City of New York ss:

Personally appeared before me David Mathews Esqr one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace for the City & County of New York Joseph Woolcombe late of Topsham in that part of Great Britain called England of full age and being duly sworn on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God deposeth & saith, That some time in the month of October last past he was Shipped as Chief Mate of the Ship called the Blue Mountain Valley under the Command of John Hamilton Dempster. That the said Ship was at that time engaged to proceed to Boston with a Cargo for the Use of the King's Troops, That the Cargo consisted of one hundred & twenty chaldron of Sea Coal, one hundred Butts of Porter, ten pipes of Sour Crout, between two and three hundred Sacks of Potatoes, Eighty live hogs, with a number of Sacks of Horse beans to feed the said Hogs, all which said Cargo was Ship'd by order of Government and at their risque for the Use of the King's Troops at Boston or any other Port in America where the said Troops might be Stationed accompanied with a Letter directed to the Commander in Chief of the said Troops in America. That this Deponent Judges that the said Vessell was about three hundred Tons burthen, That the Crew on board consisted of sixteen persons including the Officers and two boys, That the said Ship was armed with four three Pounders and had on board four half Barrells of Powder with Shot in proportion. That the said Ship sailed from London about the Latter end of October last past having Sealed orders on board which were not to be opened, untill they had got fifty leagues to the Westward of Cape Clear, That there sailed in company with them a number of other Transports laden with Provisions and other Stores for the Use of the Kings Troops in America, That when they arrived at the place appointed as aforesaid for opening the said Orders, the Deponent was present at opening of them and as near as he can recollect, They were in Substance as follows, to wit, That they were not to enter any Port of America not even Boston without first speaking with one of his Majesties Ship's of War and Conducted in or assured by her that it was a Port of Safety, That the Signals were to be attended to in order to discover their friends from Enemies, a List of which Signals both for day & night the said Captain had, which Signals were to be kept Secret and delivered up to the Commander in Chief on the said Ship's being discharged the Service, And this Deponent further saith, That at the time of their Sailing as aforesaid [t]heir whole Stock of Water consisted of about forty Puncheons, That the greater part of their hogs died before they had cleared the Channell, And the Chief part of the Remainder before they Struck Soundings on the Coast of America, That they Attempted to make a Northern Passage with the said Ship and after being out about six weeks and having met with much Stormy Weather and head winds during that time they Judged themselves to be on the Coast of America a little to the Northward of Boston but were not able to Strike Soundings and the Northwest Winds coming on to blow very Violent and very Constant prevented their getting nearer the Coast altho' they were about three weeks in Attempting it, That in one of these Gales the Upper Gudgeon Iron of their Rudder broke which occasioned the Middle one to work loose and under these Circumstances it was Judged best to Stand away to the Southward in hopes of making the Coast in a more moderate Climate, That at this time they discovered they were very Short of Water occasioned by its being put into new Casks which were furnished by Government and had not been Seasoned, and were leaky. That they were thereupon put to an Allowance of two Quarts a day, and for a week before they made land they were at an Allowance of three pints a day,

That the first land they made since their Sailing from England as aforesaid was on thursday the eighteenth instant near Egg Harbour in the Province of New Jersey on which they Stood along shore for Sandy hook in hopes of meeting with Some of his Majesties Ships of War, That on the next day the wind came on so Violent from the Northwest, That it drove them off the Land, That the day after being Saturday the twentieth instant the wind coming favorable they made the Land again towards evening, and the next morning being in Sight of the light house on Sandy Hook, they fired three Guns for a Pilot, That about one of the Clock the same day one Dobbs a Pilot belonging to the Port of New York with four other persons whose names the Deponent understands are Robert Hogg, George Stewart, one Lewis and one Carr, all of the City of New York as the Deponent believes came on board the said Ship in a Skiff,That the said Dobbs immediately on coming on board asked the said Captain Dempster whether he had fired for a Pilot, to which the said Captain answered that he had not, That he only wanted to put a passenger on Shore and asked the said Dobbs what he would have for doing it who demanded a half Johannes which was agreed to by the said Captain, That the said Dobbs asked from whence the said Ship came and where she was bound and was answered by the said Captain, That she came from London and was bound to the northward without mentioning any Port in particular, That the said Captain asked the said Dobbs whether there were any men of War in the Port of New York and was informed by the said Dobbs that there were two.

And the Deponent further saith, That no other Conversation passed between the said Captain Dempster and the said Dobbs that the Deponent knows of, he the Deponent having been present the whole time that the said Dobbs was on board which was only a few minutes, And the Deponent further saith, That it had been agreed between the said Captain and this Deponent before the said Dobbs came on board: That the Deponent should be sent up to New York (in case there were any of the Kings Ships of War there) in order to get some Intelligence or directions from them how the said Captain Dempster was to proceed with the said Ship, and whether he could be furnished with a Pilot or Convoy, and it was further agreed, That in Case the Deponent should not return in twenty four hours from the time of his leaving the said Ship, That the Captain in such Case was to put to Sea again concluding that the Deponent was taken prisoner, That the Deponent left the said Ship about one of the Clock on Sunday last in the said Skiff together with the said Dobbs and the other four persons herein before named having with him three Letters from the said Captain to his friends in England and one from George Townsend to his brother there, which said Letters the Deponent was to deliver on board one of the said Ships of War to be forwarded, That on their Passage up to the City of New York from the said Ship the Deponent asked the said Dobbs whether he could not put him on board the Asia Ship of War, to which the said Dobbs answered, That he would not do it for an hundred pounds further saying, Do you think I'll betray my Country, That they arrived at the City of New York about six of the Clock in the Evening of the same day, and landed at the White hall Slip, when the said Dobbs asked the Deponent if he would go into a Publick house and as they were cold they would get some Punch, That the Deponent went with the said Dobbs into a Publick house near the said:ship and had been in but a few minutes when the Deponent was Seized by a number of armed men the Letters aforesaid taken from him and his Pockets searched after which the Deponent and the said Dobbs were carried up to the Upper Barracks and Confined under a Guard,

That the next day the Deponent was Conducted before a number of Persons not exceeding six or seven who said they were a Committee of Safety, two of which said Persons the Deponent knew, the one by the name of [John Morin] Scott and the other by the name of [Alexander] McDougall, That they asked the Deponent some General Questions relative to the said Ship and her lading, That the Deponent was kept under Guard untill Tuesday last in the Evening when he was discharged and the Letters aforesaid returned to him opened. That the next day he went on board of his Majesties Ship of War the Asia where he now remains as he has heard and believes it to be true, That the said Ship in which the Deponent arrived at Sandy hook as aforesaid is seized by some persons belonging to the Colony of New Jersey and carried into some port in that Province, That the Deponent has delivered the Letters aforesaid to the Governor of New York, And the Deponent further saith, That he has been once before in this Port which is about a twelve month since, That he then came here from London in a Ship called the Brittania and was here about three months and then Sailed for London again in the same Ship, And further saith not

Sworn this 27th day of January 1776
Before me D Mathews