deliver'd, neither did I know at that Time but the whole Money was due to Mr. Barnes, this Note being given by Mr. Sandys to him on a Mortgage of Teas; but upon Enquiry into the Bankrupt's Affairs, Mr. Barnes was intitled to prove no more than two hundred and ninety Pounds; and I most solemnly declare, as I must soon answer for all my Actions before a true and just God, what I did was without Consideration or Benefit, directly or indirectly, or any Promise or Reward whatever, but to the contrary, I was one hundred eighty-six Pounds out of Pocket for the same, and only have received forty Pounds of Mr. Barnes towards the Expences I was put to.

W. BAKER.

Witness my Hand, this 24th of December, 1750 .

In respect to the above Account given by Mr. Baker, under his own Hand, he always, when talk'd to upon that Affair, did declare, viz. That in his Conscience he did believe Mr. Barnes had no Intention of imposing upon him, or putting him upon doing an unjustifiable Thing; but, on the contrary, he was verily persuaded Mr. Barnes had no other View, but to receive only his just Due: And added, that from what did arise of his own Knowledge of that Gentleman, and the Reputation he bore with the mercantile Part of the World, among whom were his grand Concerns, he could not entertain an Opinion that Mr. Barnes would knowingly have put upon him doing a wrong Thing. To this Purpose was always his Declaration; he express'd himself to the same Effect the Sunday Evening before his Execution, in Presence of several of his particular Friends, who came to take Leave of him, and continued in the same Way of thinking to the last, as may be made appear by a Letter which Mr. Baker sent to Mr. Barnes the Night before Execution.

Various were the Reports, and many the Aspersions every Day handed about upon Mr. Baker's former Conduct in Life, which came to his Ears while under Sentence of Death. There are some Things he does not deny, but upon Account of which he was highly blameable, to atone for which he was to forfeit his Life, and hoped Forgiveness from all those whom he has wrong'd or injur'd. As to many other Things that were said of him without any Foundation, he gave Ear to them, and passed by with generous Disdain, saying, What he really had in Justice to answer for, was sufficient Weight for him to bear, and he was sorry the World should endeavour to load him with more than what really belonged to him. Where he has done an Injury, the injur'd must be but too sensible of it, and need not to be told what is done; and where there is no Injury done, there is no particular Right to call Mr. Baker's Character in Question, since he has satisfied the Justice of the Law by his Suffering; and as he own'd the Justice of the Punishment inflicted on him, and submitted willingly to his Fate, he wished this might so far plead in his Behalf, as to put a Stop to all false Reports; that the Family to which he belong'd, already sufficiently afflicted upon Account of the unhappy Measures he pursued, might not still have Additions to their Sorrows.

His Behaviour all along was quite composed and resigned, and such as was, by all that saw him to the last Minutes, admired and approved of.