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The Gran Para: The Delicate Dance Of South American Privateering From Baltimore, Patrick R. Browning
The Gran Para: The Delicate Dance Of South American Privateering From Baltimore, Patrick R. Browning
Legal History Publications
The Consul General of Portugal filed a libel in the District Court of Maryland, alleging silver and gold coin had been taken out of the Portuguese ship, Gran Para, and the specie subsequently deposited in the Marine Bank of Baltimore. In 1818, The Gran Para was sailing to Lisbon from Rio de Janeiro when the privateer, La Irresistible, captained by John Daniel Danels, took her cargo as prize. The lower courts entered decrees in favor of the Consul of Portugal, restoring property to the original owners. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court decrees, finding it very clear …
Manella, Pujals & Co. V. Barry, 7 U.S. 415 (1806), Nicole Whitecar
Manella, Pujals & Co. V. Barry, 7 U.S. 415 (1806), Nicole Whitecar
Legal History Publications
Manella v. Barry highlights issues of agency and contract interpretation in the international maritime trade context. In the midst of America’s entry into the Quasi-War with France, a Baltimore shipping merchant brokered a large tobacco trade with a Spanish firm and experienced the risks of conducting trade over the high seas during wartime. Three out of seven ships were captured, and the Spanish firm sought to recover from the Baltimore merchant for the price of the lost cargo. Both the Circuit Court of Maryland and John Marshall’s Supreme Court sided with James Barry, holding that the Baltimore merchant was not …
Baltimore's Piratical Patriot Privateers: The Arrogante Barcelones, 20 U.S. 496 (1822), Shannon Byrne
Baltimore's Piratical Patriot Privateers: The Arrogante Barcelones, 20 U.S. 496 (1822), Shannon Byrne
Legal History Publications
The case of The Arrogante Barcelones involved a complicated story of facts, due in part to the cunningness of one of the main players, Joseph Almeida. Almeida’s maneuvers make sense when viewed through the lens of nineteenth century Baltimore, the War of 1812, and U.S. citizens’ involvement in South American privateering. At first glance, this case seems to hinge on issues regarding the validity of Almeida’s commission, the authority of the condemnation, and the sufficiency of the documentation produced to prove it. However, the United States Supreme Court ultimately avoids untangling those maritime issues and instead bases its opinion in …