Wesley Corpus

Fri. Sep. 2.--Was the third court at which I appeared since my being carried before Mr. P. and the recorder. I now moved for an immediate hearing on the first bill, being the only one of a civil nature : but it was refused. I made the same motion .n the afternoon; but was put off till the next court day. On the next court day I appeared again; as also at the two courts tollowing: but could not be heard, because (the judge said) Mr. Williamson was gone out of town. The sense of the minority of the grand jurors themselves (tor they were by no means unanimous) concerning these presentments, may appear from the following paper, which they transmitted to the Trustees :-- “ To the Honourable the Trustees for Georgia. “Whereas two presentments have been made, the one of August 23, the other of August 31, by the grand jury for the town and county of Savannah, in Georgia, against John Wesley, clerk. “ We, whose names are underwritten, being members of the said grand jury, do humbly beg leave to signify our dislike of the said presentments ; being, by many and divers circumstances, thoroughly persuaded in ourselves, that the whole charge against Mr. Wesley, is an artifice of Mr. Causton’s, designed rather to blacken the character of Mr. Wesley, than to free the colony from religious tyranny, as he was pleased, in his charge to us, to term it. But as these circumstances will be too tedious to trouble your honours with, we shall only beg leave to give the reasons of our dissent from the particular bills. : “ With regard to the first bill, we,do not apprehend that Mr. Wesley acted against any law, by writing or speaking to Mrs. Williamson, since it does not appear to us, that the said Mr. Wesley has either spoke in private, or wrote to the said Mrs. Williamson, since March 12, (the day of her marriage,) except one letter of July the 5th, which he wrote at the request of her uncle, asa pastor, to exhort and reprove her.