Law Commons^™

The Santissima Trinidad: The Role Of Baltimore's Privateers With The Independence Of The United Provinces, Shannon Price

Legal History Publications

After the War of 1812, the maritime industry began to decline and merchants and mariners began serving as privateers for Latin American colonies ceding from Spain. This paper examines the Supreme Court decision in an action filed on behalf of the Spanish government seeking restitution for cargo seized from a Spanish vessel, the Santissima Trinidad, on the high seas by the Independencia Del Sud, a public vessel of Buenos Ayres. The Court holds that jurisdiction exists for neutrality violations as the goods were landed at Norfolk, Virginia and the public vessel had an illegal augmentation of force in a U.S. …

Livingston & Gilchrist V. The Maryland Insurance Co. (1813): A Testament To Judicial Flexibility, Kathleen Lord Fallon

Legal History Publications

Barely a month before Justice Brockholst Livingston joined the Supreme Court of the United States, a ship he commissioned with a cargo of $50,000, was captured by the British and condemned. The circumstances of the vessel’s voyage led to its capture; she sailed as an American merchant ship under a Spanish license with an American crew. When seized as a prize, the British found papers showing conflicting information concealed amongst the crew belongings. Justice Livingston tried to recoup his losses through an insurance policy with the Maryland Insurance Company, but was denied on the grounds that the voyage had been …

Locke V. United States And The Definition Of Probable Cause In U.S. Civil Forfeiture Proceedings, Benjamin Groff

Legal History Publications

United States civil forfeiture laws are rooted in admiralty in rem forfeiture proceedings that go back to mid-1700s English customs law, and a statute called the Act of Frauds. The procedure was born of the necessity of international marine trade. Similarly, when it came to using in rem seizure to enforce the customs laws, the Crown used a burden shifting presumption that was also born of necessity. Vessel owners were required to come forward and exculpate their vessel once the Crown showed probable cause of a violation. In Locke v. United States, Justice Marshall upheld that burden shifting presumption and …

Maryland Insurance Co. V. Woods, Andrew Weissenberg

Legal History Publications

Maryland Insurance Company v. Woods, 10 U.S. 29 (1810). In 1803, Britain utilized France’s interference in the Civil Swiss Strife as a pretext to continue its occupancy of Malta, effectively ending the short-lived Treaty of Amiens. As the most impressive Naval Power in the world, Britain proceeded to blockade French, Spanish, and Dutch ports. In 1805, Williams Woods purchased two insurance policies from The Maryland Insurance Company, a successful and lucrative Baltimore marine insurance institution. The two policies covered the ship, The William and Mary, and its cargo. The policy assured the journey from Baltimore to Laguira, with “liberty at …

Sheppard V. Taylor, 5 Peters 675 (1831): Deception On The High Seas And The Quest For Lost Wages, Steven Zerhusen

Legal History Publications

This Article follows the case of the ship Warren, which set sail in 1806 to take part in illicit trade with the Spanish colonies, unbeknownst to all on board except for the supercargo. After dealing with the suicide of the captain and capture in Concepcion Bay, Chile, the crew languished for years in Spanish prison. After trying for almost 20 years the proceeds of the ship were finally returned to the owners, and the crew filed petition. Not until 1831 was their libel upheld, and wages from their voyage 25 years earlier to be paid to the crew. This article …

Manro V. Almeida: Piracy, Maritime Torts, And Attachment In Rem, Stephanie Owen

Legal History Publications

In 1820, Captain Joseph Almeida, on the Bolivar and under South American colors, pursued and captured the Spanish ship Santiago off the coast of the Chesapeake Bay. On board was $5000 in specie owned by a small group of Baltimore merchants. The Baltimore merchants brought a libel against Captain Almeida and requested an attachment in rem to force Captain Almeida to answer for the maritime tort. Although the attachment initially issued, the lower court restored Captain Almeida’s goods. In 1825, the United States Supreme Court ruled that attachment in rem was a proper remedy for a maritime tort.

Mason V. The Ship Blaireau: Salvage, Slaves, And The Law Of Nations, Kristin Burnworth

Legal History Publications

In March 1803, French ship Le Blaireau ran into Spanish ship of war St. Julien in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, severely damaging the Blaireau such that her captain and crew abandoned ship and boarded the St. Julien, with the exception of seaman Thomas Toole. The next day, British ship The Firm found and temporarily repaired the Blaireau, and helped Toole bring her into port in Baltimore, which was The Firm’s destination. The case addressed the question of awarding salvage; specifically, to whom should there be salvage, and in what amounts? It also raised questions about …

Issues Of Delay & Deviation In Marine Insurance: A Case Study Of Oliver V. The Maryland Insurance Company, 7 Cranach 487 (1813), Kyle Hildreth

Legal History Publications

An examination of the case Oliver v. The Maryland Insurance Company, 7 Cranch 487 (1813). In Oliver, Robert Oliver, the plaintiff, sued the Maryland Insurance Company, the defendant, in an attempt to recover on an insurance policy he had purchased for a shipment of goods aboard the snow Comet. The Comet was seized by a British ship on its return from Spain, and was condemned under the Orders in Council of 1807. The Court affirmed a lower court judgment that Oliver was not entitled to recover, because the Comet had engaged in an unreasonable delay and deviation …

The Merrimack, 12 U.S. 317 (1814): Transatlantic Trade And The Transfer Of Property During The War Of 1812, Jeremy Esperon

Legal History Publications

A key prong of American strategy during the War of 1812 was to enlist the aid of privateers – private actors licensed by the government to use force against the enemy. Among the ships American privateers seized during the war pursuant to this strategy was the Merrimack, an American-owned vessel returning from Liverpool, England to Baltimore, Maryland carrying on board a cargo of British goods. Her seizure led to the Supreme Court case The Merrimack, 12 U.S. 317 (1814), a seemingly banal case that in fact is a cautionary tale for merchants of one belligerent nation seeking to …

The Anne, 16 U.S. 435 (1818): The Fate Of Vessels Captured After The War Of 1812, Kimberly Schindel

Legal History Publications

The War of 1812 officially ended in 1815 with the Treaty of Ghent, but many vessels were captured and condemned as prizes after the Treaty was ratified. One of those ships was The Anne. This paper describes The Anne's capture and analyzes it within its place in history. Particularly, it looks at the role of neutral nations during wartime, and the effect they had on prizes captured within their territory. Finally, it analyzes the legal aspects of the case, including the arguments and opinions and discusses the impact that The Anne had on principles of maritime law.

