of the Council of Safety, 1776. 503

[Council to T. Smyth.]

Sir. Before the receipt of your favour 1^st we had ordered
on board Middleton' s Boat 250 Bushels of Salt to be delivered
to you at Chester Town for the purpose of curing Beef and
Pork. We must give market price for both, though we hope
Beef at 307 & Pork at 35 / may be had. I believe we made
some promise to M^r Hemsley about purchasing Pork in
Queen Ann's, be pleased to write to him to know if he has or
can engage any — if he should, and apply to you for salt, let
him have some and we will send more to you. We wish it
was in our power to relieve the distresses of the people occa-
sioned by the want of this necessary article Our agents at
Martinique and 'Statia advise us that they will do every thing
in their Power towards furnishing us with it. The Row
Galley must stand as she is for some time longer. M^r
Coursey is down on our list for preferment, and shall be glad
to serve him.
Dec^r 3^d 1776
Thomas Smyth Esq^r

C. S. C.
No. 38.

[Tilghman to Council.]

Phil^a Dec. 3^d 1776.
Gent^l
M^r Hanson and M^r Chamberlaine arrived here last night
after I believe a very fruitless journey to the camp, which they
found on the retreat and is now no doubt at Trenton, being
left by our Gentⁿ on the road thither o' Sunday night.
By the best information our General cou'd get, the enemy
are between 6 and 7 thousand, his army now not more than
3 thousand. If any considerable reinforcement can be sent
from hence, He intends to make a stand at Trenton in case
the Enemy come forward which it is generally thought they
will, tho' Gen^l Chamberlaine thinks they will not.
The German Battalion are nearly ready to march from
hence, and every measure is taking to spirit up the Mil^a to
move. Shoud the Enemy move forward with any degree of
speed I greatly fear our reinforcements will not be in Time,
a little Time will open their designs. If we dont hear to day
of their coming forward from Brunswick, of which they must
have possessed themselves o' Sunday evening after the retreat
of our army, I shall be inclined to think their aim is not at this
place. Where Gen^l Lee is, seems not to be well known, 'tis
said Gen^l Sinclair is on his mar. with about 1500 men. We
had a report indeed yesterday which for a time gained credit
that Lee and Sinclair were joined with an army of 10 or 15000

Original.