of the Council of Maryland. 91

sideration; we refer you to our Letter of the fifth, a Copy of which :
is enclosed. We think the Certificates given by the Commissioners,
are discountable out of the Assessments that the Sheriffs are now
collecting, or any future Assessment at the Option of the Bearer of
the Certificate. We have sent you an Order on the Collector of your
County for the further Sum of £3000.

[Council to Colo. Henry Hollingsworth.]

Sir Sundry of your Letters have been received by this Board,
which we have hitherto wanted Time and Opportunity to answer.
Agreeable to your Request on the 30^th of Dec^r an Order was drawn
upon the late Collector of Cecil County in Favor of M^r Harwood
the Continental Treasurer for £93750 Subject to your Order as a
Part of the sum granted to Charles Pettit by Warrant from Con-
gress. In Answer to your second Letter, of same Date, we have to
observe that no Charges have been exhibited against you for Miscon-
duct The Letters and Certificate which you enclosed were returned
through M^r Harwood, as we were pressed in Point of Time and he
had Occasion to write you. Yours of the 15^th of January, gives us a
high Sense of your Attachment to the Interest of America and your
unremitting Exertions to discharge the important Duties of your
Office: your Measures are prudential and very pleasing to us. It
certainly would be most adviseable to remove the Flour from the
interior Parts of the Country first, as there will be a Chance of having
Water Carriage for what lays on Rivers and the Bay before the
whole is sent off. The Attention you mention in your Letter of the
26^th of Jan^y to have given to the Flour then lying at Susquehanna,
was very necessary and may be a Means of preserving much that,
otherwise, would be exposed; the expensive Manner of forwarding
it will most certainly be avoided, as soon as we are informed that
the Army is well supplied. Your Returns of the Quantity of Flour
sent forward, are received. The Conduct of the Commissary, in
ordering the Wheat to be carried to Mills out of the direct Route

Liber C C

No. 32

to Camp, is very extraordinary, nor is that of the French Agents
more easily to be accounted for. As to Certificates for Money lent
to the Continent, that Business is solely with the Commissioner and
as we are not inclined to multiply ours, which we are sorry to find
considerably encreasing every Day; therefore refer you to him sug-
gesting at the same Time, that the Law under which you were ap-
pointed to receive Loans expired the last Session. We had heard of
several valuable Officers refusing to qualify under a Law of the last
Session and we had Apprehensions of losing you; but the Receipt of
yours of the 3 1^st Ultimo, gave us Relief and Pleasure. By your
Letter of the 8^th Ins^t you are somewhat perplexed by the Dispute
between the State Commissioners and the Commissary. We have
determined finally on this Point, of which these Commissioners are

p. 69