Mccall V. Marine Insurance Company, Megan J. Mcginnis

Legal History Publications

Marine insurance contracts were one of the most important categories of federal litigation in the early nineteenth century. The increase in international conflict resulted in a corresponding increase in the risk associated with maritime activity and the number of claims insurance companies litigated in an effort to minimize losses. Accordingly, a rich body of commercial law was developed by the federal courts in which the cases were tried. One such case was McCall v. Marine Insurance Company, in which the Supreme Court determined the impact of the addition of a single unusual word in the clause that set forth …

Thirty Hogsheads Of Sugar V. Boyle, 9 Cranach 191 (1815): How One Case Expanded The American Conception Of Prize Law, Emily Miller

Legal History Publications

The outbreak of the War of 1812 introduced an opportunity for merchants and sailors alike, as the concept of privateering became a key facet in the United States’ war at sea. This case, Thirty Hogsheads of Sugar v. Boyle, is an illustration of such privateering activity, as Thomas Boyle, commander of the privateer ship, the Comet, engaged in prize taking activity with a British ship, after receiving a commission from the government on June 29, 1812. This paper puts this particular case into the greater privateering context surrounding the War of 1812, exploring why the case may have …

The Santa Maria: Baltimore Privateering And Piracy During The Latin American Revolutions, Megan E. Tawes

Legal History Publications

After the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars, South American privateering in Baltimore took on a new dimension. Technically, the United States remained neutral with Spain in the face of Latin American revolution. However, Baltimore remained an area where privateering on foreign commissions was common. This paper puts privateering in 1817 in the context of international and national affairs. The Santa Maria involved pirates and what was considered a bona fide purchaser in a prize court. Included in the paper are historical backgrounds of the key players involved as well as a legal analysis of the issues brought up …

Pirates, Privateers, And The Merchants Who Walked The Line: An Exploration Of The 19th Century Maritime Trade Through The Lens Of Harmony V. United States, Thomas R. Riley

Legal History Publications

Through the lens provided by judicial, statutory, and social records from the first half of the 19^th century, with a focus on Harmony v. United States,[1] an avid recreation of mercantile practices can be formed which emphasizes the role of piracy and privateering in the early United States of America.

[1] Harmony v. United States, 43 U.S. 210, 11 L. Ed. 239, 1844 U.S. LEXIS 325, 2 HOW 210 (U.S. 1844)

Warts And All: How The Plattsburgh Should Change The Way We Look At The Face Of Baltimore Maritime History, David Seaton

Legal History Publications

In 1820 the Plattsburgh was condemned for violating federal anti-slave trade legislation. This little known, rarely cited Supreme Court decision is important, because it pierces the veneer of romanticism that has been allowed to sugar over our recollection of Baltimore's maritime history. The case indicates that some of the most prominent ship owners and captains at the time, including Thomas Sheppard, John N. D'Arcy, Henry Didier, and Thomas Boyle, have links to the slave trade. This paper explores the cruel realities of the international slave trade, the ineffective federal laws aimed at prohibiting it, and the efforts by merchants to …

Yeaton And Others, Claimants Of The Schooner General Pinkney And Cargo V. The United States: The Case, The History, And The Impact, Magaly Bittner

Legal History Publications

On February 28, 1806 Congress passed an embargo against any part of St. Domingo not in possession by the French Government. There was much debate regarding the embargo and the international politics regarding the Haitian Revolution. On August 23, 1806 the Schooner General Pinkney, owned by William Yeaton set sail from the port of Alexandria for St. Jago de Cuba, but instead went to the prohibited port of Cape Francois, St. Domingo. In addition to this ship, another ship owned by William Yeaton, the Schooner Betsey and Charlotte also took the same course on September 23, 1806. Both were held …

Maritime Transport: The Evolution Of International Marine Policy And Law By Edgar Gold, Robert C. Evans

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Ocean Shipping Act Of 1978: New Direction In Maritime Legislation, Steven M. Talson

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Grand Bahama Petroleum Co., Ltd. V. Canadian Transportation Agencies, Ltd.: Maritime Attachment - Relationship Of New Due Process Requirements To Procedures, Charles A. Meade

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Public Order Of Ocean Resources: A Critique Of The Contemporary Law Of The Sea By P. Sreenivasa Rao, Frederick S. Tipson

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Admiralty Jurisdiction Over Pleasure Craft Torts

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

China And The Question Of Territorial Sea , Hungdah Chiu

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Law Of Unseaworthiness And The Doctrine Of Instant Unseaworthiness, Carroll E. Neesemann

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Sovereign Immunity Of Foreign Merchant Vessels - Flota Maritima Browning V. Motor Vessel Ciudad, Barbara Spicer

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Claim For Salvage Award By Member Of Crew Of Liberty Ship - Drevas V. United States, War Shipping Administration, United States Maritime Service

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.