Lord Stirling to William Livingston

v4:1492

City of NEW-YORK, ss.

David Collins, late master of the Amboy passage-boat called the York, and Nathan Culver, one of the hands belonging to the said boat, being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, depose and say: That they sailed from Amboy, aforesaid, with the said boat, on Monday last past, about eleven of the clock, in the forenoon, having on board nothing but passengers bound to this city; that about four of the clock, in the afternoon of the same day, as they were nearly entering the Narrows, a gun was fired at them from His Majesty' s ship, the Phenix, then at anchor under Long-Island shore, a little below Demesse' s Reef; that the deponents still kept on, in hopes of getting clear of the said ship, but, being pursued by one of the barges, which also kept firing at them, and the wind being very light, they found it impossible to escape; that they then were as near Staten-Island shore as it was possible for them to go, and the wind directly on shore, and the barge gaining upon them at a great rate; and being under the command of the Phenix' s guns, they were obliged to bring to, and the barge' s crew coming on board, carried the said passage-boat alongside of the Phenix, and still have her in possession; that these deponents did every thing in their power to prevent the said boat from being taken, and should have been happy in escaping, and were not, directly, nor indirectly, concerned in any steps that occasioned the said boat being taken. And further saith not.

DAVID COLLINS,
NATHAN CULVER.

Sworn this 24th day of February, 1776, before me,
P˙ MATTHEWS.