340 Journal and Correspondence

C. S. C.

any other Permit than to the Committee of Safety of Virginia,
thither he went we are told, but could get no Permit to Dun-
more, he got a letter 'tis said to the Committee of Hampton —
they declined giving him any Passport; he went to Lord Dun-
more without, and on his way back was stopt by Captⁿ Baron,
who took from him some Letters to Governor Eden and par-
ticularly a circular Letter, also a private Letter from L^d G.
Germaine, which we take it for granted you have seen, some

of the Committee of Baltimore assuring us that they forwarded

Duplicates to the Congress. On Receipt of these Letters
Monday Afternoon, we immediately gave orders to apprehend
Ross, and the next Morning a Deputation from on board
together with W: Paca Esq^r then in Town waited on the Gov-
ernor, shewed him the copies of the intercepted Letters, and
requested a Sight of his Letter of the 27^th of August to Lord
Dartmouth. The Governor declared to us that he had sent
away the Copy of that Letter with all his other Papers of Con-
sequence last Fall, and could not remember the particulars,
but observed we might be convinced there was Nothing of a
Nature unfriendly to the Peace of this Province, because the
Troops going to the Southward were not ordered here. He
asserted also upon his Honour that he had not endeavoured
to enflame the Ministry by traducing the Characters of Indi-
viduals, some he had spoke well of, others he had recom-
mended as Sufferers. The Gentlemen of the Congress he
had spoke of as acting within the Line of Moderation.
The deputation informed him they were instructed to ask
his Parole that he would not leave the Province 'till the Meet-
ing of the Convention; he complained of being unjustly sus-
pected, gave us his Letters from W^m Eden Esq^r his Brother,
one of the Under-Secretaries, also from Lord Dartmouth
(Copies of which we had Leave to take and herewith transmit
you) — he desired Time 'till this day 12 oclock to give his
definitive Answer: he has given it, and we send you a Copy
thereof; we look upon it as giving his Parole in Effect that he
will not leave the Province 'till the Convention, and will
endeavour to promote the Peace thereof in the mean time: he
wishes to continue in that Line of Conduct as long as he can
consistent with his Station, and will not leave the Province,
after the Convention, provided they will assure him that when
he finds he can no longer stay with Peace and Consistency he
may have Leave to depart and carry his Effects — this we prom-
ised to recommend to our Friends in Convention. W. P.
agrees with us in Opinion that we may rest satisfied with this
Answer and not call the Convention sooner than the 27^th of
May, unless some thing further should intervene. You have
probably heard that our convention did not meet agreeable to