could find a good reason, as the king would countermand any legal process in order to save his favorites. Knowing this, Gage actively set about finding a solid justification to remove Rogers as royal governor in a way that would forestall royal intervention. Unaware of Gage's plotting, Rogers continued performing his administrative duties with considerable zest. He dispatched expeditions to search for the fabled Northwest Passage under Jonathan Carver and James Tute, but they were unsuccessful and the path to the Pacific Ocean remained undiscovered until the expedition led by Alexander MacKenzie in 1793. Rogers perceived a need for unity and a stronger government, and he negotiated with the Indians, parlayed with the French, and developed a plan for a province in Michigan to be administered by a governor and Privy Council reporting to the king. This plan was supported by George III, but had little chance of being adopted, since Parliament had no intention of increasing the king's power. Meanwhile, Gage used every opportunity to defame Rogers, portraying him as an opportunist who had gotten rich on the war only to gamble away his money as a profligate. It is difficult to say how many of these allegations were true and how much Gage believed them to be true. Gage apparently saw Rogers as of questionable loyalty—certainly he was not loyal to Gage—and therefore he needed watching. Rogers' dealings with the American Indians troubled Gage, as he and many other British officers in America had come to regard the Indians with great suspicion. Arrest for treason Gage hired spies to intercept Rogers' mail and suborned his subordinates. Unfortunately, Rogers offended his private secretary, Nathaniel Potter, who subsequently gave Gage the excuse that he needed. Potter swore in an affidavit that Rogers had said that he would offer his province to the French if the British authorities failed to approve his method of governance. Potter's claims were questionable. The French were not in any position to receive Rogers, particularly with a British governor sitting in Montreal. Nevertheless, on the strength of Potter's affidavit, Rogers was arrested in 1767, charged with treason, and taken to Montreal in chains for trial. However, the trial was postponed until 1768. Elizabeth, carrying their only child, went home to Portsmouth. There she gave birth to a son; he was named Arthur. After reaching adulthood, Arthur decided to become a lawyer based in his home town