of the Council of Maryland, 1777-1778. 505

are apprehensive we shall still be, deficient, Wherefore we
request you will purchase Cloth sufficient for about two hun-
dred or two hundred and fifty suits and have them made up
as soon as you can. We shall be also obliged to you for a
General Account or List of what you have purchased and an
Account of what thereof you may have delivered, to enable us
to have a View of the whole of this Business and give the
Assembly the Information they will expect & may be neces-
sary on the Subject. We are Sir &^ca
M^r James Calhoun
Baltimore

C. C.

[Council to Gates.]

In Council Annapolis 18^th Feb^ry 1778
Sir.
We had no Intimation of the least Probability of the Army's
wanting Provisions, 'til our Rec't of a Letter from the Board
of War dated the 31^st of Decem^r; on the Contrary we
expected, from Reports that Salt was on its way from the
Eastward and the Price of Pork &^ca as advertised by the Com-
missary, induced us to believe a plentiful Supply would be
got on cheaper Terms than Purchases could be made in this
State. We have had very little Intelligence from the Pur-
chasing Commissary, nor have yet, any Account of the Per-
sons employed by him in this State, though we hoped to have
been furnished with it. It will be impossible for us to observe,
personally, the Conduct of the Purchasing Commissaries
throughout this State: so far as it comes within our Notice, if
reprehensible, it shall be remarked on with Freedom. We
believe the chief Reason of a Deficiency in the Purchase is the
very late Season at which it was begun on such Terms as
would induce People to sell their Provisions and, as we have
understood, the Expectation of getting only 52/6 for Pork
induced the back People who used to bring their Hoggs into
this State, to drive most of them into Virginia. We believe,
from what we have heard, that no unusual Quantities of Pork
have been purchased & salted up, unless in Baltimore Town
where, we have lately heard, some avaricious People have
been ingrossing. If you will be so obliging as to inform us
of the Quantity desired, from this State, we have no Doubt of
the Assistance of the Assembly which is to sit in about ten
Days, to get the Provisions which have been ingrossed &
such others as can be spared by the Inhabitants. We should
not delay seizing what belongs to Ingrossers but from the
Certainty that they cannot be consumed or removed before

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