of the Council of Maryland. 197

[Council to Honble Mr Holker]

Sir Your Letter of the 10^th June we have received and shall en-
deavour to have the Quantity of Flour you think necessary for the
Use of the Fleet, lodged with M^r Smith, as speedily as possible. If
it should not be in our Power (which we hope will not be the Case)
to furnish the whole, agreeable to the Resolve of the General Assem-
bly, as soon as there may be a Demand for it; that the Fleet may not
be disappointed of the Supplies expected from us, we will give M^r
Smith every Assistance necessary to accelerate his Purchase; we shall
not have Occasion for any Bills. Your being at a Loss how we could
be under any Difficulty in ascertaining the precise Quantity of Flour
purchased for the Use of the French Marine, we can but attribute
to the mistaken Opinion entertained by you, that the whole was
seized by our Commissioners; if it had been so, we should not have
applied to your Agent, M^r Smith, for Information on that Subject

[Council to William Smith Esqr]

Sir We yesterday received a Letter from M^r Holker, of the io^th
Ins^t requesting us to comply with the Resolve of the General Assem-
bly with all possible Speed and to place 4 or 5000 Barrels of Flour
in your Hands for the use of the French Fleet. It gives us Concern
that, from the Irregularity of the Returns made to us by the Com-
missioners and the Uncertainty we are under of the Quantity for-
warded, we cannot point out where and from whom the Deficiency
may be received immediately. M^r Donnellan receives the Flour from
the Commrs of Baltimore and Frederick Counties who have had
Orders to send it down without Delay. This we have directed him to

Liber C C
No. 22

place in your Hands as fast as it comes down, but as this probably
will not be sufficient we have wrote to the Commissioners of Harford
to reserve the Flour most convenient to Baltimore to be delivered to
M^r Donnellan, who is directed to apply it, or Part thereof, that Way.
We shall still remain under an uncertainty about Deficiency as we
do not know what you have lately purchased, and request you to
inform us likewise of what was exported before the Act for the
Supply of the Army & if any, and of what has been returned by the
Commissioners of the 15000 Barrels. This probably might be done
best, by conversing with you, as we might mutually give Information
on the Subject. The Importance of this Business, which we must
all desire to have closed, induces us to wish you to ride down, if
convenient

p. 117

Saturday 17^th June 1780.

Present as on yesterday.
Permission is hereby given Capt. Perient Trott to Transport from
this State to the Islands of Bermuda three hundred Bushels of Indian

June 17
Liber C B
No. 23
p. 163