Le Maurepas (1697) was a warship, a 46-gun fifth-rate ship:
French Fifth Rate ship 'Le Maurepas' (1697). Dates of service, name changes, previous and next incarnations, dimensions, armament, commanders, officers and crewmen, actions, battles, sources
threedecks.org
But according to the above, this Le Maurepas was last seen in 1712. So maybe it’s the wrong one. But I haven’t found an earlier Le Maurepas. Does anyone here have any ideas? If it’s a frigate it’s a warship so it could be claimed by France, like La Trinite. Perhaps the tour operators have an agreement with France and/or Panama.
This article mentions magnetometers, which could make sense if there are 46 iron cannons on the bottom:
www.yachtkings.tv
Thanks, enrada, for letting us know about this project.
There were a number of French ships named “Maurepas” in that period, and also “Comte de Maurepas” which was often popularly shortened to “Maurepas.”
The primary contemporary written records for the ship to which the expedition relates come from ‘The Darien Papers”, a collection of correspondence from between 1695-1700 (published in 1849) relating to the ‘Darien Scheme’: an ill-fated attempt to establish a colony in Panama in the late 17th Century. You can download the papers at the link below (free download, no sign-up needed):
https://archive.org/details/darienpapersbe9000compuoft/page/n7/mode/2up
The date given for the ship actually sinking is in late December of 1698, not in 1699, in Caledonia Harbour (also known as Port Escoces) on the Caribbean coast of Panama. There is no mention of treasure, although the Captain hung around for some time, attempting to organise salvage of something he must have regarded as worth the effort. Quoting from the papers with a few paragraph breaks added by me for ease of reading, together with some emphasis in
bold, and a few comments in [square bracket] parentheses:
"As to what concerns the French ship the Maurepas, commanded by Captain Duvivier Thomas, which was shipwrackt near Caledonia Harbour on the 24th of December 1698, concerning which we understand there is a Memorial presented by the French -
No man ever met with more generosity, humanity, and hospitality than the said Duvivier Thomas received from the Council of the said Colony, as may particularly appears by the said Council's Journal transmitted to the Court of Directors of the said Company. Nor did ever any man prove more ingratefull for such favours received than he did in some short time thereafter ; as may likewise appear by the letters and instruments transmitted since to the said Court of Directors ; an abstract of which Journal is for your Lops [unknown abbreviation to me] – more particular information here underwritten.
On the 11th of December 1698, the Lieutenant of the said ship came in a long boat into the harbour, and giving an accot [account] of the said ship's being a Merchant ship of 42 gunns, having only 32 mounted, that came out in Company of those that returned the Church Plate to Carthagena, but had the French King's Commission, and half the Company paid by the King ; that she was very leaky. Wherefore he begg'd liberty to stope her leaks in the said Port, which was freely granted. Whereupon on the 12th ditto the said ship anchored near Golden Island, and the said Duvivier Thomas came on board of our Company's ship the Saint Andrew, who without any seeming design told a great deal of News, and gave several accost concerning the Barlivento Fleet, the state and condition of the Spaniards at Carthagena, Portobello, and Panama, and the impressions they had of our coming into these parts.
On the 13th the said ship came into Harbour and saluted the Commander with 9 gunns, who return'd the like number in respect that he had the King's colours and commission, and was during his stay there treated with all civility imaginable, having the use of our Carpenters, &c. for nothing ; tho', as we understood afterwards, he was all the while studying to learn what he could concerning our State, and endeavouring to practise upon some of the Indians and having got some of them aboard of his ship on the 23d at night, he and all his crew drank very hard with them, and got under sail very early the next morning without any notice given to us, but wanting a pilot, and himself and all his men being drunk, a great sea coming in from the North, and falling calm of a sudden, the ship fell to leeward a great pace where there was nothing but an Iron Shoar, and had certainly been stranded on the first point had not Captn Pennicuick got into his own boat and made her get ahead of the said ship and towe her till she weather'd that point. But being then necessarly obliged to anchor in a Little Bay, Capt Pennicuick did at the said Duvivier's earnest request send for a long boat, an anchor, and cable, with all the pinnaces to towe her out, but stay'd himself aboard of the French ship to give all the assistance that he could - he having at the said Duvivier's earnest request promised to stay by him as long as he keeped the ship ; for the sailors being all hot-headed since the night before did not mind what their own Captain said to them.
The ship rid about three quarters of an hour after they anchored, and then her best bowar cable broke, and in half an hour after the small bowar gave way. So ashoar she went upon the rocks, where in half an hour she was all to pieces. Captain Pennicuick was as good as his promise, and staid till he saw the said Duvivier Thomas (who could not sweem) fastened upon a raft and gone ; then took his own opportunity and swam ashoar : and after that he was arrived safe ashoar, perceiving the said Duvivier Thomas to be in imminent danger of being dasht against the rocks with the great sea that beat against them, he again swam towards the said Duvivier, untyed him from the said raft, and carried him ashoar, extremely bruised and more than half dead, till he was hung up by the heels and the salt water run out of his mouth, &c. He and his Lieutenant, who was likewise much bruised, being with some difficulty rescued from being murdered by his own men, and carried on board of the Saint Andrew, where they were carefully lookt after by Chyrurgeons and servants untill they recovered.
