Subject: Maritime law

Court document detailing the capture of two American brigs belonging to Samuel Hart by the privateer ship *Spry* during the Seven Years' War. The document, dated January 22, 1759, orders the owners and crew of the *Spry* to pay damages to Hart after the brigs were acquitted in the Court of Vice-Admiralty in Philadelphia. The document is signed by Samuel Hart and witnessed by Benjamin Levy and James Allen. The brigs, while under a flag of truce for prisoner exchange, were loaded with French sugar at Port-au-Prince, Hispaniola when captured. The document offers details on the ships involved, the legal proceedings, and the financial settlements. The document is in very good condition and features an official seal.

Four pages (out of an original forty-four) of a printed legal document on vellum, concerning a case between Solomon de Medina, Mosesson and Company, and Rene Hett and the Executors of Andrew Fresneau. The case centers around a shipment of tobacco seized in 1718 and the subsequent legal battles in the New York Court of Vice Admiralty and the High Court of Admiralty of Great Britain. The document, dated March 1727, details the legal proceedings and the involved parties. It appears to have been printed in New York by William Bradford in 1728.

Court document related to the steamship "Meteor", which was seized in a lawsuit. Barnett Levy and A. F. Alfred posted a $1,050 bond to recover the ship. The document details the loss of the steamship by fire in Long View, Louisiana, in 1850, resulting in three deaths. The document is dated January 7, 1848, and originates from Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana.

This collection comprises four legal documents, two in Dutch with English translations, pertaining to the seizure of a Dutch ship by an English privateer in 1748. The documents detail the claim made by Jacob Henry Moren and Solomon Levy Moduro, described as "of the Hebrew nation," in the court of the Dutch West India Company in Curaçao on January 25, 1748. Jacob Rodrigueze Rivera of New York City acted on their behalf. Translated by Issachar Polock in the Rhode Island Admiralty Court in 1758, these documents offer insight into early trade routes and the role of Jews in colonial legal proceedings. The documents are signed by Zachariah Polock as translator. The documents also provide biographical information about Jacob Rodriguez Rivera, a member of a Marrano family from Seville who played a significant role in Newport's Jewish community.

A two-page letter dated February 10, 1811, from Benjamin Jacobs of New York City to William Meredith concerning a legal suit against the Union Insurance Company of Philadelphia. Jacobs, acting on behalf of his son-in-law, Gompert S. Gompert, details an insurance claim for a lost cargo of sugar and authorizes Meredith to draw on him for legal expenses.

A one-page letter dated February 8, 1811, from Gompert S. Gompert in New York City to William Meredith. Gompert informs Meredith that he has assigned the insurance policy for a lost cargo of sugar to Benjamin Jacobs, who will now manage the lawsuit against the Union Insurance Company. Gompert also describes unsuccessful attempts to settle with the insurance company in Philadelphia.

A single-page letter written by Judah Hays on June 30, 1797, in Boston, Massachusetts. The letter is addressed to a Captain, likely of the schooner Boston, which was unlawfully detained in a French port. Hays discusses the unlawful detainment and the infringement of rights. This letter is significant due to its creation during a period of heightened naval tensions between the United States and France.

A letter written by Judah P. Benjamin to Colin J. McRae on May 8, 1869, from London, England. Benjamin informs McRae that he has won his case against the US government, crediting the experience and ability of Mr. Benjamin, who served as one of McRae's counsels. The letter also mentions McRae's involvement with the Selma Foundry & Naval Works in Belize.

A letter dated November 15, 1811, from Samuel Jones Jr. in New York City to William Meredith in Philadelphia. The letter pertains to a legal case involving the estate of Gompert S. Gomperts and Seixas Nathan, concerning a claim against the Union Insurance Company for the loss of a sugar cargo in 1805. Jones discusses the progress of the case and sends Joseph Kaumann to Philadelphia to obtain an update from Meredith.

Official document, signed twice by Abraham Nones (1794-1835), attesting to the oath of principal officers of the U.S.A. schooner "The Good Friends" of Philadelphia. The document includes a consular seal and dates from September 15, 1826, Maracaibo, Columbia. Additional dates mentioned are July 19, 1826, and July 27, 1826, and possibly relate to other legal proceedings connected to this vessel.

Presidential pardon signed by James Madison, President of the United States, and countersigned by Secretary of State James Monroe, March 6, 1813. The pardon respites the execution of John Dalton, convicted of piracy in the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Massachusetts. The pardon relates to the case of the schooner George Washington, owned by Uriah Phillips Levy, which was seized by its chief mate, Samuel Tully, and his accomplice, John Dalton. The document details the events leading to the piracy, the trial, and the subsequent reprieve of Dalton. Tully was executed. This is considered the first known instance of an American Jew being involved in a presidential pardon. The original document includes the seal of the United States, which remains intact.

Congressional Record detailing the case of David Valenzin, a Jewish merchant from Venice, whose property was seized by the American squadron in the Mediterranean during the Barbary Wars. The document includes reports, correspondence, and legal documents related to Valenzin's petition for compensation following the confiscation of his goods. Published in Washington, D.C. in 1804.

This pamphlet contains the supplementary report of the Committee of Claims regarding the petition of David Valenzin, a German merchant, whose property was seized by the American squadron in the Mediterranean. The report details the events surrounding the seizure of the Imperial polacca Paulina, Valenzin's arrest, and the subsequent legal proceedings. The document includes correspondence and documents related to Valenzin's case, in which he claimed oppressive conduct by American commandants. The report was read and ordered to be referred to a committee of the whole house on Monday, February 1, 1804. Additional pages detail the further history of the case, including Valenzin's petition to Congress for compensation after the court ruled in his favor, his subsequent suicide, and the posthumous return of some funds to a family member by the U.S. Consul in Egypt. Published in Washington, D.C. in 1804. Not found in Rosenbach or Singerman collections.

Supplementary report of the Committee of Claims to the United States House of Representatives regarding the petition of David Valenzin. The report details the seizure of Valenzin's property by the American squadron in the Mediterranean and his subsequent legal case. Published in Washington, D.C. in 1804.