Deposition of Gen. Elijah Clarke, of the state of Georgia, respecting a letter from him to Don Diego Morphy, consul of His Catholic Majesty, at Charleston, South-Carolina, containing, the answers to the said deponent, to certain interrogatories framed by the committee appointed on the 2d of February last, "To take all such steps as may be necessary for obtaining the testimony of the said Elijah Clark, or any other person or persons, on the subject-matter of the said letter." Taken before certain commissioners empowered by the said committee, for the purpose of taking the said deposition. : 27th April, 1798, ordered to lie on the table.

DEPOSITION OF GEN. ELIJAH CLARK, OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA, RESPECTING A LETTER FROM HIM TO DON DIEGO MORPHY, CONSUL OF HIS CATHOLIC MAJESTY, At Charleſton, South-Carolina, CONTAINING The anſwers of the ſaid Deponent, to certain interrogatories framed by the COMMITTEE Appointed on the 2d of February laſt, "To take all ſuch ſteps as may be neceſſary for obtaining the teſtimony of the ſaid ELIJAH CLARK, or any other perſon or perſons, on the ſubject-matter of the ſaid Letter."

Taken before certain Commiſſioners empowered by the ſaid committee, for the purpoſe of taking the ſaid depoſition.

27th April, 1798, Ordered to lie on the table.

DEPOSITION. TUESDAY, 27th of March, 1798▪ Georgia, Wilkes County.

BY virtue of a reſolution of the Houſe of Repreſentatives of the United States, paſſed Friday, the 2d of February, 1798, appointing the Honorable Mr. Sitgreaves, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Harper, Mr. Dawſon, and Mr. Bayard, a committee with inſtructions to take all ſuch ſteps as might be neceſſary for obtaining the teſtimony of General Elijah Clark, reſpecting a letter from the ſaid Clark, to Don Diego Morphy, Conſul of His Catholic Majeſty, at Charleſton, (S. C.) and communicated to the ſaid committee by his Catholic Majeſty's Miniſter Plenipotentiary—and by virtue of the power veſted in us by the ſaid committee, and agreeable to inſtructions, bearing date the 20th of February, 1798, WE James Hendricks, William Barnett, David Creſswell, Robert Chriſtmas, John Griffin, and Edwin Mounger, met at Col. Wiley Pope's, in the county and ſtate aforeſaid, and having cauſed General Elijah Clark to come before us—Who being ſworn by William Barnet, Eſq. one of the Juſtices of the Inferior court, to make true anſwers to the interrogatories tranſmitted to us and Benjamin Taliaferro, Eſq. or any two of us, by the ſaid committee—Depoſeth to the firſt interrogatory, and ſaith:

That he wrote the letter of which the annexed is a copy, to the beſt of his knowledge and belief, and to the perſon to whom it is addreſſed.

To the ſecond interrogatory, he ſaith, There was an application made to him as ſuggeſted in the ſaid letter. That the application was made to him by one William Carrick, to the beſt of his recollection, ſome time in the month of May, in the year 1797, at his houſe in Wilkes county. That the ſaid Carrick came to his houſe the day before any propoſitions were made, and tarried all night. That he appeared to know this deponent, and ſaid he had ſeen him about ten years before, in Savannah, tho' this deponent could not call to his mind that he had ever ſeen the ſaid Carrick before—that during the evening he talked much of the exiſting war between France, Spain, and England—that the day after his arrival, ſome little time after breakfaſt he informed this deponent that he was a Britiſh captain then from Charleſton, and intended to return there as ſoon as poſſible, by the way of Savannah, where he expected to ſee Col. John M'Intoſh, and that he was authorized by the Britiſh government to propoſe to this deponent 10,000 dollars, as mentioned in the ſaid letter, as a ſalary, if he, this deponent, would engage in the Britiſh ſervice, againſt the Spaniards and French; and this deponent ſhould hold in the ſaid ſervice, the ſame rank that he held in the ſtate of Georgia.

That the ſaid propoſals were oral, and not in writing: And this deponent further ſaith, that after he had contemptuouſly refuſed to cloſe with the ſaid propoſitions, the ſaid Carrick aſked this deponent, if any ſum would engage this deponent to enter into the ſervice of the Britiſh government? And having explicitly informed the ſaid Carrick that nothing could induce him to enter into their ſervice, the ſaid Carrick extorted a promiſe, that nothing more ſhould be ſaid of the propoſitions, ſo as aforeſaid made, which this deponent felt no reluctance in giving; not believing at the time, that a diſcloſure could in any manner be intereſting to the government of the United States. That the deſign, ſcheme or enterprize was not diſcloſed to this deponent: And that the ſaid Carrick left the houſe of this deponent in one half hour, he believes, after the ſaid propoſitions were made and rejected.

