136 Journal and Correspondence

October 6
Red Book

No. 22

Letter
No. 8

are Left in Doctor Jenifers Meadow, they being too poor to drive
up, I expect to be in Annapolis next week when I shall close my
Accounts.

October 6

[Joseph Ford Leonard Town to His Excellency
Thomas S. Lee Esqr.]

Sir Your Excellencies letters of the 20^th & 28^th Septem^r by
M^r Ford and Coll^o Forrest I received Each accompanied with five
Hundred Pounds of the New Bills and have to say in Answer, that
the number of Steers from S^t Mary's will I fear fall short of what
I expected Owing to M^r Jenefers Giving a greater Price in Charles
County. I have Purchased from fourty to fifty good Steers from
four to Seven Grasses, five and a half Dollars of the New Bills
(except some few which I gave certificates and old circulating cur-
rency for And them I think I shall get settled with this new Money)
with a promise of a Higher Price if any commissary gives it in the
Lower Counties by authority, the People in this county I am well
Assured would have been contented with the 5 1/2 Dollars If a greater
price had not been given

I shall send off next fryday or Saturday from fourty to fiftv and
thirty more will I think be as many as I shall be able to have Ready,
to forward Shortly after, and this I shall be deceived in probably
if the other purchasers continue to give a greater Price, There is to
be had here Three or four Hundred good Whethers and from an
Experience the meat comes much Lower than Beef and keeps in
Pickle Better, I speak from a Trial I had last fall.
I must begg leave to mention to y^r Excellency that there is but one
Cooper in this County and he has no particular place of Residence
who I have kept for Better than four weeks expecting to know
whether the Staves I have on hand is to be made up he has promised
to wait Ten days before he sets off for Baltimore his price is much
Reasonabler than I Believe a professed cooper is to be got for in the
State one Hundred and fifty Pounds p month and will make Two
Barrels a day I have not purchased any Cattle to Slaughter here,
If any is [to be had?] the best time is [passing?] in my opinion
before they can be bought collected & Slaughtered it will be late in
the fall I have not been well since I left Annapolis or I think I should
have had my first Drove of Steers at the Head of Elk Before this,
your Excellency may depend my Utmost endeavors will be Used to
make up a good Proportion of the Supplies wanted, the Bacon and
Wheat that I've purchased is still with me, there has been no possi-
bility of geting it away with any Safety could not one the State
Boats come for it and about four Hundred Bushels corn that Coll
Jordan has in his Care they would be able to keep the Barges off.