of the Council of Safety, 1775-76. 93
taken up in your province, we could give no orders here for

their safe Custody.

" Maj^r Connelly was taken above Frederick Town in Mary-
land, in his way to the Indian Country and with him a Doct^r
Smith from Charles County & one Cameron, they are all now
fast by the heels in the Goal of Frederick Town. Connelly
we are told, had with him a Commission from Gen^l Gage to
raise a number of Indians, & with them to penetrate, thro the
Country towards Alexandria, in the spring, where he would
be met by Lord Dunmore. Commissions for the other two
were to be furnished hereafter."

Who this Doct^r Smith is I know not, Cameron I take to be
the deputy Indian agent to the southward, from whom a letter
was intercepted last July, advising the government to raise a
number of the Creek & Cherokee nations, to fall upon the
back Inhabitants, offering his service upon the occasion, &
boasting of his Interest with these Indians. I make no doubt
but your Board will take proper measures to prevent the
escape of such dangerous men, and am, with the greatest
Respect,

Gentⁿ Your most obd^t Serv^t
G. Mason.

[Cowley to Washington ?]

May it please your Excellency

Sir. I hope you will please to pardon my taking the liberty
of laying these few lines before your excellency, but if I had
not I should have thought it would have been doing a great
injustice to my conscience, & I think every well meaning man
who is a real friend to liberty would join in my sentiments to
stop such outragious actions & rebellious works which are
going to be put into execution please your Excellency I lived
along with Major John Connelly of Fort Pitt have done this
two years last July he was obliged to retire from Fort Pitt the
Inhabitants had a suspicion of his being an enemy to his coun-
try from thence I went with him down to Portsmouth in Vir-
ginia where he got on Board his Excellency Lord Dunmores
ship the Royal William where we staid fourteen days & from
thence he sail^d in his Lordships Tender the Arundel for Boston
with dispatches to General Gage from Lord Dunmore there
we staid ten days from thence we sail^d to Newport Rhode
Island conveyed by the Viper sloop of War of 12 guns com-
manded by Cap^t Thomas Greaves & from Rhode Island is to
be conveyed to New York & there the Viper parts with her &
she is to Portsmouth by herself. As I was one day with the
Major in the State room just after we left Boston he asked me