Answer. Not that I know of.

7. Question. Do you know anything of an anonymousletter enclosed to Mr. Hancock in the packet?

Answer. No.

8. Question. Do you know of no anonymous letter or paper sent to Philadelphia?

Answer. I know of none.

9. Question. You know of no anonymous letter to the following purport? (reading a recital of it.)

Answer. No.

10. Question. Nothing in your hand-writing to that purport?

Answer. I wrote a private letter, in my own name, and signed therewith, to Mr. Hancock, as a private person, and which I desired he might not show to Congress. It was principally relative to the letter I received from General Lee. I mentioned likewise to him, that three gentlemen of our Committee were to wait on the Council the next day with the despatches received from Virginia; that I would gladly go as one, but that I had reason to believe I did not stand in a favourable light with the Council, who, I understood, had taken great offence at a letter or order I had written to Captain Nicholson, at the time the Otter was in our river. I likewise told him my opinion, that I did not expect, or had doubts whether the Council would take so spirited a step as to seize the Governour; and the event proves that I was not mistaken. I believe I likewise mentioned to him the design of sending the tender to Annapolis, to prevent the Governour’s escape, should he attempt it; a measure which appeared to me strictly proper, both from the tenour of the Secretary of State’s letters, and General Lee’s letter to me.

11. Question. You know of nothing sent from you respecting yourself as an object against whom the Council of Safety had levelled their power?

Answer. I had good reason to know I was disliked by the Council, but never had any apprehensions of their power against me.

12. Question. Have you ever represented yourself as thought by the Council of Safety a warm, hot-headed man; and that your power must be pulled down, or you would throw things into confusion?

Answer. I was well-informed I was considered in that light by your Council; and I have mentioned it in conversation to many of my friends.

13. Same question.

Makes no answer.

14. Question. The question was asked again, and Mr. Purviance desired to recollect.

Answer. It is very possible I may have made such representations in letters written to some of my friends, as well as in private conversation.

15. Question. Were they enclosed in the packet to Congress?

Answer. I never wrote to the Congress upon any such subject.

16. Question. How long has it been since you wrote such letters?

Answer. I cannot say. I never wrote anything with a view to prejudice the Council of Safety.

17. Question. Were they written within a week past?

Answer. I believe not.

18. Question. Do you remember that you impressed General Lee with an idea that the Council of Safety were timid and inactive?

Answer. General Lee seemed as well acquainted with the publick affairs in Maryland as I was; and it cannot be doubted that we conversed on many publick subjects. That I ever took pains to impress him with an ill opinion of the Council, I deny.

19. Question. Do you know of a single instance of inactivity in the Council of Safety, with respect to Baltimore town?

Answer. I do not know that I was called here to give any opinion of the Council of Safety, to their faces; but I know that I have heard many complaints, some of them perhaps I thought ill-founded. If I think otherwise of any other part of them, I have a right to exercise my judgement.

20. Question. Did we not give you the earliest intelligence on the late alarm?

Answer. You did everything in your power. I have passed many encomiums on you for it, in private letters to my friends.

21. Question. Did you not give instructions to Captain Samuel Smith?

Answer. Yes.

22. Question. Were they under an oath of secrecy?

Answer. They were not.

23. Question. Why was not Captain Smith to consult the Council of Safety when he came to Annapolis?

Answer. It was my intention he should.

24. Question. Were his instructions to be shown to the Council?

Answer. I did not tell him to show them, but presumed when he got to Annapolis he would be under their directions.

25. Question. Was Captain Smith to consult the commanding officer, and lay him under an oath of secrecy?

Answer. I gave him no such orders; I expected he was to take directions from the Council.

26. Question. Did you expect the Governour was going down the Bay when you sent the tender?

Answer. My expectation was that the Governour would attempt to escape, upon being informed that his letters were intercepted; otherwise I should not have sent the tender. A letter I wrote to the deputation of the Committee will explain my conduct on that head.

27. Question. Have you a copy of that letter?

Answer. I have the letter itself.

28. Question Your instructions were that the Governour should be carried to Baltimore town. Why not delivered to the Council of Safety?

Answer. I will give you my ideas of the matter. I conceived that at the seat of Government he would have numerous friends and partisans; a clamour might be raised, and a rescue attempted. I proposed carrying him to Baltimore and putting him on board the ship-of-war, where he would be treated like a gentleman, and there to await the directions of the Council of Safety, or Congress, whose prisoner I deemed him.

29. Question Why were troops ordered from Baltimore, and Captain Smith not to consult the commanding officer here?

Answer. The Committee were well informed that Alexander Ross was come to Annapolis, and were afraid he would alarm the Governour, who would very probably attempt to escape; therefore troops, or armed men, were thought necessary, should Captain Smith find the Governour attempting to escape before he got to Annapolis.

30. Question. Were there any marines on board?

Answer I believe there were either sailors or marines.

31. Question. You say the troops were sent to intercept the Governour, should he have attempted to escape?

Answer. That was my intention; and my letter to the deputation from the Baltimore Committee will explain the reason of sending the tender.

32. Question. You say you have the letter—produce it.

Answer. Delivered it. Explains the reason of his sending the boat, by referring to General Lee’s letter; directed Captain Smith to apply to the gentlemen of Baltimore, who, I thought, would carry him to the Council of Safety, to consult upon the measure.

33. Question. Why was the Governour to be carried to Baltimore, if taken at Colonel Fitzhugh’s? Would not the Committee of Calvert have taken care of him?

Answer. I gave no directions whatever on that subject, on condition that Captain Smith found the Governour attempting to escape before he got from Baltimore to Annapolis; and I had not the least design of anything save to prevent the Governour’s escape.

34. Question. Did you not know the Council of Safety were sitting?

Answer I expected they were.

35. Question Was any other letter, than the above, written by you to the Baltimore deputation?

Answer Not a scrap.

Answer. Not a scrap.

36. Question. Some gentlemen were sent to Annapolis to engage the commanding officer by oath to secrecy. Do you know anything of this?

Answer. No. I never entertained the most distant idea of that sort. The gentlemen of the Committee and myself

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