under arms between three and four hundred men, who seem very willing to engage, if there should be a necessity; but are yet so young in the service, and having no person among us proper to lead them to action, that little can be expected from them. We are at present in a very melancholy situation. We have neither a proper conductor, arms, nor ammunition. We hope you will take our distressed circumstances into your consideration, and direct such measures as you shall think best for our safety, and to repel the force of our enemies. The men we have now under arms are partly from Somerset County. We have sent scouts through the County, in order to disarm all those who appear to be enemies to the present measures. As the wind is fair for the persons who are gone down to Norfolk, we have reason to expect they will quickly return with others from that quarter to their assistance.

We have the honour to be your most obedient humble servants.

Signed by order of the Committee of Observation of Worcester County:

BENTON HARHIS, Chairman.

To the Honourable the Council of Safety of Maryland, on the Eastern Shore, per Mr. Waltom.

November 17, 1775.

William Handy, of lawful age, being called on by the Committee of Worcester County, deposeth and saith: That he had frequently conversed with Mr. Abraham Gibbs, upon the subject of the unhappy dispute now existing between Great Britain and the American Colonies; that the said Gibbs, some time last fall or last winter, or last spring, he can’t particularly recollect which, this deponent heard the said Gibbs say that the Congress, he thought, either ought or would lose their heads; and, in case the Ministerial Troops were sent over here to lay their hands upon the Congress, that he, the said Gibbs, would be one of the first men who would join them; but that he has heard the said Gibbs, long since, speak much in favour of the American cause, and, at different times since, that he has heard Mr. Gibbs speak against the cause, and condemn the conduct of those who were friends to the cause; and that the latest conversation this deponent had with the said Gibbs, as he believes, was about three weeks past; he heard the said Gibbs then express himself very inimical to the cause, although not with that degree of violence or rancour as he had first heard him express himself respecting the Congress.

WILLIAM HANDY.

Sworn before

JOSEPH DASHIELL.

November 18, 1775.

The deposition of Nicholas Haymon; of lawful age, being called by the Committee of Worcester County, deposeth and saith: That he lives in the neighbourhood where the article of agreement or association paper was circulated, which is taken notice of in the deposition of Isaac Hammond; and that they heard some of them were to be sent to Boston, and they were determined not to go themselves, or suffer any of their neighbours to go, if they could prevent it. That the association paper or article of agreement, above alluded to, was signed by Benjamin Shockly, amongst a number of other persons.

NICHOLAS HAYMON.

Sworn before

JOSEPH DASHIELL.

November 18, 1775.

The deposition of Bartley Townsend, of lawful age, being called on by the Committee of Worcester County, deposeth and saith: That some little time since the rising of the last Convention of this Province, this deponent was informed that some few of the Company which the said Benjamin Shockly had enrolled in bad desired him to attend at the house of the said Shockly, for the purpose of exercising and instructing a number of people in the military exercise; that this deponent accordingly attended; and when he came, after he had exercised some of the people who were there, Shockly proposed to this deponent that he would be their Captain; but, upon this deponent’s refusal, asked him if he would be their Lieutenant, which be also refused; upon which, said Shockly then told this deponent he had come for a spy. He also asked this deponent if he had seen their articles; he said he had. He then asked him how he liked them; why, he said, he did not know; he found they were something like the association or articles of his Company; they were for their King and Country. Yes, said Shockly, but we are against Boston. That Shockly afterwards insisted upon this deponent’s hearing their articles read; and, when they were read, they all huzzaed for the King, and pulled off their hats. This deponent also cried, and said he could huzza for their King; but, as he did not pull off his hat, said Shockly seemed to be displeased; and that this deponent was under apprehensions he was unsafe in their company, and immediately came off.

BARTLEY TOWNSEND.

Sworn before

JOSEPH DASHIELL.

Copy of a Letter to the Committee of Observation for Somerset County:

November 18, 1775.

GENTLEMEN: In the inquiry into the charge exhibited by you against Isaac Atkinson, so far as the same was proceeded in, it was collected by that branch of the Council of Safety residing on the Eastern Shore, that Mr. Atkinson would rest his defence on the design and intention of his conduct in the matter he is charged with, he having alleged that his design was merely to oppose the proceedings of the people of the Presbyterian persuasion, and not the proceedings or resolutions of the Congress or the Convention.

It was therefore thought proper, by the board, that this should be communicated to the Committee of Observation for Somerset County; and I am directed by them to make this communication.

I am, &c.,

ROBERT GOLDSBOROUGH.

To the Committee of Somerset County.

The following Letter, from the Committee of Somerset County to the Eastern Shore Council of Safety, is without date; but being in reply to the aforegoing Letter, is therefore transcribed immediately following it, and is as follows, viz:

GENTLEMEN: Yours of the 18th instant lies now before us; and we are a good deal surprised to hear that Mr. Atkinson should rest his defence upon a point which he did not rely on during any of his appearances before this Committee. At the same lime, as Mr. Atkinson’s friends are in general now hearty in the common cause, and as he himself always supported a reputable character till his present misconduct, we should be glad to give every thing its full weight, that he may offer in his own justification upon his approaching trial. But, as we are to do justice to the community as well as to individuals, we cannot omit to inform you that, in the course of our proceedings against this unhappy man, whom we always pitied, he had every indulgence that the nature of his offence could entitle him to. His trial was put off from day to day, and an opportunity always given of confronting the evidences against him, in hopes that he might be able to exculpate himself to the satisfaction of the publick.

With regard to his plea of intending only to oppose those of the Presbyterian persuasion, it is certain that this County has been long divided in religious sentiments, and that this division has been productive of much disturbance we have too much reason to remember. It is a prevailing opinion, amongst the members of the Church of England, that the Presbyterians are enemies to their present establishment, greedy of power, and oppressive in executing it, which makes them jealous of every measure, however laudable, that the Presbyterians engage in; and as this set of people (we speak it to their honour) were amongst the foremost in the country to espouse the cause of Boston, so the over-zealous ones of the Church persuasion, for this reason alone, became averse to it. But we are unwilling to enter upon a subject whose candour might perhaps be called in question.

There is an honourable gentleman in your own neighbourhood, (William Hayward, Esq.,) as much a stranger to the narrow spirit of party as he is superior to malice and detraction. To him, therefore, as he has an universal acquaintance in this country, we beg leave to refer’ you. At the same time, as we wish to furnish you with every possible information, we have taken the liberty to lay before you a letter which we this day received from Jacob Adams,