Rumsay informed him in the year 1784, that he was proposing a boat to work with steam, and that the said Nicholas doth know that the said Mr. Rnmsey from that time has pursued his intention of perfecting his steam engine for that purpose, and that the said Nicholas has been on board of the said Rurasey's boat, when going by the power of Steam, and has reason to believe it nray answer a valuable purpose when completed. Given under my hand, this 24th day of November, 1787. William Little.

Berkeley County^ Virginia, ss (JVb 11.)

This day came Charles Morrow, before me, one of the Justices of the peace for the aforesaid county, and made oath, that in the course of the summer 1785, M'' James Rumsey, had a boat built near the town of Bath, that early in the fall he had her brought down the river to Shepherds- Town, and shortly after Mr. Joseph Barnes was sent to Baltimore, in order to have some machinery cast; that he then understood the boat was to be propeled by steam ; that shortly after Mr. Barns returned from Baltimore he was sent to Frederick-Town, in order to have some other things made, agreeable to Mr. Rumsey's directions, and thinks he returned from thence about the middle of November ; that he the said Charles then saw the machinery M^' Barns had got made, viz : a boiler, two cylinders, pumps, pipes, &c. That about the First of December it appeared to the said Charles, that the whole of the Machinery was ready to be fixed to the boat, which came down to the Falls of Shanandoah for experiment, but the ice then Commencing prevented it for the winter. That in the winter M' Rumsey told him he had made sundry improvements ; in particular, that he had in-vented an entirely new Constructed boiler ; that the said Rumsey sent to a forge for iron, and set two smiths to work, with directions how to make it ; but when it was ready to be put together, he found, upon examination, the workmanship was so badly executed that it would not answer the purpose ; he therefore concluded to try an experiment with his old boiler ; and the said Charles says, that Mr.