1788-May-29: Governor Orde of Dominica forwarded a series of depositions to Lord Sydney detailing the detention of British mariners in French colonial ports.

1788-May-29: Governor Orde of Dominica forwarded a series of depositions to Lord Sydney detailing the detention of British mariners in French colonial ports. These documents revealed that British sailors were frequently subjected to imprisonment and loss of wages when their vessels were seized by French authorities under suspicion of illicit trade. The depositions also highlighted the physical abuse and “ironing” of crew members, which served as a source of deep-seated animosity between the two maritime powers. Orde emphasized that such treatment was a standard practice of the ancien régime to discourage foreign interlopers. This tension in the maritime world predated the ideological conflicts of the French Revolution.