Here follows an exact copy of that part of the Council of Caledonia's letter to the said Court of Directors which relates to the said Duvivier Thomas after his having entred into contract with them, &c.
Fort St. Andrew, March 6th, 1699.
Duvivier Thomas the French Captain left this place ten days ago ; never did any man prove more ungratefull, unreasonable, and uneasy, than he did, to one and all of us, notwithstanding the great and singular favours shewn to him, no less than rescuing him from the cruel hands of his own men, who no sooner was the ship cast away, and he lying on the shoar sore bruised,and even almost dead, but they began to swear bloodily, they would cut his throat, or knock him in the head, which they had certainly done had not he and his Lievtenant been quickly carried off in hammocks a good way through the woods to a calm place where a pinnace was waiting, and carryed them on board the Commandore, where they were very carefully waited on by Chyrurgeons and servants untill they recovered.
Then he frequently requested and importuned all of us to take the charge of his wreck, and that he would enter into a contract with us to that purpose, which at lenth we agreed to, yea even for a small allowance, being most willing to shew all manner of discretion and generosity to a stranger and in such distress, (a copy of which Agreement is herewith sent) Yet nevertheless he did write to Jamaica for two sloops to come hither in order to bargain with them to dive and fish upon his wreck, which he never made known to us or to any upon this place untill some days after these sloops arrived, and then he desired that we would deliver him up or cancell the contract, which we could by no means do, as not judging it safe ; or least that thereby we might give ground to others to reflect upon our way of management as wavering, or not well digested, but besides we had been at considerable trouble and charges in relieving and keeping guards at the wreck. Then he began to exclaim and cry out against us, and went to such a hight, as that these very men he wrote for, admired at his carriage, and condemn'd him very much when they got notice of his contract with us, and at so easie a rate upon his part, and could not think enough of his dis-ingenuity and folly in calling them without our knowledge or consent to a work whereof we only had the present management. Nevertheless he sign'd a contract with Nathaniel Mitchell, Master of one of the sloops, whereby he was to give him one third of all, but next day he tore it.
We then understood he design'd to go away abruptly without appointing any to look after the wreck in the termes of the contract. This oblig'd us to take protests against him, as will be seen by the copies of the instruments. At last he deputed Daniel Lodge, and so left the place without so much as taking leave of any. Some two or three days thereafter, finding the weather somewhat calm in the mornings, we set dyvers to work, but they found the wreck almost all buryed over with sand, which was occasioned by the great sea beating there. So that there are
little or no hopes of recovering anything save some gunns, cables, and anchors [note that there has been no mention of treasure or valuables]. We are well satisfied that strangers are witnesses to this, all which we thought fit to inform you with, to shew how kindly and candidly we dealt all along in this matter, and how unagreable the requittal hath been, which now persuades us that that man came here upon no good design to this place ; In which case providence hath been kind to us, and just to him. But if he should attempt to offer any thing either at home or abroad whereby to give a bad character or impression of us, we have given you ground enough for vindicating of our honour and confuting of him, and thereby prevent any thing which might otherways touch us. But had he acquainted us before he hoisted sail, and demanded our boats to towe him out (which would have sa readily been granted as the use of our Carpenters) he would have saved us a great deal of trouble and expenses, and himself and Owners a good deal of riches by saving of the ship, &c.
Memorandum - That the said Duvivier Thomas did first of all (without any notice given to the said Council) write to Jamaica for sloops and dyvers, with promise to
allow them the third of all that should be recovered [but, again, no mention of treasure]; but having no return, in a long time he fully despaired of their coming, tho' he never acquainted the said Council thereof, but by writing under his hand did several times pray and entreat them to enter into contract with him for the purposes above mention'd, and a considerable time after that they had entered into Articles, and been at considerable charges and trouble about the said wreck, the Jamaica Dyvers came, which, together with his former disasters, made the said Duvivier Thomas quite light-headed. And thereupon proceeded the several protests and instruments, of which exact copies are hereto annexed ; by all which it manifestly appears that there is no shaddow of pretence for what is alledg'd in the French Memorial above mentioned with relation to the said Duvivier Thomas his being detained from fishing upon the said wreck. And as to the allegation of the said Council's having detained five of his men, and requiring payment for his and their provisions, here is now one of the said Council, and several other persons who were then upon the said Colony, who do positively aver that the said allegation is an absolute and groundless calumny in all respects, and that the said Duvivier Thomas was the very last man belonging to the said ship that remained upon the Colony ; for the truth is, he and his men were glad to be rid of one another."
