Gentlemen,  Not long since having laid a plan under your consideration, and have not since been able to obtain your Oppinions on the same. Wheather you have judged that some conciliatory plan will soon be adopted, for which reason there will be no occasion, to encourage any harsh, or destructive meathod whatever, if so there is no more to be said. But if otherwise you have concluded, that the plan itself might prove abortive, either through the inability of the undertaker, or the imperfection of the plan itself, and you by encouraging it with the publick's money, would become liable to be censured by the publick for so doing, which to remove as well as all other Objections; I will now assert what I will undertake to Perform, which is as follows, (viz.) I will make a Machine by the help of which, I will carry a loaded cannon, two or three miles up or down any of our harbours without any other assistance, and all the way there should nothing appear above the surface much larger than a man's hat, and by attracting [sic contracting] my Machine, would wholely decend under warter for some time, and by expanding, would rise to the surface at pleasure, and by this means, to avoid any discovery when I had arrived within an hundred and fifty, or two hundred yards of a Ship, I could decend under the surface, and go along side of her bottom against which, I could discharge the Cannon, that should be prov'd large enough to send a ball through any ships side. Now perhaps Gentlemen, there will many Queries arise in your minds, as how should I be able to stop myself, in a rapid tide with all this Machinery? To which I answer, that I would have a small Grapling, which by leting go, I could stop when and where I pleased. But how should I be able to see or discover any thing? I would have a thick clear glass in front, and my head just touching the top of my Machine, so that when my eyes was just at the surface, all the Machine that would naturally be above would not be larger than what I have before mentioned, and it would be only requisite now and then to see, that I was floating in a true direction for the object I had in view, and the rest of the time, I might be immerged more, so as not to appear larger than a man's fist, so by this means begining to float in the Eavening at a large distance, just keeping my object in view, which being large I could easily do, when they on board could not possably discover any thing of me, and if I found that I floated too fast, and was likely to get up before it was dark, and by that means be liable to be discovered, I would drop my grapling and ride by it, till I thought proper to proceede, by this means droping up with the tide, when I had come with in an hundred yards of the ship, I would drop my grapling and by pay-out line gently drop up uncler the wake of her Bowsprit, and under her bows, and so long side; and chouse what part I thought most conclusive to effect my purpose. But how should I be able to move myself with all this Machinery? I would have fins like fixed at my feet, & arms which by pushing from me would naturally expand and take large hold of the water, and when drawn to me would attract & take little or none, by this means I could move considerable fast, & even venture to stem a small tide. And perhaps you may think that one gun would not be sufficient. To which I reply, that two or three may be convey'd in the same box, & all discharged by the same lock. And you may think that by any accident I should suddenly immerge myself I should thereby be liable to be drowned, to which I answer, that the little pipe, which need not exceed two or three inches in length, through which I have a communication with the air, at the top of this I would have a valve, which should be kept about half open with a feable spring, which by any sudden immersion the natural pressure of the warter, would shet perfectly tite, and only take in a spoonfull or two, but allowing I had at sundry times, taken in considerable warter, I could be expanding, & keeping a little motion with my feet, raise myself higher above the surface than common, & by turning a cock just below my chin, I would let out all the warter. For the part which my body was in, it being the part which I expanded, should be perfect tite of itself, and should have no communication with the appartment of my head, so that a person in one of these Machines need never be in danger of drowning. As hearing as well as seeing might in the night be advantagious, so likewise 1 would have a small doar in front, which I could open & shut at pleasure, by which I could hear perfectly well. But to conclude as experiments will speak plainer than words, and being conscious of my own abillities, I will engage to shew experimental all that I have herein asserted, and upon my non performance, I will become obligated to reimburse all that you may advance; so that the whole expence should then fall upon myself, and not the publick. And if I performed according to what is asserted, then I should be intitled to such, as you thought my ingenuity and plan merrited, though at the same time Gentlemen, I can assure you, that I am not excited so much with the view of incuring premiums, as that of sarving my country in so glorious a cause. And would readily engage, after making a few experiments, to sink, or destroy, the admirals ship now in Boston, or any other ever so difficultly situated, as I can readily conceive, of several other destructive meathod might be pursued, some by the Machine only, & some by the Gun only, which I shall omit at present, but shall be allways ready to inlarge on, and would likewise prepare similar Machines, for as many men as there were Ships of force, and after they had become acquainted with the Machine and the effects of it, by makeing several experiments, we would all retire to where the ships were, and each man pitch upon a ship, & at a proper time attempt to sink; each man his ship, which I can prove might be put in execution at the same minute of time, though there might be twenty or thirty ships, & to lay in different parts of the harbour, which if this plan succeeded so well as to effect the destruction of the ships, the whole army of course, would very easily fall into our hands, & those ministerial tooles, who are now impowered, and authorized, to take the heads of our land, & drag them to an ignominious death. I say these very tooles would now fall into our hands to be held out to the redemtion of Great Britain. Methinks this nuse would appear to our King, as the hand writing did to the grand monarch of old, conscious guilt, of shedding the innocent Blood of his loyal people, would now instantly seize him, convulsive terrour shake his whole frame, chilling horrour freeze his blood, (perhaps never more to circulate,) dire dismay & confusion overtake his wicked Counsellors, be the happy means of opening the eyes of the deluded people, and work out a glorious revolution in favour of us now distressed Americans, fix perminent our Liberties, reestablish that union which once so happily subsisted between the Parent state and these her Colonies, so great, so noble an undertaken, has often almost reduc'd me to dispare, but being ever supported with the conscious knowledge, that the overruling hand of Providence, attends all the actions of men, and to mannifest its power, it has often been pleased to make use of small and obscure means, to effect wondrous revolutions, in defecting armies that were engageed in a wrong cause, (even so small as the sling of a stone.) Which to be maid anyway enstrumental, of effecting so glorious a revolution, is of itself abundant reward. And as the Plan is form'd not to shed Blood, or to trifle with the lives of men, but merely to destroy some floating, wooden engines, which are sent to our distruction, Methinks Saints and Angles would encourage such a plan, and Heaven itself smile upon it, and if that is for it, who can be against it. Pardon, Gentlemen., the intrusion of these so natural reflections; at the same time, permit me, to beg your candid sentiments upon what is here disclosed, which will be acknowledged as a favour by Your most Obediant [&c.]

Dated Philadelphia, Sept. 4th, 1775.