of the Council of Maryland. 131

French Marine, Permits are to be granted under similar Restrictions
expressed in our other Permits for that Purpose

[Council to Wm. Smith, Esqr.]

Sir. Your Letters of the 3^d Instant, we have received and have
sent a Permit to load the Schooner Baltimore and a Copy of the
Resolve of the Gen^l Assembly of the 30^th March which our Secretary
was directed to enclose in our last we shall write to the Naval Officer
of Baltimore to permit you to export the Quantity of 500 Barrels of
Bread and 500 of Flour, to Virginia for the use of the French
Marine. The French Agent is not at Liberty to continue his Pur-
chases; such a Quantity of Flour will be delivered to him by our
Order, as with what he has already been permitted to purchase, will
make in the whole 15: ooo Barrels. We are anxious to have the pre-
cise Quantity purchased by you and your Deputies ascertained as
speedily as possible, that we may give Directions to have the enclosed
Resolve fully complied with. The Extract of our Letter of the 17^th
Ian^y last which you obtained by Accident appears to have given you
more Uneasiness than we think any Expressions contained therein

Liber C C

No. 22

can justly excite: those Parts which you deem so offensive, have
not any Allusion to you or your Conduct, they relate to those Persons
who, desirous of deriving considerable Advantages from their illegal
Purchases and contriving to elude the Law, pretended that the Wheat
and Flour in their Possession was purchased for the French, expect-
ing thereby, to exempt those Articles from Seizure. Our Letter was
wrote to the Commissioners of Cecil in Consequence of Information
received from them, that many Obstacles were thrown in their way
to retard, if not prevent the Execution of the Law and particularly
that the Possessors of Wheat and Flour to avoid a Seizure, pretended
they were purchased for the French, and was a Direction to them
pointing out the Line of Conduct to be pursued under the Law in
procuring Supplies for the Army and was calculated to frustrate the
Artifices of pretended French Agents, who were sedulous in At-
tempts to defeat the desirable End of the Law. We have laid all the
Letters and Papers that relate to the Seizure of French Flour and
the Part you have taken therein, before the General Assembly and
we make no Doubt that, that Body, on your Application, will afford
you an Opportunity of vindicating your Character and freeing it
from the Aspersion attempted to be cast on it

p. 85

Thursday 6^th April 1780.

Present as on Yesterday.
Ordered That the western shore Treasurer pay to Robert Berry
two hundred and ninty seven Pounds, seven shillings and six Pence
due him p Acc^t passed by the D. Aud.

Liber C B
No. 23
April 6
p. 134