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112 T. C. ELLIOTT

petitioner being just returned from Great Britain, and bearing Your Majesty s Commission, your petitioner reposed an Entire Confidence in such his pretended power and Authority, and engaged himself with proper assistance to undertake the Ex- pedition, and the Time fixed for your petitioners departure being very short, and your said petitioner having every thing to provide would not permit your petitioner to apply to General Gage, but your petitioner had the honor to Represent the En- gagement, to his Excellency Governor Bernard 2 for his opinion and has a Letter from his Excellency on the Subject now in his Custody.

That your petitioner set forward with proper Assistance on such his Employment the first day of May 1766, on this most dangerous fatiguing and Expensive Service, and was absent for near two years and an half 3 during which time your peti- tioner Explored to the Westward of Michillimackinac on the Heads of the Great River Mississippi and west from thence almost to the South Sea 4 and on the West and North of the great Lakes on that Continent, and the Disbursements your petitioner was Directed to make to facilitate his Progress amongst such a variety of Savage Nations of Indians which were very heavy, will be the entire Ruin of your said petitioner without your Majestys most Gracious Interposition in his favour

That your petitioner hath made several Discoveries which he Imagines will be of great publick Use, which are Com- prized in his Journals and Charts taken on the Spot none of which have been hitherto published or Discovered to any person

That upon your petitioners Return from his Travels to Michillimackinac, he found, to his great Astonishment Captain Rogers confined, 5 charged with being a Traitor to his King and Country

That your petitioner finding himself by his misplaced Con- fidence deceived by Captain Rogers represented the Engage- ments he had made with him, and the Fatigues he had under-

2 At that time governor of the colony of Massachusetts BPV.

3 Captain Carver left Boston in May, 1766: arrived at Maekinac in August. 1766: left there for the West Sept. 6, 1766: returned the last of Aujrust. 1767; remained at Mackinac until May or June, 1768; reached Boston again in August, 1768.

4 The extreme western point reached by Cant. Carver was probably about fortv miles Northwest of Minneapolis on the Mississippi river. The Pacific ocean was then often re_ferred to as the South Sea.

5 This is a direct misrepresentation. Maior Rogers was not T>1?<-H -nrlpr arrest at Mackinac until December, 1767. and Captain Carver was free to consult with him during three months of that Fall.