It is reasonable to suppose, if Steam had been the dependable discovery, it would have been treated on m-ore largely, and have produced a more pointed answer ; the truth is, M^ Rumsey placed no dependance on Steam, until my plan came forward, and his own had failed ; conscious of the weakness of his claim, and the futility of his arguments to support it, he found that somethiKg more was necessary than merely an " hnmatured idea'''' ; therefore to add weight to his plea, he endeavours to establish himself under the solemnity of oaths, and attempts to prove, that the machinery for his Steam-engine, was executed in Baltimore and Frederick-town, so as to be compleated and put together on the 1~^. of December 1785. These solemn and positive declarations are contained in the depositions of Charles Morrow and Joseph Barns (N^. 11 and 12 of his pamphlet) who are probably interested in the scheme, The reader will please to examine these depositions ; they are produced to support facts, which he is conscious ought to have existed at the time they specify, otherwise his pretensions would consequently fall. These two witnesses testify to absolute facts, and yet affix different periods of time for one and the same transaction. Page 13. line 14. of Charles Morrow's deposition, he says "About the first of December (1785) it appears 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 :" and line 28 of the same deposition he says, " In the spring of 1786, the machinery was put on the boat and the first trial made, said Charles being on board," Page 15, line 11 of Joseph Bani's deposition he says, 'In December (1785) it was (put on the boat), at Shanandoah falls," These different declarations or different times affixed, at which the machinery was put on the boat, of themselves tend much to destroy the validity of their oaths ; for the time the machinery was put on board, must have been a fact, so notorious, that it could not admit of mistake, in a mind properly impressed with the importance of an oath.