MS 117
Letter : Theneriffe, Portorotava [Canary Islands], 1740 April 25.
Instructions for John McCarrick in the first place and Mr. George Simpson in the second.
The ship Oratavo set sail from Tenerife, Canary Islands in April 1740. In July, authorities sighted the ship off Cape Cod, Mass., and, due to its suspicious behavior, ordered her in for examination. They discovered that the Oratavo (a.k.a. the Providence), John McCarrick, and George Simpson were involved in illicit trade, contrary to the British government’s Navigation Act of 1663. The authorities seized the men and the cargo and discharged them only after they had paid the proper fees.
1740 April 25.Letter written by David Lockhart of Tenerife, Portoratava, Canary Islands and sent to John McCarrick and George Simpson. It instructs the two men how to smuggle Canary wine into Massachusetts.