232 Journal and Correspondence

Liber C C

No. 22

[Council to William Smith, Esqr.]
Sir We received your Favor of the 2 1^st Ins^t and, after considering
the Requisition of the Minister of France and the Act of Congress
of the 7^th founded thereon, requesting us to grant Permission to the
Agent of the Minister of France to purchase within this State and
export three thousand .Barrels of Flour to some of the Spanish
Colonies for the use of his Catholic Majesty, have determined to give
you Permission to purchase and export that Quantity for the Uses
aforesaid and in the Manner the Minister shall direct. We esteem
our present Situation delicate and embarrassing; willing and de-
sirous to grant the Supplies necessary to carry on the military Opera-
tions here and in the West Indies and to render our Assistance to
facilitate the Procurement of them, and at the same Time anxiously
solicitous to comply with prior Engagements, and to avoid every
Thing that may have the least Tendency to obstruct the Execution
of Laws formed for the professed Purpose of obtaining Provisions
and to prevent a Competition highly detrimental to the Interest of
the States in affording an Opportunity to the Avaricious and De-
signing to make the most unreasonable and exorbitant Demands for
Provisions; We do request and desire you to use every Precaution
in your Power to obviate the mischievous Consequences pointed out,
and that might otherwise flow from this Permission. We expect,
in making your Purchases you will not interfere with the State Com-
missaries or exceed the Prices to which they are limited, 60 Dollars
a Bushel for Wheat and 67..! o.. o a Hundred for Flour, and that you
will not buy of any Person who has purchased with a View of deriv-
ing an Advantage by selling again, for as this extraordinary Demand
and the Allowance to procure and export it must be known, we do

p. 138

not hesitate to pronounce from Experience that many adventurous
and enterprising Persons will be busily and industriously employed
in buying up and storing those Necessaries, to avail themselves of
the public Necessities, and to extort such a Premium for their
Trouble and Hazard as unbounded Avidity may suggest. The Com-
missaries have received Directions to use their utmost Diligence in
executing the Laws to obtain the necessary Supplies of Provision
and you may depend upon having such a Quantity turned over, as
soon as procured, as will make up the Proportion allotted to the
French and desire you would acquaint us what the Deficiency is at
present. We are so hurried that we cannot attend to and answer
the other Parts of your Letter at this Time. You will give us Infor-
mation from Time to Time of the Quantity of Flour you have bought,
under this Permission.

[Council to Mr. John Bolton]
Sir As it will be necessary to have a Commissary of Issues in
Chester Town to supply the Recruits raised on the Eastern Shore,