It is said that Mr. Secretary [John] Pownall waited upon Capt. [John] Darby, and desired him to attend Lord Dartmouth, which he refused to do without an official letter, signifying his Lordship's request, and for what purpose, assigning as a reason for this caution, "That he had heard of instances, where, after having pumped every article of intelligence from persons in similar circumstances with himself, facts had been grossly misrepresented, and a very improper use made of the information; he was determined therefore to have some authority for what he did, to justify himself to his countrymen in America, from any imputation that might be thrown on him hereafter, when the Ministry had made all the use of him they could." Not long since, a person was examined before a Great Board, and his evidence taken down in writing, a copy of which was given to him the next day to sign; like a man of business, however, he chose to examine the contents of the paper before he gave it the sanction of his name; the result was, that the sense and spirit of his declaration were gone, and a different meaning and construction were palpably given to every sentence of his evidence.