To the third Interrogatory he ſaith, that he does not know of any propoſals made by and on the part of the Britiſh, or any other foreign nation, to any other citizen or citizens of the United States, for the purpoſe of engaging them in any enterprize hoſtile to the United States.

ELIJAH CLARK. X his mark. Certified by— James Hendricks, William Barnett, David Creſſwell, Robert Chriſtmas, John Griffin, and Edwin Mounger, Com'rs.

INSTRUCTIONS, &c. To Benjamin Taliaferro, James Hendricks, William Barnet, David Creſswell, Robert Chriſtmas, John Griffin, and Edwin Mounger, of the ſtate of Georgia, Eſquires. Philadelphia, 20th February, 1798. Gentlemen,

ON the 23d of November laſt, the Miniſter Plenipotentiary of his Catholic Majeſty, communicated to the Committee of the Houſe of Repreſentatives of the United States, charged to enquire into the nature and extent of the conſpiracy of William Blount, a letter purporting to have been written by General Elijah Clark, of Georgia, to the Spaniſh Conſul, at Charleſton, (S. C.) dated "State of Georgia,—Waſhington, 9th Auguſt, 1797," and containing a declaration in the following words— An application was made to me from the Britiſh, through a channel which bound me to ſilence, if not acquieſced in, and this queſtion aſked me by that perſon,—Whether a ſalary of 10,000 dollars would or would not induce me to join the Britiſh? —The Houſe of Repreſentatives having deemed it proper to inveſtigate the contents of this letter, and, if posſible, to obtain a diſcloſure of the application to which it refers, have, for that purpoſe, appointed a committee with inſtructions to take all ſuch ſteps as may be neceſſary for obtaining the teſtimony of the ſaid General Clark or any other perſon or perſons, touching the ſubject matter of the ſaid letter.

You will receive herewith, a copy of the report of the late committee, referring to and including the letter of General Clark; and alſo a copy of the reſolution of the Houſe of Repreſentatives of the 2d of February inſtant, for the appointment of the preſent committee.

Being informed that you reſide in the vicinity of General Clark, and having perfect confidence in your zeal and attachment to the welfare of our common country, we have thought that we could not better diſcharge the functions aſſigned to us by the Houſe of Repreſentatives, than by delegating to you the care of the examination of the ſaid General Clark, and of ſuch other witneſſes in the ſtate of Georgia, as from his information, or from any circumſtances within your knowledge, you may be led to believe can throw any light on this ſubject.

In purſuance, therefore, of the powers and duties committed to us by the ſaid reſolution, of the 2d of February, 1798, we do hereby requeſt and authorize you, or any two or more of you, to call before you, at ſuch place as you ſhall appoint, and as ſoon as conveniently may be, after the receipt hereof, the ſaid General Elijah Clark, and to examine him, upon oath, in relation to the premiſes, on the interrogatories accompanying this letter, and on ſuch others as may appear to you to be proper or neceſſary to effect the deſired diſcloſure, or which may grow out of the examination.

We do further requeſt and authorize you, or any two or more of you, to cauſe to appear before you, ſuch other perſon or perſons as you may deem to have any knowledge of the ſubject of this enquiry; and to examine ſuch perſon or perſons, touching the ſame, on oath, on ſuch interrogatories as the occaſion may require: and to make return of the ſaid interrogatories and examinations, as ſoon as may be, to the committee aforeſaid, at Philadelphia.

The recited paragraph from the letter of General Clark ſtates, that the application, alluded to, was made to him under injunctions of ſilence. A good citizen will have no ſecrets in relation to ſubjects involving the intereſts or welfare of his country: And the committee have no doubt that General Clark, paying reſpect to the high authority of the Houſe of Repreſentatives, will make, without any heſitation, a full and particular diſcloſure of all the circumſtances relative to this application: the more eſpecially, as having already departed from the injunction ſo far as to mention, that ſuch an application had been made to him, it becomes more ſtrongly his duty, now, to relieve the anxiety which this partial communication has produced. You will preſent theſe conſiderations to him in ſuch manner as you ſhall think moſt likely to be effectual, and to prevent the neceſſity of ſummoning General Clark to the ſeat of government.

