was not satisfied with the certificate, he would give him one thousand dollars for it or for them; the deponent then presented the certificate to the said Longstreet, and went into the house, which was the last interview he had on the subject. The deponent further saith, that the shares offered him as aforesaid, were expressly designed to induce him, the deponent, to vote for the bill for disposing of the western territory.

(Signed)

Sworn to, as aforesaid.

CLEM: LANIER.

PETER L. VAN ALLEN, being duly sworn, saith, that on or about the 12th or 13th of January, 1795, he was in company with Mr. Gindrat, who the deponent understood was a member of the legislature, then lately adjourned; that in consequence of the advice of R. P. Sanders, esquire, another member of the same legislature, who advised the deponent to purchase some of the western lands, which the said legislature had sold, and in the purchase of which, the deponent understood the said R. P. Sanders, esquire, was interested, and from the information of the said R. P. Sanders, esquire, that they would purchase between them two shares in Gunn's company, and to best of the deponent's recollection, two shares in Glascock's company, for one thousand dollars; that the said Gindrat told the deponent, in a conversatiou on that subject, that he should have his, said Gindrat's shares for that sum, provided the money was paid by a certain time; that in consequence the deponent went to exchange some governor's warrants for money, and when he returned, Gindrat refused to let him have them, having as the deponent understood and believed, met with a better market. The deponent further saith, that he believes, and then understood that a certain quantity was allotted to each member in the majority, who were not to pay any money there for in advance, and were particularly indulged, until the whole of the purchase money was payable at the treasury, in consequence of their vote and support of the law for selling the land.

The deponent further saith, that Roger P. Sanders, esquire, told the deponent that he had made a contract with Lachlan M'Intosh, esquire, who was as the deponent understood, a member of the same general assembly, for all the shares the said M'Intosh held in the different companies, for which he had contracted to give him eight negroes, 50 barrels of rice, and a certain sum of money, which the deponent does not recollect; that this contract was made before the first bill was negatived by the governor, but that a reservation being made in the second bill, in favor of the citizens and the state, would deduct considerably from the quantity of land in each share, he the said R. P. Sanders objected to giving so much; the said M'Intosh, however, urged the completing

of the contract; the said R. P. Sanders further told the deponent, that the contract was broken off by reason of that deduction. The deponent further saith, that he was present in company with Lachlan M'Intosh, esquire, and others, when some one of the company, he thinks Mr. M'Intosh himself, said that he, the said M'Intosh, held six shares in the Georgia Mississippi company, which he offered at three hundred dollars premium each, and on the same day the deponent understood, that he did sell them for a premium of two hundred and fifty dollars each, to one of the grantees of that company. PETER L. VAN ALLEN.

(Signed)

Sworn to, as aforesaid,

JAMES MERIWETHER, esquire, being first sworn, before Thomas Lewis, esquire, in presence of the committee of the house of representatives, was asked the following questions:

1st. Were you not, or are you not now treasurer to one of the companies which purchased the territory, claimed under the act of the last legislature for disposing of the same, passed on the 7th January, 1795, entituled "An act supplementary," &c.

2d. Who were associates in that company?

3d. Do, or do you not know where the list of the associates are kept?

4th. Are you, or are you not acquainted with the means by which the said act was obtained?

5th. Do you, or do you not know that some one or more of the members of the legislature were holders of shares, directly or indirectly in the purchase?

6th. Did, or did not some one or more of the members of the legislature, pay unto you as treasurer, monies in payment of the purchase, and who and which of them?

7th. Who was the treasurer previous to yourself?

8th. Has the Georgia company paid up the whole of the purchase money?

9th. At what time was it paid?

10th. Who are the treasurers of the other companies?

Answers of James Meriwether to the questions of the commit

tee.

1st Quest. Answer.-I was treasurer to the Georgia Mississippi company, and received £. 70 per annum for that duty, and resigned on coming to this place.

2d. I do not know who they were the accounts were opened not in the names of persons, but by the number of certificates ; when I received money I receipted by the number of the certificate. 3d. I do not.

4th. I am not. I am interested as a purchaser in that company.

5th. I do not.

6th. I never received any money from any member of the legis. lature, as I recollect, but I am pretty certain I did not.

7th. Mr. Amasa Jackson.

8th. They have.

9th. About the last of August, he thinks.

I certify, that the foregoing were the answers of James Meriwether to the questions of the committee, set down in the half sheet hereunto annexed, the said James Meriwether being first sworn before me in presence of the committee.

(Signed)

THOS. LEWIS, J. P.

Questions asked Philip Clayton, esquire.

Quest. 1. Were you intimately acquainted with Roberts Thomas, esquire, deceased, one of the senate of the state of Georgia, during the last session of the legislature at Augusta, and did he live in your house during that session?

2d. Had you or had you not conversation with him on the subject of the sale of the western territory of this state, whilst that subject was in agitation, or before or after that time?

3d. Did he or did he not tell you or give you to understand, that he held a share or shares in some one or more of the companies who purchased the lands, and did he or did he not make known tô you that such share or shares were given to him by the company or companies, without being liable to pay any money therefor, and that his certificate differed from those given to persons out of the legislature in that respect?

