we are, with only a very small part of a Regiment, contending against the extensive Colony of Virginia. If you would but spare me, for a few months, the Sixty-Fourth Regiment, now in the castle, and the remaining part of the Fourteenth, I really believe we should reduce this Colony to a proper sense of their duty.

I am, dear General, your most obedient humble servant,

DUNMORE.

His Excellency General Howe.

[No. 1.]

DEPOSITION OF OLIVER PORTER.

Oliver Porter being sworn upon the Holy Evangelists, before his Excellency the Earl of Dunmore, Governour of the Colony of Virginia, &c., this 9th day of November, 1775, and in the sixteenth year of His Majesty’s reign.

This deponent saith: That he sailed in the Sloop Temperance, as master, from Bath, in North-Carolina, on the 29th of July last, Mr. Obadiah Witheral, merchant, on board, for Martinico. On his arrival there, on or about the 28th of August following, after his waiting there some time and delivering his cargo of lumber, he received on board, by order of Mr. Witheral, two hogsheads, in which were contained powder, in ten pound kegs, he supposes to the amount of seven hundred weight. At the same time he received eight kegs of musket balls, containing about fifteen hundred weight, which he believes to have been purchased of Peter Biguras, merchant. This deponent further saith, that he received, as his private venture, four casks, containing about two hundred gallons of rum; also, about one hundred weight of coffee: and that he sailed from Martinico the 6th of October, with orders from the aforesaid merchant to proceed to Ocracoke, in North-Carolina, and there deliver the aforesaid gunpowder and shot to his owners, Paul White and Edward Saltar, at the Town of Bath, in North-Carolina. In the course of his passage, a pilot-boat boarded him, and informed him he supposed the vessel in sight was a man-of-war’s tender; on which, this deponent ordered the gunpowder and shot aforesaid to be thrown overboard into the sea. At the same time, he caused his own venture of rum to be started into the hold, and pumped overboard. In about two hours after he was boarded and taken by the Kingfisher’s tender. Further this deponent saith not.

OLIVER PORTER.

Sworn to before me, the 9th day of November, 1775:

DUNMORE.

[No. 2.]

EXAMINATION OF WILLIAM ROBINSON.

VIRGINIA, sct.

William Robinson, a Delegate for Princess Anne County in the Convention of this Colony, held at the Town of Richmond, on the 16th day of July, 1775, being sworn before the Earl of Dunmore, saith that he was in the Convention from the second day of their meeting until they broke up, which was on the 26th of August.

His Lordship informed the said Robinson that he had a paper in his hand which contained several articles and resolves, called the Confederacy of the United Colonies, which his Lordship read to him, and desired to know if such was laid before the Convention.

Answer. I did hear, out of doors, that there were such articles intended to be proposed, but the knowing ones in Convention seemed desirous to keep it secret; that Richard Henry Lee, a member of the Convention, and one of the Delegates from this Colony to the General Congress, did inform the Convention, that if the petition to His Majesty, from the Congress, which was in as humiliating terms as could come from freemen, had not its desired end, that by the middle of January next the Congress had resolved to open the ports of the whole Continent to all foreign nations.

Question. Did. the Convention come to any resolution on this matter, or what seemed to be the sense of the members?

Answer. They did not come to any resolution on this matter, but it was the general sense of the members to agree with the Congress,

WILLIAM ROBINSON,

Sworn to before me, the 22d day of October, 1775:

DUNMORE,

CAPTAIN SAMUEL LESLIE TO GENERAL HOWE.

Gosport, Virginia, November 1, 1775.

SIR: I have the honour to inform you that I landed, the 12th of last month, at eleven o’clock at night, about three miles from hence, with Lieutenant Lawrie, two Sergeants, and forty rank and file, of the Fourteenth Regiment, and after marching three miles into the country, in search of artillery, we found, in a wood, nineteen pieces of cannon, some of them twelve, others nine, six, and three-pounders; seventeen of which we destroyed, and brought off two; and then, returning to our boats, we re-embarked without the least opposition. Lord Dunmore accompanied us upon this expedition.

On the 17th of October his Lordship was informed that there was a great quantity of artillery, small-arms, and all sorts of ammunition, concealed in different stores, at a place called Kemp’s Landing. In consequence of which, I, with Captain Cooper, Lieutenants Batut, Lawrie, and Leslie, Ensigns Wools, Boys, Ogle, and Lindsay, three Sergeants, and seventy rank and file, of the Fourteenth Regiment, Lieutenant Allen, one Sergeant, and twenty marines, some young gentlemen of the Navy, and ten or twelve seamen, embarked, at two o’clock in the afternoon, in boats and a schooner, in which some guns were mounted to cover our landing, and proceeded seven or eight miles up the eastern branch of Elizabeth River, to Newtown, where we landed without opposition. Notwithstanding above two hundred of the Rebels were at exercise near that place the same evening, and marching three or four miles through the country, we arrived at Kemp’s Landing a little after it was dark, where we searched several stores, and could discover nothing but a good many small-arms, musket locks, a little powder and ball, two drums, and a quantity of buck-shot, all which we either brought off or destroyed; and returning pretty near the same road we went, we re-embarked, about two o’clock the next morning, without interruption. We likewise took several prisoners; one of whom was a Captain of Minute-men, and another a Delegate of the Convention at Richmond.

I have also the pleasure to acquaint your Excellency that Lieutenant Batut, with two Sergeants and thirty-six rank and file, landed at Norfolk, the 19th of October, at twelve o’clock at noon, and marching into the country two miles from thence, took twenty pieces of cannon (from six to three-pounders) concealed in a wood; thirteen of which he destroyed and brought away seven, and returned, about four o’clock in the afternoon, unmolested. Many great guns, small-arms, and other implements of war, have been taken since by small parties; so that there has been, in all, at least seventy-seven pieces of ordnance taken and destroyed since my detachment arrived here, without the smallest opposition, which is a proof that it would not require a very large force to subdue this Colony. There are about eight hundred of the Rebels now at Williams-burgh, and four hundred at Hampton. We are in possession of a large store on the banks of the southern branch of Elizabeth River, under cover of the Otter, sloop-of-war; so that we are not very apprehensive of an attack, though the Rebels often threaten to pay us a visit. As our situation is so extremely critical, I flatter myself that you will be so good as to send us a re-enforcement as soon as possible, particularly the two Companies of our Regiment at Boston or Castle William. The rest of the Regiment we expect from St. Augustine as soon as it is relieved by three Companies of the Sixteenth from Pensacola. There are thirty men of my detachment on board Lord Dunmore’s ship, and another one that his Lordship has taken up for a transport.

I have been favoured with your Excellency’s letter of the 12th of September, wherein you inform me that my detachment must be supplied with provisions by the contractors of St. Augustine, and that the King must pay the transportation of them from thence; which mode of supply, I am well assured, will be impracticable at this time, for we never could be sure of being furnished with them regularly, as vessels cannot be procured for that purpose, and even if they could, they would be in constant danger of being taken by the Rebels; and, besides, fresh provisions is much cheaper and better for the men than salt, and the expense of the transportation of the latter from St. Augustine would be, by all accounts, almost as much as the