Governor, with duplicates by some of the other Ships about the beginningof June last past, but the mortal Sickness of your Petitioner's son & other pressing occurrences necessitated Yom' Petitioners return to New York the place of his abode & finding that at Your Petitioner's Landing a strick Search was made for his person for what reason, he knows not but was afraid that some hurt might befall him, he therefore ever since, absconded himself untill the arrival of their Maj'^'es Messinger M^" Jn° Riggs when your Petitioner gave Notice to M"" Frederick Phillips of his being in town whereupon the said Mr. Phillips as being one of the late Council together with the said Riggs the same night of his arrival came to your Petitioners house & gave Your Petitioner the perusal of the subscriptions of the two Packets, which he declared were

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66 ADMINISTRATION OF

sent by him the said l^iggs from White hall directed (to your Petitioners best remembrance) To our trusty and well beloved Captain Francis Nicholson Esq"" our Lieut Govenor & Commander in Chiefe of our province of New York in America or in his absence to such as for the time being do take care for the keeping of the peace & adminlstring the Laws of our said province of New York in America; & whit hall certified that altho, your said Council (w^ith the said L* Govenor Nicholson who was departed for England) had been hindered by other domestic troubles from officiating for some small time as a Council Yet since the Justices of the Peace by virtue of their Commission & their Mat'^s said proclamation having performed the same, that it was his oppinion that the said Packets in the absence of the said Francis Nicholson did belong to your Petitioners, with the rest of the said Council, as an answer to their said letters, by the Ship beaver, & by them to be communicated to the several Justices of the Peace, with further Promise as from M"" Stephanus Van Cortland, being also a member of said Council Should come to town, & the Council should meet, that he would deliver the said Packets to them & take a receipt for them for the same, with further assurances that he did not believe that Captain Leisler (as he termed your honour) would open to receive the said Packets, tho the same were tendered to him, but the next morning before the said Council could meet, Your Petitioner was informed that the Packets were upon demand delivered to your honour, & your Petitioner must Confess that he has been so unhappy, as to be of the same oppinion that the said Packets did not belong to your honour but to the said Council & Justices, in which your Petitioner was also strengthened by several letters from Boston By the oppinion of such few persons, as he said that time conversed withall, which has occasioned that your Petitioner in his letters to John West has most unadvisedly and in his foolish passion has altered his oppinion, in such severe and unbecoming expressions, to the disgrading of your honours Authority, But your Petitioner never had the thoughts directly or indirectly to endeavour for to remove your honor's Authority, by any manner of force or with any the least danger of bloodshed, but was