Copy of a Letter sent to Col. Brownrigg' by William Paterson, 11 March 1802 (Series 35.25) - No. 0002

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[Page 2]

This Counsel operated so forcibly upon Captains Abbott and Piper, Ensigns Minchin and Piper, that they united themselves with Captain McArthur in opposition to the Governor, Capt. McArthur used the same pressing Arguments with me that he had so effectually applied to these Officers, but not having the same Effect, and finding me determined to discountenance his Views, he turned his incensed Implacability to the Governor against me, and used every Machination he could suggest to ingratiate himself with the Governor in hopes he should then be able to gratify his disappointed revenge, by making me the object of the Governor's Resentment, to accomplish which he betrayed the Confidence I had reposed in him whilst living in my House, by divulging to the Governor (through the means of some Agent) my public and private Correspondences on different Subjects, and likewise Conversations which took place at my House in Addition to which he made public a friendly Letter from Mrs Paterson to Mrs McArthur, to different descriptions of Persons, and in commenting on its Contents misconstrued it, to answer his own Views, in the most unwarrantable Manner.  But this disclosure had a different Effect from what he expected, as the Governor, rightly judging it was done to answer some sinister purpose, saw it in a Light by no means favourable to Capt. McArthur, and in this, his designs again failed, but his failure in this attempt seemed only to aggravate his revenge, which now appeared to be confined to me, he had again recourse to the Officers, and the same Party that so readily joined him in opposition to the Governor, he had Influence enough over to set at variance with me, to make his success certain, he asserted that an Order I had judged it necessary to issue, that not more than two Officers should ask leave to be absent from Head Quarters at one Time, was intended to prevent their visiting 

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