January 1-December 31, 1781 229

of the Prisoners sent to you, who acknowledged to me, that he was at
the House of John Taylor, and got Provision from him, to carry with
him, when he left his House, and that he wrote the inclosed paper.
On hearing that Doc^r Robertson and Austin Milburn, were at Tay-
lors, at the time the Prisoners were there, I have procured the inclosed
deposition of Austin Milburn. Taylor is a man of infamous char-
acter, with a good deal of property, and has for a considerable time
had a difference with M^r J. Aderton, and from the Officers below
that I can most depend on, together with what Austin Milburn says,
They shall esteem themselves very unsafe if Taylor is permitted to
stay amongst them. I therefore flatter myself he will at least be kept
confined. He has two Sons that go by water and I believe not well
attached to our cause, I could wish they were removed. Capt" John
H. Abell informs me that on his ordering James Theobalds & Dan^l
Dris to join the Company that we are raising they left the parts and
that a Canoe of Theobalds Fathers (who live at Point lookout) was
seen with two Men in it Standing to the Eastern Shore, Theobalds
by many has been long suspected of being disaffected, and it is not
doubted that he has gone to the Enemy, he took with him one of the
Public Arms with a Bayonet & Cartouch box. You have inclosed a
list of officers recommended by the Field officers of the lower Battⁿ
and as we are much in want of Officers, should be glad you would
send the Commissions by the Bearer, or as soon as convenient. Many
of the officers that have resigned did it as I have been informed on
acco^t of their living near the Water, from which you will readily con-
clude they were not good for much, which was really the case. In
short we have a number of very bad Officers and how we shall get
clear of them I am at a loss to know. The expences of sending the
Prisoners you will be kind enough to pay to the Bearer M^r John Wood

May 4

[Deposition of Austin Milburn, Saint Marys County, before
Henry Reeder.]

The deposition of Austin Milburn Being duly sworn on the holy
Evangels of Almighty God Before me one of the Justices of the
Peace for the County afs^d deposeth & sayeth that the Prisoner that
acknowledged the Paper signed Arthur Gauge second Lieutenant
M^r Doyal & M^r Mullin, and was in the following words " M^r James
Adderton have a great deal of property of Negroes & Plate he lives
in Saint Inegoes Creek near the Warehous whom is a great foe to
M^r John Taylor living in Saint Marys County near the same place
which have Behaved as a good friend to the Union flagg In distress
which made their Escape from their Prisonment of & the Captured
Jack of the Lanthorn " And this deponant further sayeth that he with
Doct^r Robinson went to John Taylors Blue stone and found the
aforesaid Arthur Gauge M^r Doyal & M^r Mullin there and he the
deponant asked them where they were from and they answered him

May 3