Haasje (or Haas) was built at Amsterdam in 1788 as a packet for the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

Voyage #1: Captain Jan Andries Rugee sailed from the Texel on 18 November 1789, bound for Batavia.

Between Batavia and the Cape slaves aboard Haasje revolted and killed Jan Andries Rugee and two other members.

The VOC fitted out Haasje at Batavia on 15 February 1797 to carry a cargo to Algoa Bay for the Dutch farmers at Graaff-Reinet.

The cargo consisted of eight field guns, 600 barrels of gunpowder, each of 60 pounds, 50 bales of cotton cloth, and provisions, rice, beef, pork, sugar, and coffee, all for the farmers to use to mount an insurrection against the British at Cape Colony.

De Freyn became friendly with Hope's officers and confided to them that he planned to make contact with the farmers of Graaff-Reinet, but if he could not, he would sail to Algoa Bay and try there.

Hope's chief officer, Alexander Dixon, took four men as a prize crew and sailed Haasje to Simon's Bay, where they arrived on 11 August.

De Freyn boarded some of the whalers at Lourenco Marques, some signing on as crew and some simply passengers, and reached Table Bay.

[9] One of the whalers at Delagoa Bay, Fonthill, carried de Freyn to the Cape of Good Hope.

Macartney wrote to War Secretary Henry Dundas, advising him that the British government should delay releasing or exchanging de Freyn as he was a "very shrewd and dangerous fellow".

[14][e] Hare, of 180 tons (bm) and Dutch origin, appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1798 with Muncheson, master, Robinson, owner, and trade Dartmouth–London.

The High Court of Admiralty ruled on 4 April 1799 that as Hope had faced resistance and that the capture had cost her the chief part of her voyage, the captors could retain the entire value of the prize (£2,900), with one-third to go to the owners and two-thirds to the master and crew.