Privateering

Scope and Contents This collection contains a nineteenth-century printed letter of marque (patente de corso), likely issued during the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), authorizing privateering activity against Spanish interests. The document is printed with blank spaces for names, dates, and ships to be filled in upon commission, a standard practice for such documents intended for maritime use. Written in the first person, the text authorizes the bearer to engage in privateering under the authority of...

Scope and Contents This collection comprises a group of four letters related to the business transactions of Boston merchant and Revolutionary figure William Molineaux and Northport, Rhode Island merchant and slave trader Samuel Vernon, dating from 1742 to 1749. The letters document their commercial activities, including participation in the Triangle Trade.The collection includes three letters signed by Molineaux to Vernon, as well as a letter from Boston merchant Isaac Winslow to Vernon, which...