of the Council of Safety, 1775-76. 251

Philadelphia arrives. We beg the favour of an iinediate
Answer & hope that the urgency & Importance of the Busi-
ness will excuse the trouble we have taken the Liberty to give
you.

We are, with much respect Gentⁿ
Your most obd' Sert^s
G. Mason J. Dalton.

[J. Beall to Jenifer.]

Prince Georges County 15 Mar. 1776.
Dear Sir. Permit me to trouble you with these lines, on the
arrival of Gun powder in Potomack for the public use to inform
you of the great desire and expectation of the people, that a
part of it will be allotted to the use of this county particularly
the Potomack part of it, where the people much wish to be
proved as well as may be, from the apprehension of an armed
force soon proceeding up the river to Alexandria, which you
know lays about opposite to the centre of this County on the
Potomack side. We have 5 Companies on this river in the
Piscattaway district, and 4 or 5 in that of Bladensburgh. The
wisdom of the Council of Safety will direct the quantity, and
how to be ordered in the disposition; but I will take leave to
submit, whether it may not be thought best to have it lodged
under the direction of the Committees of observation at Bla-
densburgh and Piscattaway; presuming it will not be thought
proper to deliver it into the hands of the people, for obvious
reasons; I think there is some of the Captains on whose
undoubted care dependence might be had, but I fear there is
some others whose prudence on such occasion may be doubt-
ful, this causes me to think of its being under the direction of
the Committees of observation in each neighbourhood where
it is lodged, as the most proper method. The people had
began to be somewhat dispirited, on ace' of want of arms &
ammunition (especially the latter) there is an obvious change
on the arrival of this powder (the article most wanted) from
the expectation of their being furnished therewith; this being
done, I make no doubt the inhabitants in these parts will prove
as spirited as in any part of the province; they are on a sudden
more active in getting their fire arms in order on this prospect
of having powder. We are busy casting Bullets & Buckshott;
of which I believe we can make out 15 or 1600^lb We are also
tolerable well of for gun flints; the Committee having last
summer purchased all the lead & Flints they could lay their
hands on. I am in hopes we can manage to have better than
half of our people provided with firelocks, but then several of

C. S. C.