162 Journal and Correspondence

October 28

they may Judge sufficient for the intended Voyage, as your Memor-
ialists, affairs at Providence require his immediate presence, And
further humbly hopes that any thing, that has been done, thro'
inadvertinency, will not construed, to be done with design or inten-
tion of Injuring The Country, Your Memorialist, having not only,
a very considerable property in this State, but has with great Labour
almost Perfected a Scheme, that will, if adopted, be of the utmost
consequence, to the Welfare of this State and the whole Continent
of America

Baltimore County in the State of Maryland Js^t

Befor me the Subscriber one of the Justices of the Peace for said
County Voluntarily came Legh Master and made Oath, that the
Two negroes found in the hold of his Sloop Experiment, was there
without his Knowledge privity or consent, & further declareth, that
the orders he gave David Turner, (the person who had the Care
of the Vessell ) was to take in Twelve Barrels of Bread & Twelve
Barrells of Flour, but reflecting that it wou'd be better to have Two
Barrells of Flour more than Bread, he order'd the said David Turner
to return Two Barrells of Bread & take out Two Barrells of Flour
instead thereof, and that he never intended, to put on board any
more than the above Quantity; nor was it ever his desire or inten-
tion to secret or convey away any Negro or Negroes & further
saith not. L Master
Sworn to and subscribed the 28^th day Oct^r 1780 before Ja^s Calhoun

November g

The answer of Leigh Master to the Libel or Bill of Complaint
of Thomas Sellers, Naval officer who prosecutes as well for the
State as himself, saith that thirty three Americans, Prisoners of
War whose Names are Specified in a List annexed to the Passport
or safe Conduct hereafter mentioned were detained as Prisoners
of War in New Providence one of the Bahama Islands that your
Respondents friendly Disposition towards America added to his
Desire to relieve the said Prisoners from the Calamities of Captivity
and the Importunity of some Americans residing in the said Island
induced him to solicit John Maxwell Esq^r Governor & Commander
in Chief of the Bahama Islands to grant a Flag of Truce to your
Respondent to Carry the said Prisoners to Baltimore in North
America and receive such British Subjects as should be delivered
in Exchange therefor. That the said John Maxwell in Consequence
of your Respondents application on the twenty third day of August
in the Year Seventeen hundred and Eighty granted a Flag to your
Respondent for the above Purpose that your Respondent was Sole
Proprietor of the said Sloop Experiment and at his own private
expense fitted out the said Sloop and purchased Provisions for the
Subsistance of the said Prisoners from new providence to Baltimore