He knew at the time of inserting that quibbling account, that it would not bear the light, and therefore did not dare to give the date of M' Buckley's Letter, wrote at that "Critical minute," for M' Buckley's letter, would have shown this "Critical minute" was not in 1785, when they swear the steam-boat was ready, but in the summer of 1786, full twelve months after I had made my plans public, and was procuring patterns for my present cylinder, and had made a complete model of a steam-engine in brass and iron. -- I have been at the pains of walking 66 miles to Pequa and Lancaster to see M'" Buckley, that I might obtain an additional proof (to the many others I shall produce) that M^ Rumsey has transposed the order of time and antedated facts. M^ Buckley frankly toiii me all he knew of the matter and fixea the time of writing his letter, so circumstantially ^ to have been in 1786, and not in 1785, that not a doubt can remain -- and it will further appear from the certificate he ha.«< givw me that the colouring as to tact^ as well as to da<*t, iiitu

NAVIGATION. 1059

been grossly disingenuous, as will be seen on comparing his certificate, No. 18, with the following :

N". 11.

This may certify that the paragraph that M"" James Rumsey has copied from my letter, which he applies to the injury of M"" John Fitch's character, was not told to 7ne by M' Fitch^ but by other persons, who for reasons were convinced of his priority of invention. And as to the time of writing the letter it was when M'' Samuel Brigs was making patterns for M"" Fitch's castings. As witness my hand this twelfth day of May, 1788.