442 Journal and Correspondence.

Brown
Book No. 8

them to the Consideration of the Honorable the General Assembly,
should you think it necessary, in order to engage them to take some
effectual measures, so as the King's service may be established on
a secure and respectable footing: you may depend I shall very
readily Comply to all the formalities which may be deemed necessary
to inspire the greatest Confidence in the operations entrusted to
my Care & to deserve general esteem & approbation.

March 4

[Ben j a. Douglass, Charles County, to Gov. Lee.]

Sir I have received and Stored at Chukamuxon and Pomonkey
on Potomack River Seventy five Bushells Corn and one hundred
and forty two and three quarter Bushells Wheat, this I have given
Certificates for. I have been among the people and have taken and
have the promise of one hundred and twenty Barrells more of Corn,
which is yet to come in, the Weather has been so very bad that, it
is been impossible till now for it to be brought to granerys. I expect
to have the whole ready in Ten days from this.

March 7
Red Book
No. s
Letter
No. 52
(See Liber
C C No. 22
p. 66)

[George Plater and James Forbes, Del in Congress, Philadelphia,
to Gov. Lee]
Sir We are honor'd by your Excellency's Favor of 18^th last.
The Minister of France knows very well, however wrong he may
have deemed the Measure, that the seizing the french Flour was
to relieve the exceeding great Distress of the Army. & we have never
understood, or even heard it suggested, that the Conduct of the State
was imputed to any other Motive. We have no Reason to think
that he doubts the Attachment of Maryland to the Alliance, &
have heard him express Pleasure at the Receipt of your Excellencys
late Letter, which he says is fully satisfactory. We have set before
him, in the clearest Point of View we cou'd, the Extent of your
Powers which will not permit the Suspension of any Law, without
an Exception for that Purpose, & that it is your Duty to see all Laws
executed in the utmost Extent; of all which he appears fully per-
suaded. The Consequences which he mentions to have imparted to
one of us were, that as he found the Supplies were uncertain, & not
to be depended upon, even after being purchased & stored, he could
not, under such Uncertainty, invite a french Fleet to our Coast. We
have ever esteemed it our Duty & hoped we had discharged it, to
communicate to the Governor & Council, in Recess of Assembly, all
Matters of Importance acted upon in Congress which may relate
to Maryland, therefore am at some Loss for the Meaning of your
last Paragraph, as we know of no Matter of Importance, relative
to the State lately discussed which has not been forwarded — their
is indeed a Report of a Committee on the Application of M^r Kolker
for three thousand Barrels of Flour over & above the Quantity last
assigned, which when passed, we shall not fail to communicate.