eBay Tuesday: Sloop Phoenix Manifest

It seems almost mind-boggling that a run-of-the-mill ship's manifest could survive 221 years, a relic of the post-Revolutionary War era, and could potentially wind up in your possession with the mere click of a button.

The 1790 manifest from the sloop Phoenix is our choice of the week for a New London-related item on eBay. It's being offered by "popsman," who specializes mostly in 19th century letters and hails from Port Orange, Fla. The document details the contents of a ship bound for New York City from New London in December of 1790.

So what exactly was New London sending over to the Big Apple at that time in the history of the young United States? Well, the items in the hold of the Phoenix included "eight tun of rigging" (this particular item being shipped by James Tilly), "two hogsheads New England rum," "one hundred bushl potatoes," and "four sacks barly." The back of the docuemtn includes a standard agreement that the ship's master considers the manifest a true account of what's on board and that he has no "reason to believe that the Revenue of the United States has been difrauded by any part of the Duties imposed by Law upon the Importation of any Goods or Merchandize contained in said Manifest." The Phoenix's master, William Briggs, duly signed this agreement.

The Phoenix was a fairly popular ship's name, so it's somewhat disappointing to sort through the various accounts of Revolutionary War privateers and discover that this particular sloop was a fairly ordinary vessel. According to the Connecticut Ship Database offered by Mystic Seaport, it was built in 1788 in New London. It measured 52 and a half feet, and had a single mast; the ultimate fate of the Phoenix is not listed.

Briggs, according to the database, was was the master of four other ships besides the Phoenix during his career. These included the schooners Two Brothers and George, the brig Union, and the sloop Eliza. According to Frances Manwaring Caulkins' History of New London, Briggs was one of many local residents lost at sea, meeting his end in 1804. "It was calculated that for twenty years, reckoning from 1790, so many from New London went to sea and never returned, being swallowed up by the ocean, or cut off by the diseases of the tropics, as sensibly to diminish the population of the place," Caulkins commented.

The seller warns that the manifest is in fragile condition and should be handled carefully; it will be shipped folded along an existing fold line. The edges are ragged with numerous tears, and the document is slightly stained and yellowed with age.

One bid for $4.99 had been placed as of this afternoon, so any additional bids must start at $5.24 at the least. Shipping adds an additional $2 to the price. The auction ends at 9:21 p.m. on Dec. 6.