On the 4th of April 1707 James Newbreight was informed that he was accepted as a doctor on the Dutch vessel “de Livornese Galleij” . Filled with herbs and spices it began the homeward journey when, in the early morning of June 6th, the ship was taken by Algerian Pirates. He and the rest of the crew were taken back to Algeria where they were to be sold as slaves. Back home news came through about this catastrophe and soon family of the crew-members began raising funds for the release of their loved ones. Although few succeeded in this, the actions of those who did manage to gather enough money proved to be fruitless because the men could not be traced. James Newbreight was the only one who returned: 24 years later he was finally found by captain Schrijver of the Amsterdam Admirals. He managed to buy him free for 900 Algerian pecos.
When he set foot in his native country in 1731 there was nobody waiting for him: his wife Catherine Poulart had fallen prey to a combination of constant worry and constant financial savings to bring back her husband. As a tribute to her perseverance and hardship he refused to say anything about his life as a slave. He never re-married.