Description:

Revolutionary War
Boston, MA, July 8, 1779
1779 Boston Memo Re: John Manley of Privateer "Jason" Who Would Capture 2 British Vessels About 2 Weeks Later!
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A 1p autograph document signed by Samuel Dashwood (ca. 1729-1792), the Boston merchant and ship master, as "Saml Dashwood" at center right. July 8, 1779. Boston, Massachusetts. On a fragment of watermarked laid paper. Docketed verso. Expected wear including scattered ink bleed-through, else very legible. Trimmed to an overall size of 7.125" x 4.75."

In this receipt, Samuel Dashwood confirmed that Nathaniel Appleton had paid him "Four hundred & forty eight pounds LMo." - with the "LMo." probably indicating the type of local currency used - in exchange for his half of a 1/20 share of the ship "Jason."

In full:

"Boston July 8. 1779

Recd: of Nathaniel Appleton Four hundred & forty eight pounds LMo. for outfitts of his half of one twentieth of Ship Jason under the command of Capt. John Manley

£448 -

Saml. Dashwood."

Samuel Dashwood was a Boston merchant, ship master, dry goods importer, and slave owner. He had served as a seaman in the Royal Navy under British naval commander Sir Peter Warren at the 1745 Siege of Louisbourg. His name appears somewhat regularly in pre-Revolutionary War Boston records in the context of his Atlantic trading voyages, his delivering messages to England, and his Whig politics.

Dashwood's receipt refers to share holder Nathaniel Appleton. This was probably Nathaniel Appleton, Jr. (1731-1798), the son of Nathaniel Appleton (1698-1784), the longtime Congregational minister of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The younger Appleton served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Loan Office during the Revolutionary War.

"Capt. John Manley" was none other than John Manley (ca. 1733-1793), the commodore of the Continental Navy, also rousingly called "George Washington's fleet." Manley had been appointed commodore of the Continental Navy in January 1776 after he showed aptitude in capturing British shipping. With some interruptions between the period 1778-1782, Manley commanded three Continental privateer vessels: the "Jason" mentioned in our note; as well as the "Cumberland" and the "Marlborough."

The "Jason" was an 18-gun privateer out of Portsmouth with a complement of 170 crew. It was co-owned by many parties in addition to share holder Nathaniel Appleton, including Mungo Mackay, the Scottish ship master and merchant. A little over two weeks after this receipt was dated, on July 23, 1779, Captain John Manley and the "Jason" captured two British privateers, the 18-gun "Hazard" out of Liverpool, and the 18-gun "Adventurer" out of Glasgow. Yet the vagaries of privateering are legendary: a little over two months later, on September 30, 1779, the "Jason" was in turn seized by a much larger British vessel, the 28-gun "Surprise," with loss of life on both sides. Manley then served as a British prisoner of war in England for at least two years.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.125" x 4.75"
  • Medium: ADS

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