of the Council of Safety, 1776. 491

which we apprehend this Board have Powers sufficient to give
countenance to. The printing of the votes and proceedings
of last Convention goes on slowly, and we have time to give
orders about the Instructions to our Delegates to Congress ;
they came in towards the latter end of the proceedings; our
Board are not determined what to do, they rather incline at
present not to interfere; although they are very desirous of
doing any thing that might be offered to the common cause,
or tend to satisfy the minds of our Friends in Congress.
We doubt our own people would be more alarmed, than
they are already, in case the instructions should be suppressed;
and perhaps it would be said in the next General Assembly
that we contravened the order of Convention in directing the
publication of those instructions among the other proceedings.
We wish to hear from you on the subject, and in the mean
time we will consider what is best to be done, and wait for a
full board and until we hear further from you.
Thus far we had wrote before we received the last resolves
of Congress, and letters from M^r Chase and our commission-
ers by the post, all difficulty about the alternative being
removed, we are glad to hear the Commissioners are on their
way: may good success attend them. We shall do all we
can to get provisions as soon as our salt arrives which we
daily expect.
We cannot but observe that our people are very backward
in carrying the new government into execution. Ann^l County
has named no Electors to the Senate, nor any Committee of
Observation: none of the judges attended, and very few
people. The city of Annapolis has not named any Elector,
and we expect news of the same kind from other places.
What this can be owing to we leave you to judge, the people
are uneasy, we are informed, in Charles County. M^r Stone
has wrote the Major. M^rs Stone is very unwell, so that he
cannot attend congress at present. We will forward the acc^t
against the Continent as soon as possible, and endeavour to
get orders in Phil^a to put you in cash.
Nov^r 29^th 1776
The Delegates in Congress.

C.S.C.