of the Council of Maryland, 1778-1779. 243

William Bruff, James OBryan, John R. Emory, Samuel Ridge-
way, John Fisher, Charles Downes Clement Sewall, Thomas
Carradine, Vinson Benton, Phil^o Downes & James Barnes
appointed Justices of the Peace for Queen Ann's County and
to John Browne William Hemsley, James Bordley, William
Bruff and James OBryan appointed Judges of the Orphans
Court Queen Ann's County

C. B.

[Dr. Wiesenthal to Gov. Johnson.]

Balt. Town Nov^r the 20^th 1778
Sir
Conscious of the Variety of Affairs which in Your Station
Your Excellency are daily perplex'd with, I thought it rather
preposterous & triffling, when I was last in Annapolis to
trouble you with a detail of a misunderstanding which hap-
pend here in our State Hospital, and I should even now remain
Silent about it, if I had not learnt that your Excell: had been
partly made acquainted therewith by Maj^r Nath. Smith though
I have Reason to apprehend, that the Case has not been so
fairly represented as it ought, and which induces me to give
herewith a true State thereof.
As I have all along continued a Superintending Direction,
and assisted the Surgeon of the Fort with my Advice, I reco-
mended, when the Sickly Season came on in Septembr, and
when a Soldier died at the Fort of a putrid Complaint, that
the Sick might be remov'd to the Continental Hospital, for a
short Time, since that was nearly empty, and where Several
Sailors from the Galleys were allready attended. The Beds
were orderd to be emptied of the foul Straw. And the Quar-
ter Master M^r Gerock desired to furnish clean Straw. A pre-
caution which ought frequently to be done
During this Time I was under a necessity to go down to
St. Mary's to amputate Coll. Forrests Thigh, and found at my
Return that no Straw had been as yet furnish'd, the Quarter
Master excusd himself that he could not get any Straw the people
not having threshd as yet but that he expected some from
Major Smiths Plantation, whose Waggon being then broke
down, the Major having been applied to, and promised some.
I could not help reflecting both on the Quarter Master as well
as on the Major for their Negligence since the Fort barge
might have brought the Straw with the greatest Ease, the
Plantation being adjoining the fort on the Water Side. But
I was greatly surpriz'd when the attending Doctor informd me
that the Major had taken all the sick away, and mov'd them
to the Fort, without his knowledge, under pretence of their

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