The expenſes which may be neceſſarily incurred in the execution of the buſineſs hereby committed to your care, will be reimburſed to your order on the Clerk of the Houſe of Repreſentatives.

We have the honour to be, With conſideration, gentlemen, Your very obedient ſervants, S. SITGREAVES, ABR. BALDWIN, ROB. G. HARPER. J. DAWSON, JAMES A. BAYARD.

In the Houſe of Repreſentatives of the United States, Friday, the 2d of Febuary, 1798. On motion,

Reſolved, That ſo much of the report made to this Houſe, on the fourth day of December laſt, by the committee appointed to prepare articles of impeachment againſt William Blount, a Senator of the United States, as relates to a letter from General Elijah Clark, of the ſtate of Georgia, to Don Diego Morphy, conſul of his Catholic Majeſty at Charleſton, South-Carolina, and communicated to the ſaid committee, by his Catholic Majesty's miniſter plenipotentiary, be referred to a committee, with inſtructions to take all ſuch ſteps as may be neceſſary, for obtaining the teſtimony of the ſaid General Clark, or any other perſon or perſons, touching the ſubject-matter of the ſaid letter.

Ordered, That Mr. Sitgreaves, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Harper, Mr. Dawſon, and Mr. Bayard, be appointed a committee, purſuant to the ſaid reſolution.

Extract from the Journal. JONATHAN W. CONDY, Clerk.

State of Georgia,—Waſhington, 9th Auguſt, 1797.

SIR—I RECEIVED your letter by Major Patton, requeſting me to inform you the propoſitions and perſons who made them to me reſpecting my junction with the Britiſh. The peculiar and delicate manner in which theſe propoſitions were made, and the delicacy with which the whole buſineſs was conducted, prevents me from giving you that ſatisfaction on the ſubject which I wiſh. I can only ſay that an application was made to me from the Britiſh, through a channel which bound me to ſilence if not acquieſced in: And this queſtion aſked me by that perſon—Whether a ſalary of ten thouſand dollars would or would not induce me to join the Britiſh? I anſwered that no ſum could ever induce me to join the Britiſh upon any occaſion whatever. In fact I rejected the offer with diſdain. Could I be more explicit upon the ſubject, I would gratify you with pleaſure, but from the circumſtances heretofore mentioned, I am confident your good ſenſe will dictate, that ſilence on my part is the moſt prudent act.

I am with reſpect, Sir, your moſt humble ſervant, ELIJAH CLARK. Diego Morphy, Eſq. Conſul of Spain. (Indorſed)—Hon. pr. Maj. Patton.

True copy from the original.

JONATHAN W. CONDY. Clerk of the Houſe of Repreſentatives of the United States.

INTERROGATORIES To be adminiſtered to General Elijah Clark, by the Commiſſioners for that purpoſe appointed under the authority of the Houſe of Repreſentatives of the United States.

INTERROGATORY 1.—Was the letter, whereof the annexed is a copy, dated "State of Georgia, Waſhington, 9th Auguſt, 1797," and directed "to Diego Morphy, Eſq. Conſul of Spain," Hon. by Maj. Patton," written by you, or by your knowledge or direction, to the perſon to whom it is addreſſed?

INTERROGATORY 2.—Was there any application made to you, as ſuggeſted in the ſaid letter? If ſo, by whom, when, and where was it made? What were the propoſals? and were they oral or written? What was their object? What were the terms or conditions by which it was attempted to engage you? What was the deſign, ſcheme or enterprize in which it was propoſed that you ſhould engage? and from whom or by whoſe directions were the propoſals made to you? What was you to have undertaken for the ſalary of 10,000 dollars? —Anſwer particularly, and fully; and relate, as far as you can recollect, the whole converſation or converſations, which you have had with the perſon or perſons by whom theſe propoſals were made: or, if they were in writing, produce the originals of ſuch writings, or copies of them, if you have not the originals.

INTERROGATORY 3.—Do you know of any propoſal made by, or on the part of the Britiſh, or any other foreign nation, to any other citizen or citizens of the United States, for the purpoſe of engaging them in any deſign or enterprize hoſtile to the ſaid United States? —If ſo, declare your knowledge fully, and at large.