the name of the said ship? How long has she been so called? Do you know of any other name or names by which she has ever and when been called? If yea, set forth such names, and when, and why, and for how long she was called by each or any of such names? Had she any passport or sea-brief on board? and if yea, from whom? 8. To what ports and places did she sail during the said voyage before she was taken? Where did the voyage on which she was taken begin? and where was it to have ended? Set forth the nature of every voyage the said ship has sailed upon, and the quality of every cargo the said ship has carried from the time you have known her up to the time of her capture, and state at what port each of such cargoes has been delivered. From what ports and at what time, particularly from the last clearing port, did the said ship sail previously to the capture? Under whose direction and management has she usually been with respect to her employment or trade? With whom do you correspond on the concerns of the vessel or her cargo ? 9. What lading did the said ship carry at the time of her setting sail in her last voyage, and what particular sort of lading and goods had she on board at the time she was taken? In what year, month, and place was the same put on board her? Set forth the different species of the lading, specifying the quantity of each species. 10. Who were the owners of the ship concerning which you are now examined, at the time when she was seized? How do you know that such persons were the owners at such time? Of what nation or country are such owners by birth? Where do they reside? and where do their wives and families reside? How long have they resided there ? Where did they reside before, to the best of your knowledge? Of what princes, states, or powers are they subjects or citizens? 11. Was any bill of sale, or any and what similar document of transfer, made?-and if yea, by whom?-to the aforesaid owners of the said ship? If any was made, in what month, year, where and before what witnesses was such bill of sale or similar document of transfer made? Where did you last see it, and what has become of it? Was any, and what, engagement entered into concerning the purchase further than what appears upon the bill of sale? If yea, was it verbal, or in writing? If in writing, where did you last see such writing, and what has become of it? 12. Was the said lading put on board in one port, and at one time, or in several ports, and at several times; and in what ports by name, and at what times particularly? Set forth what quantities of each sort of goods were shipped at each port. 13. What are the names of the respective laders, or owners, or consignees, of the said goods? What countrymen are they? Where do they now live and carry on their business or trade? How long have they resided there? Where did they reside before, to the best of your knowledge? And where were the said goods to be delivered, and for whose real account, risk, or benefit? Have any of the said consignees or laders any, and what, interest, in the said goods? If yea, whereon do you found your belief that they have such interest? Can you take upon yourself to swear that you believe that at the time of the lading the cargo, and at the present time, and also if the said goods shall be restored and unladen at the destined ports, the goods did, do, and will belong to the same persons, and to none others? 14. How many bills of lading were signed for the goods seized on board the said ship? Were any of those bills of lading false or colourable, or were any bills of lading signed which were different in any respect from those which were on board the ship at the time she was taken? What were the contents of such other bills of lading, and what became of them? 15. Are there any where in Great Britain, and where particularly, any bills of lading, invoices, letters, or instruments relative to the ship and goods concerning which you are now examined? If yea, set forth where they are, and in whose possession, and what is the purport thereof, and when they were brought or sent there. 16. Was there any charter-party signed for the voyage in which the ship concerning which you are now examined was seized and taken ? What became thereof? When, where, and between whom was such charter-party made? What were the contents of it? 17. What papers, charter-parties, bills of lading, invoices, letters or other writings were on board the ship at the time she took her departure from the last clearing port, before she was taken as prize? Were any, and if yea, which of them burned, torn, thrown overboard, destroyed, altered, or cancelled, or concealed, or attempted to be concealed, and when, and by whom, and in whose presence? 18. Has the ship concerning which you are now examined ever been, and if yea, when, seized as prize, and condemned as such? If yea, set forth by whom, when, and where, she was seized and into what port she was carried, and by whom, and by what authority, and on what account she was so condemned. 19. Have you sustained any loss, and what, by the seizing and taking of the ship or goods concerning which you are examined? If yea, how do you compute such loss? Have you hitherto received any indemnity, satisfaction, or promise of satisfaction, for any part of the loss or damage which you have sustained, or may sustain, by this capture and detention? And if yea, when, and from whom? 20. Are the said ship and goods, or is any, and what part thereof, insured? If yea, for what voyage, and against what risks was such insurance made? And at what premium? and by what persons and in what country? And when 21. In case you had arrived at your destined port, would your cargo, or any part thereof, on being unladen, have immediately become the property of the consignees or any other person, and whom? Or was the lader to take the chance of the market for the sale of his goods? 22. State in respect to the lading of the ship concerning which you are now examined and each part thereof, in what country the same was grown and produced and manufactured respectively. 23. When the said cargo was originally put on board, was all the said cargo, or any, and what part thereof, and when taken from the shore and quay, or removed or transhipped from one boat, barque, vessel, or ship to another? From what, and to what, shore, quay, boat, barque, vessel, or ship, and when and where was the same so taken, removed, or transhipped? 24. Are there in any country besides Great Britain, and where particularly, or on board any and what ship or vessel, other than the ship concerning which you are now examined, any letters, instruments, papers, or documents relative to the said ship or goods as you know, believe, or have heard? And of what nature are such letters, instruments, papers, or documents? And what are their contents, as you know, believe, or have heard? In whose possession are they, and do they differ from any of the papers on board? And if yea, in what particular? 25. Were any papers delivered out of the said ship or vessel, and carried away in any manner whatsoever? And if yea, when, and by whom, and to whom? And in whose custody, possession, or power do you believe the same now to be? 26. Was bulk broken during the voyage in which you were taken, or since the said ship was captured? And if yea, when where, and by whom? By whose orders, for what purpose, and in what manner? 27. Were there any passengers on board the aforesaid ship during any, and what, part of the voyage on which she was captured? If yea, how many, and who were such passengers by name? Of what nation, rank, profession, or occupation was each of them? Did any, and which of them, hold any, and what, commission? And from whom and for what purpose? Were any and which, of such passengers secreted at the time of the capture, and why? At what place, and when, was each of them taken on board? To what place was each of them destined, or said or supposed to be destined, and upon what business? or for what real purpose or design was he destined there? Did they pay, or agree to pay, anything, and what, for their passage, and to whom? Had any, and which, of such passengers any, and what, property, or concern, or authority, directly or indirectly, regarding the ship or cargo? Were there at any time during the voyage in which the said ship was captured any officers, soldiers, or mariners secreted on board her? And if yea, for what reason were they so secreted? Were any of Her Britannic Majesty's subjects on board, or secreted or confined during the said voyage or at the time of the capture? yea, how long had they been so secreted or confined, and for what reason? If 28. Were, and are, all the passports, sea-briefs, charter-parties, bills of sale or lading, invoices, and papers found on board the said ship, and referring to the ownership thereof or to the cargo, true and fair, or are any, and which of them, false and colourable? Do you know of any matter or circumstance to affect their credit? By and from whom were the passports and sea-briefs obtained? Were they obtained for this ship only, and upon the oath or affirmation of the persons therein described ? or were they delivered to, or on behalf of, the person or persons who appear to have been sworn, or to have affirmed thereto, without their having ever, in fact, made any such oath or affirmation? How long a time were they to last? Was any duty or fee payable and paid for the same? And is there any duty or fee payable and paid for the same? And is there any duty or fee to be paid on the renewal thereof? Have such passports been renewed, and how often, and has the duty or fee been paid for such renewal? Was the ship in a port in the country where the passports and sea-briefs were granted? And if not, where was the ship at the time? Had any person on board any let-pass |