Letters to the Council. 439

the Ship Defences Cargo which was cleard out at this port, returned,
& relanded here again, this Cargo was a purchase preceding the
last years crop partly bought in this State & partly in Virginia. I
flatter myself y^r Excellency will excuse my being this particular,
from a wish to prevent y^r being Led into any mistake on this head,
& to Justify my character from any imputations to my prejudice.
On the whole you may be assured from the best returns I have yet
been able to collect, the Amount of my purchase will not much exceed
one the quantity permitted
p. S. the bearer M^r Ch^o Johnson, will be so obliging as to call for
an answer

February 29

[James Shaw to The Governor and Council]

I hereby Certify, that on the 26 Instant a Certain Person who calls
himself by the name of Freeborn Garretson (was brought before me
the subscriber one of the Justices assigned to keep the Peace for
Dorchester County) as a Fugitive Dissaffected Person, from the
State of Delaware, on Examination, he Acknowledged he had not
taken the Oath of Fidelity to his State, or either of the United States,
and also refused to take the Oath Prescribed by the General Assem-
bly of the State of Maryland, in an Act entitled an Act for the better
Security of the Government. I therefore Committed him to the Jail
of Dorchester County, which Jail he is now Confined in.

February 29

[Holkcr, Philadelphia to His Excellenry frfnr Lee]

Sir In answer to the letter with which you have honored me of
the 2i^!t february I shall inform you, that so soon as the intelligence
of his Exc^y Count d'Estaing's arrival on the Coast of Georgia
reached us & of her firm intention to visit these quarters, it was
agreed that every exertion should be made to procure an ample
Supply of provisions for his fleet which contained 25000 men & to
Cooperate with him: it was determined that M^r W^m Smith of
Baltimore with the permission & approbation of the then Governor
& Council of Maryland should be requested to purchase 8000 barrels
of flour with all possible dispatch, 4000 were ordered by my letter
of the 30^th of August & 4000 more by my letter of the 7^th of Sepf
the choice of M^r Smith was approved of & Governor Johnston
pledged himself for his success; in this I believe he has not been
mistaken.
On the *...... the Hon: Committee of Congress for the Com-
missaries departments informed me that in addition to the Supplies
for the Army & to those I had demanded from M^r Smith they had
directed the Commissaries on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in

*This letter to me on the Subject was lately burned with my dwelling House
in this city.

March 3
Brown
Book No. 8
Letter
No. 36
See also
Letter
No. 40
(Liber C C

No. 22

p. 69.)