Deposition: The *St. André de Nantes* (200 tons)
On the said day, March 10 [1718]
(source: Rapports des capitaines à l'Amirauté de Nantes, Les Archives départementales de Loire Atlantique, B4578, 53-54.
Appeared before us Douin Bellot, Master of a ship named the *St. André de Nantes*, of a burthen of 200 tons or thereabouts, belonging to Mr. De la Brouillere, armed with 4 cannons and manned by a crew of 31 men; having taken his oath, he promised and swore to speak the truth, and he stated and declared to us that the said vessel, having been loaded with lawful merchandise bound for the French Islands of the Americas and being duly furnished with the necessary clearances for such a voyage, departed from the lower reaches of this river on January 2nd. It arrived safely and soundly at Les Saintes and Guadeloupe, having anchored on March 17th; there, he discharged his outward cargo at Les Saintes and Guadeloupe itself. In that same place, he loaded his return cargo—partly on freight terms for the account of the owners of the said ship—consisting of four hundred and twenty-two barrels, forty-two quarter-casks, and two tierces of rice; one hundred and forty-seven barrels and nine quarter-casks of brown sugar; nineteen bales of cotton; thirteen barrels of preserves; one barrel of spoons; and 30 thousand-weight of ginger. Following the loading of this cargo, he departed from Guadeloupe on November 13th [heading north toward Thache, then en route to Martinque] to return to this river—the place of his original departure. During the crossing, he encountered much foul weather and several heavy seas, leading him to fear that his merchandise may have been damaged; he therefore enters this protestation regarding any consequent damages, noting that the vessel sustained no structural damage, save for the breaking of two of its spars aloft. Furthermore, he states that he was forced to put in at La Jana on January 27th last due to contrary winds, from which port he departed on the following February 1st, bound for this roadstead, where he arrived yesterday, with all members of his crew safe and sound, with the exception... ...of Guillaume Arnel de St. Nicholas, who died at sea on January 5, 1718. Furthermore, regarding the monies owed to him, Marc Marchand—a sailor—and Jean Le Bris, a resident of Cayenne, state and declare that they have seen and encountered an English captain named Dimbard, who had two vessels with him laden with merchandise and trading along the coast of the said island of Guadeloupe, and even further to the south, specifically in the quarters of Jacques and Longue-Durée. These activities cause considerable harm to French commerce, inasmuch as the inhabitants pay these traders in cash, whereas within the national trading system, they pay only what they choose to pay. They further declare having seen several other English vessels along the said coast, and even the captains of said vessels ashore, trading freely. Regarding pirates, they state that they know nothing other than what they have heard by hearsay—rumors [perhaps of Edward Thache's recent capture of la Concorde 28 Nov 1717?] unworthy of serious consideration. This is their declaration; having had it read back to them, they swore that it was written down and recorded as the absolute truth. They signed below and presented the discharge papers for the indentured servants and buccaneers mentioned therein, dated November 9, 1718, at the League of Du Saussois; they retained the original documents and submitted copies thereof.
D. Bellot Deronseray
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