Experts found a very old copy of the US Declaration of Independence in the British National Archives.

專家在英國國家檔案館發現了一份非常古老的美國獨立宣言副本。

A man named Michael Scurr found the paper in May. It was in a group of old letters. A British ship took this paper from an American ship in 1776.

一名 bernama Michael Scurr 的男子在五月發現了這份文件。它是在一組舊信件中被發現的。這份文件是 1776 年由一艘英國船從一艘美國船上獲取的。

This paper is from Exeter. It is very rare because the paper was cheap and old. Before this, only ten copies existed. All ten were in the USA. This is the only one in Britain.

這份文件來自埃克塞特 (Exeter)。由於紙張廉價且古舊，因此非常罕見。在此之前，僅有十份副本存在，且全部都在美國。這是英國唯一的副本。

Experts think the American sailors read this paper together. It helped them understand the war. British officers did not think the paper was important, so they forgot about it for a long time.

專家認為當時的美國水手是共同閱讀這份文件的，這有助於他們理解戰爭。英國軍官認為這份文件並不重要，因此長期以來將其遺忘了。

This find shows that looking through old papers is still important today.

這次發現表明，即便在今天，查閱舊文件仍然非常重要。

A rare copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, has been discovered in the British National Archives.

在英國國家檔案館中，發現了一份在紐罕普郡埃克塞特印刷的罕見美國《獨立宣言》副本。

The document was found in May by Michael Scurr, a volunteer, while he was examining letters from Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of the HMS Raisonnable. The paper was among items taken on December 24, 1776, from the Dalton, an American privateer ship. The Dalton had been captured off the coast of Portugal after a seven-hour chase, which led to the imprisonment of about 120 crew members in Plymouth, England.

這份文件是今年五月由一名叫 Michael Scurr 的志願者發現的，當時他正在檢查 HMS Raisonnable 號的 Thomas Fitzherbert 船長的信件。這張紙是在 1776 年 12 月 24 日，從一艘名為 Dalton 號的美國私掠船上沒收的物品中發現的。Dalton 號在葡萄牙海岸附近經過七小時的追逐後被捕獲，導致約 120 名船員被囚禁在英國的普利茅斯。

These Exeter versions were printed by Robert Luis Fowle in July 1776. Because they were printed on low-quality paper and meant to be used as temporary news sheets, very few have survived. Before this discovery, only ten copies were known to exist, and all of them were in the United States. Consequently, this is the only known Exeter printing located outside of America.

這些埃克塞特版本是由 Robert Luis Fowle 於 1776 年 7 月印刷的。由於它們是以低品質的紙張印刷，且旨在作為臨時新聞單使用，因此倖存的數量極少。在這次發現之前，已知僅有十份副本存在，且全部都在美國。因此，這是目前唯一已知位於美國以外的埃克塞特印刷版本。

Experts believe the document was on the ship to motivate the crew. Amanda Bevan, who leads the Royal Navy correspondence project, suggested that the Declaration might have been read aloud to align the sailors' actions with the political goals of the new American state. Furthermore, Professor Nicholas Guyatt from the University of Cambridge noted that the document remained hidden for so long because British naval officers likely did not think it was important at the time it was captured.

專家認為該文件在船上是用來激勵船員的。負責皇家海軍書信項目的 Amanda Bevan 認為，《獨立宣言》當時可能被大聲朗讀，以便讓水手們的行動與新美國政府的政治目標保持一致。此外，劍橋大學的 Nicholas Guyatt 教授指出，這份文件之所以隱藏這麼久，是因為英國海軍軍官在捕獲時可能認為它並不重要。

This discovery provides a physical link to the naval history of the American Revolution and proves that searching through physical archives is still a valuable way to find historical treasures.

這次發現為美國革命的海軍歷史提供了實體聯繫，並證明了在實體檔案中搜尋仍然是發現歷史瑰寶的價值之法。

A rare broadside copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, has been identified in the British National Archives.

英國國家檔案館發現了一份在紐罕普夏州埃克塞特印刷的美國《獨立宣言》罕見單幅印刷品。

The document was discovered in May by Michael Scurr, a volunteer cataloger, during the examination of correspondence attributed to Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of the HMS Raisonnable. The artifact was located among papers seized on December 24, 1776, from the Dalton, an 18-gun American privateer vessel operating under the authority of the Continental Congress. The Dalton had been intercepted off the Portuguese coast following a seven-hour pursuit by the HMS Raisonnable, resulting in the incarceration of approximately 120 crew members in Plymouth, England.

這份文件是由一名志願編目員 Michael Scurr 在 5 月檢查 HMS Raisonnable 號的 Thomas Fitzherbert 船長相關書信時發現的。這件文物是在 1776 年 12 月 24 日，由大陸會議授權運作的一艘擁有 18 門炮的美國私掠船 Dalton 號被沒收的文件之中找到。Dalton 號在被 HMS Raisonnable 號追擊 7 小時後，在葡萄牙海岸附近被截獲，導致約 120 名船員被囚禁在英格蘭的普利茅斯。

Historically, the Exeter broadsides were produced by Robert Luis Fowle between July 16 and 19, 1776. Due to the utilization of low-grade rag-made paper and their intended function as ephemeral news vehicles for local consumption, survival rates for these printings are minimal. Prior to this identification, only ten copies were known to exist, all of which were located within the United States. Consequently, this specimen represents the sole known instance of an Exeter printing held outside American jurisdiction.

在歷史上，埃克塞特單幅印刷品是由 Robert Luis Fowle 在 1776 年 7 月 16 日至 19 日之間製作的。由於使用了低等級的碎布紙，且其原定功能是作為本地消費的臨時新聞載體，因此這些印刷品的存活率極低。在這次發現之前，已知僅有 10 份存在，且全部位於美國境內。因此，這個樣本代表了唯一已知存放於美國司法管轄區之外的埃克塞特印刷本。

Institutional analysis suggests the document's presence on a privateer vessel indicates a strategic deployment of ideological reinforcement. Amanda Bevan, lead of the Royal Navy correspondence project, posits that the Declaration may have been read aloud to the crew to align their maritime activities with the broader political objectives of the nascent American state. Furthermore, the document's prolonged anonymity within the archives is attributed to its perceived lack of significance to British naval officers at the time of seizure, as noted by Professor Nicholas Guyatt of the University of Cambridge.

機構分析指出，該文件出現在私掠船上，顯示了一種意識形態強化的策略部署。皇家海軍書信項目負責人 Amanda Bevan 認為，這份《宣言》可能被大聲朗讀給船員聽，以使其海上活動與當時剛成立的美國政府的整體政治目標一致。此外，劍橋大學的 Nicholas Guyatt 教授指出，該文件在檔案館中長期不被注意，是因為當時沒收文件的英國海軍軍官認為其缺乏重要性。

The discovery provides a tangible link to the maritime aspects of the American Revolution and confirms the continued viability of physical archival research.

這次發現提供了一個與美國革命海上方面的實體聯繫，並證實了實體檔案研究依然具有可行性。