The Virginia Gazette

To M. PURDIE.

SIR,

I should not have troubled the public with any thing relating to myself; but as a report has gone forth, that I have endeavoured to injure the credit of the money issued by the Convention, justice to my character requires I should set the matter in its true light. At first, I was contented with an inquiry by the committee of the county, and expected it would have rested there; but having transmitted a copy of the first deposition, and other proceedings, to one of our delegates, for his private satisfaction, together with the copy of an instruction to him and his colleague, he thought himself obliged to lay the matter before the Hon. the Convention, and I am informed some ill-natured inferences were drawn from the circumstance that only one deposition appeared. I now submit the whole to my countrymen, and hope they will have charity enough to suppose what I said proceeded from the dictates of an honest mind, anxious for the public weal. I have only to observe, that the conversation happened before the defeat of col. Hutchings, and was in the company of several of the late committee of the county, whom I thought could not have mistaken my meaning. They knew I had, from the beginning of our disturbances, exerted myself, within the small circle of my acquaintance, in raising a spirit of opposition to parliamentary tyranny. They knew I had formed, and carried into committee, two resolves, the one for purchasing ammunition, the other for raising volunteer companies. I am,

sir, your obedient humble servant,

CUTHBERT BULLITT.

Prince William. Feb. 4, 1776.

The said depositions being more than could be, with any convenience, inserted in a newspaper, to comply, as nearly as we can, with that gentleman's request, we have extracted the substance, which is, as follows, viz.

At a committee of Prince William county, held the 16th day of December 1775, mr. Bullitt applied to the committee to have an inquiry made into his conduct relative to what had been reported against him. The committee took the depositions of col. Burr Harrison, mr. William Brent, and mr. Cuthbert Harrison: and delivered it as their opinion, that mr. Bullitt had only acted unguardedly, but that they were convinced, from the zeal he had always shown in the American cause, and from what now appeared, that he had no design to depreciate the currency of the colony, or to injure the rights of America. The depositions of the above-mentioned gentlemen set forth, that about the first of November, at mr. Burr Harrison's, several, they heard mr. Bullitt censure the extravagance of the Convention,
in allowing so great a salary, in many instances, to persons employed by them, so different from the frugal conduct of the Congress; that he had expressed his fears of the consequence of such a behaviour, if continued, which he foresaw would be the greatest injury to the credit of the paper money of the colony; that he thought every one in so righteous a cause ought to be contented with a reasonable allowance for his service, such as could enable him to live with economy, and not tempt him to luxury; and that, for his own part, he would rather suffer his right hand to be cut off than take more. But that, from the whole tenor of his conversation, it by no means appeared that he intended in the least to injure the credit of the paper currency. The two resolves mentioned in mr. Bullitt's letter, framed and carried by him into committee, were, first, that every member of the committee, as well absent as present, should deposit, into the hands of some merchants proper to be intrusted for this purpose, a crop hhd. of tobacco, of the weight of 1000 lbs. to be appropriated towards the importation of a certain quantity of gunpowder, to be applied towards the defence of the county, in case of the attack or hostile invasion of any foreign power; and, secondly, that the inhabitants of the county should be formed into companies, and properly trained and exercised; and that they should provide themselves with the best arms, and as much ammunition as they could procure, that they might be prepared to defend themselves against the machinations of the enemies of Great Britain and the colonies. These resolutions were passed so early as the last of the year 1774, and beginning of 1775.