444 Journal and Correspondence.

Brown
Book No. 2

standing I have express Instructions to that Purport (to supply
upon my Order) from the Commissary General & Commissary of
Purchases for the Department of this State as well as the Forage
Master General, but the late Act has precluded most of the issuing
and purchasing Commissaries from qualifying under it, by which
means the Duties of the respective Departments are at a stand and
must remain so, untill others are appointed and qualified.
The Commissioners also being a distinct Department and respon-
sible only to the State do not think themselves justifiable in issuing
such Supplies without an Order from the Governor and Council.
This reduces me to tresspass on you so far as to sollicit a general
Order to be transmitted as early as possible directing the Commis-
sioners to supply what may be conducive to the Service and neces-
sarily ordered by Sir Your most Obed^t & very H^b Serv^t

March 7
Red Book
No. 7
Letter
No. 176

[Richard Peters, By order, War Office, to His Excellency
Govr. Lee]

Sir We are alarmed & most feelingly distressed at the Accounts
we have just received from the Commissary General of Issues of the
State of the Magazines of Provisions at Camp. Unless the speediest
Relief is afforded it is by no Means improbable that the Army will
be obliged to disband, the Vicinity of the Camp & indeed the whole
State of Jersey being exhausted by its Exertions for the supply
of the Troops this Winter. We have therefore most earnestly to
request the Assistance of your Excellency & the Hon^ble Council upon
this disagreeable Exigency & we beg you will cause as much Flour
as posible to be forwarded that the Distress likely to fall on the Army
& the dangerous consequences which may probably attend it, may
be prevented
We have the Honour to be with the greatest Respect Your very

obcd. Sci veiuls

March 8

[Deposition of Thos. Hill Airey before Allen Quynn]

I hereby certify that I was in the Dellaware State some time last
fall and having beared M^r Freeborn Garretson Preach a Sermon
was much pleas'd with it, on conversing with him afterwards he
informed me he was born in the State of Maryland and that he had
been a Preacher of the Gospel in this and the adjoining States for
near Nine years last past that the usual places he preach'd at when
I saw him were in Somerset, the head of Dorsett, & Talbot Counties
in this State and some part of Dellaware State, that his residence
was in the Dellaware State generally.
On being thus informed knowing that the Gospel was more
wanted in my Neighbourhood than any place I knew, I requested
he would come and Visset our part of the County, on his coming he