Letters, Found on Board the Rhode-Island Packet

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Die Mercurii, 9 ho˙ A˙ M˙, September 27, 1775.

The Committee met pursuant to adjournment. Present:

For ORANGE, John Haring, Esquire, Chairman.

For NEW-YORK, Mr˙ Hallett, Mr˙ Beekman, Mr˙ Thomas Smith, Mr˙ John Van Cortlandt, Colonel McDougall.

For ALBANY, Mr˙ Nicoll.

For DUTCHESS, Mr˙ Gilbert Livingston.

For KING' S, Mr˙ Williams, Mr˙ Vanderbilt.

For QUEEN' S, Colonel Blackwell.

For SUFFOLK, Mr˙ Foster.

For CHARLOTTE, Mr˙ Watkins.

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A number of Letters, taken from on board of the Rhode-Island Packet, were brought into Committee. Several of them, which were directed to different persons of the Customs and to other persons, were opened and inspected, and nothing inimical to the Colonies being discovered, they were resealed, put into a wrapper, with an endorsement that they had been examined by the Committee of Safety, and, together with all the other Packets and Letters, returned to the Captain of the Packet.

Mr˙ Robert Rogers, commonly called Major Rogers, according to directions for that purpose, attended on the Committee. He assured the Committee that he was a prisoner on his parole of honour to the Committee of Safety at Philadelphia; that he received from the said Committee a certified copy of his parole, with a certificate thereto, signed by Benjamin Franklin, which he unfortunately lost; and Mr˙ Rogers declared to this Committee, upon his honour as a soldier and a gentleman, that he will not depart from this City, without leave of this Committee, until he shall have recovered the said certified copy of his parole, or another certified copy thereof, and produced the same to this Committee; and that, in the mean time, he will, on request, attend upon this Committee. Mr˙ Rogers informed the Committee that he lodges at Doctor Harrison' s, in Broadway.