Committee a note, addressed by him to the Governor, on the
22d of January, as authorized by the second of the resolu-
tions of the House, and inclosing to the Governor a copy
of those resolutions, together with the Governor's response
thereto, which document, though full and explicit, is too
long for insertion here, but which will he found hereto ap-
pended. This minority could not, and did not perceive in
the response of the Governor, any thing which, in their
judgment, could vary their duties, or in any manner lessen,
as urged by the majority of the Committee, their obligation
to proceed with the investigation; which, if necessary at

first, (and of this, after the action of the House, in ordering
it to be made, they were not permitted to doubt,) appears to
be rendered by that response absolutely imperative; for the
Governor, far from removing or mollifying in any degree
the grave matters set forth in his message, reiterates and re-
affirms his well-founded apprehensions, of the existence of
the dangerous evils remarked upon in the message—con-
gratulates himself and the State upon the ready zeal with
which the House of Delegates have responded to his sug-
gestions—points out freely and fully the sources of his in-
formation, and recommends to the Committee the propriety
of a recurrence to sundry published documents, and the sum-
moning before them of divers persons as witnesses, from
whom he has reason to believe, it will be found to be in the
power of the Committee, to extract more accurate and perfect
information than it has been, or. is in his power to collect.
Surely information like this cannot form a sufficient apology
for forbearing to proceed with the investigation into facts, the

bare suggestion of which in general terms had, at first, been
thought sufficient to call for, and demand the immediate
creation of a Select Committee armed with plenary powers,
by the Grand Inquest of the State, to make a searching in-
vestigation into their existence, and all the minute particu-
lars concerning them, and required to report the appropriate
Legislative remedy for the correction and future prevention
of the evil. This minority have said, and must here repeat,
the facts and sources whence adequate proofs could probably
be drawn, being in this paper more specifically set forth,
seemed to them, not only to render the full performance of
the duties of the Committee much more urgent, but were, at
the same time, well calculated to expedite and facilitate that
performance.

The majority of the Committee, the undersigned would
respectfully suggest, appear to take a very erroneous view of
this whole matter, and present it in a most improper light,

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