Affidavit of J. A. Monteath.
[720] To all to whom these presents shall come:
I, Henry Penketh Fergie, notary public by royal authority, duly
authorized, admitted, and sworn, residing and practicing in the city of
Melbourne, in the colony of Victoria, do hereby certify that Winfield
Attenborough, before whom
[Page 187]
*the
affidavit of James Austin Monteath on the other side written purports to
have been sworn, is a commissioner of the supreme court of said colony
for taking affidavits, duly appointed in that behalf, and that name W.
Attenborough, subscribed thereto, and to the exhibit thereto annexed, is
of the proper handwriting of the said Winfield Attenborough, and that to
all acts by him, the said Winfield Attenborough, done in his said
capacity or office, full faith and credit are due in judicature and
thereout.
In faith and testimony whereof I, the said
notary, have hereunto subscribed my name and set and affixed my seal
of office, at Melbourne, in the said colony
of Victoria, this
twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
[
seal.]
HENTRY PENKETH
FERGIE,
Notary Public,
Melbourne.
[721] I, James Austin Monteith, of
Melbourne, in the colony of Victoria, clerk to Messrs. Bennett and
Attenborough, of the same place, solicitors, make oath and say as
*follows:
- 1.
- I know and am well acquainted with Mr. H. B. Donaldson, of
Sandridge, near Melbourne, aforesaid, ship-chandler,
carrying on business as H. B. Donaldson & Co.
- 2.
- On being applied to by the said firm of Bennett &
Attenborough for information as to supplies which they had
understood had been made by the said H. B. Donaldson in the
beginning of the year 1865, to the vessel (then in this
port) known here as the confederate ship of war Shenandoah,
the said H. B. Donaldson promised to send, and did send, to
the said firm of Bennett & Attenborough, a document
which he stated was the duplicate of his account against the
said ship furnished by him to Captain Waddell, who was then
her captain.
- *3.
- [722] The said account was so
placed, by the said H. B. Donaldson, in the hands of the
said firm for the purpose of enabling the said firm to have
a copy thereof made and verified by his affidavit, to be
used in support of the claims of the American Government
against the British government, known as the “Alabama
Claims.”
- 4.
- The said H. B. Donaldson stated, when so applied to, that
he had been paid the amount of his said account by the hands
of the captain or the purser of the said ship Shenandoah,
and that he could depose to the fact that Messrs. Bright
Brothers had put seven hundred tons of coal on board the
said ship in this port.
- 5.
- A copy of the said account was accordingly made, and such
copy is hereunto annexed, marked A.
- 6.
- The said H. B. Donaldson sent for and obtained from the
said firm the said original account, on the plea that there
were some inaccuracies in it which he wished to
correct.
- 7.
- An affidavit was duly prepared by the said firm for the
said H. B. Donaldson to depose to verifying the said copy
account, and his aforesaid statements; but on being
requested to swear to it, he said he would not do so unless
he was paid the sum of fifty pounds for so doing.
Sworn at Melbourne, in the colony of Victoria, this 25th day of
September, 1871, before me,
W. ATTENBOROUGH,
A Commissioner of
the Supreme Court of the Colony of Victoria, for taking
affidavits.