4th. Are you or are you not acquainted with some one or more of the grantees of the said companies, and have you or have you not heard some one or more of them say that the said Roberts Thomas did receive a gratuitous certificate for a share or shares in the purchase, and that he would not be content with one in the usual form?

5th. Have you or have you not heard the said Roberts Thomas say, that he received any sum or sums of money from any of the companies, or any individual of those companies, either in consideration of his share or shares, or otherwise, for being in favor of the sale of the land, or have you or have you not heard any member of either of the said companies declare, that the said Roberts Thomas did receive any sum or sums of money for, or on account of, such shares or otherwise, from any of the members of the said companies, for that consideration?

6th. From every circumstance which has come to your knowledge, do you or do you not know or believe, that the said Roberts

Thomas, or any of the members of the last legislature, were absolutely interested in the purchase of the western lands, or did receive money or other thing to induce them or him to vote for the sale thereof?

7th. Did you or did you not understand from the question you put to Roberts Thomas, when he brought you the money, and the manner in which he answered it, that he had received the money for his vote in the legislature, or being in favor of the sale of the land?

8th. Do you or do you not know the associates of the respective companies?

Quest. 1.-Answer. I was intimately acquainted with Mr. Thomas; he did live in my house during that session.

2d. He had, before, at and after the passing the act.

3d. After the passing of the act, he brought a considerable sum of money to my house, and asked me to take care of it; I believe it was two thousand dollars-on which I asked him how he got it, or if he got it for his proportion of the land, or words to that effect; he said, it is nothing to you, take care of it, and smiled.

4th. I am acquainted with the grantees of the companies, I never heard it from any of them.

5th. I did not, but had my opinion.

6th I do not know, but suppose they were, from general suppositions.

7th. I did suppose, from a knowledge of Mr. Thomas's circumstances, that he could not have got that sum of money unless it had been in that way, either directly or indirectly.

8th. I do not. Mr. Longstreet executed a renunciation of dow. er of lands belonging to the Georgia Company, in favor of Mr. Maher.

(Signed)

Sworn to, as aforesaid.

PHI. CLAYTON.

JAMES TERRELL, esquire, being duly sworn, saith, Thomas Raburn, esquire, one of the members of the last legislature, said in presence of this deponent, some small time after the rising of the general assembly, that he, the said Raburn, had purchased a part of the western lands, during that session, and whilst he was a member of the House of Representatives, and that he had sold it again.

(Signed)

Sworn to, as aforesaid.

JAMES TERRELL.

JOHN SHEPPERD, esquire, a member of the last legislature at Augusta, being duly sworn, saith, that just before the bill, for the disposal of the western lands, came before the House at the last

session, he had frequent conversations with William Longstreet, esquire, another member of the legislature, who recommended to the deponent strongly to be in favor of selling the lands, and if he would, he should come in for shares to the amount of one hundred thousand acres. The deponent said he did not think it right to sell the lands, but the said Longstreet told him if he would, he might make a fortune for himself and family forever, or words to that effect. The deponent said it would be injurious to the community, and it would be displeasing to our constituents to dispose of their rights. The said Longstreet then said it was no matter, that the deponent nor himself need not care, provided they could get the land, whether they ever came there again, or words to that effect. That the deponent had a conversation with Philip Clayton, at the state house, about the 28th of December, 1794, concerning the lands, when the said Clayton urged him, the deponent, to go home; that the same evening, the said Clayton called the deponent into his office, and told the deponent, that provided that he would give him, the said Clayton, an order on the speaker for his warrant, which he said, by his calculation, was twenty-eight pounds, and go home immediately and return no more, that he would give the deponent seventy pounds. The deponent answered, that he had business up town, and returned to him no more that night; a few evenings afterwards, the said Clayton told the deponent he need not be angry with him, for that it was at the request of general Gunn, and he would pay the expense.

(Signed)

Sworn to, as aforesaid.

JOHN SHEPPERD.

DAVID GLEN, sworn, saith, that he went down to Augusta during the last session of the legislature, whilst the act for the sale of the western lands was under the deliberation of the general assembly; that he put up with Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Shepperd, two members of the general assembly, at Mr. McTeer's, in Augusta; that he frequently talked with Mr. Wilkinson on that subject, and advised him not to agree to sell it, for it would hurt his popularity; that the said Wilkinson said it would not, for he thought it was best. That after the deponent found the land would be sold, he was desirous to get part of it, and applied to Mr. Cox, one of the trustees in one company, to know if he could get part; that Mr. Cox told the deponent he could not, for that all the shares were taken up; that he then applied to the said Reuben Wilkinson to know if he could get him a part, who said he would, and did let the deponent have a share, which was in the name of the said Reuben Wilkinson, and was for about twenty-seven thousand acres or thereabout, subject to a deduction. The deponent further saith, that he frequently heard Reuben Wilkinson say, after the legislature rose, that he should make a great deal of money by that mea