102 Journal and Correspondence

September
13

I flatter'd myself w^th expecta^tn of being permitted to go for a
few days to my plantation; if I ed be allowed the Liberty I sh^d
consider it as a great obligatⁿ tho' I w^d not be understood to desire
any thing th^t w^d be improper

September
13

[John Steward Balt, to His Excellency Thos Sim Lee]

Sir I do myself the Honor to inclose you a letter which M^r
Leigh Masters who arrived here yesterday in a Flag of Truce from
New Providence of which he had the Command. I beg leave to
observe that it is contrary to practice of the Enemy to suffer our
Flags of Truce to refit in any Port in their possession; as there
was no older officer in this Place I have accommodated my Conduct
to their customs, in respect to M^r Masters, who has a number of
Acquaintances in this place of no very amiable discription I have
therefore ordered him to remain on board his Vessel and have
prohibited his communicating with any Person except through the
mediation of the commissary of Prisoners. M^r Hughs has no
British Prisoners here and thinks that it would be advisable if Y^r
Excell^y approves of it; to give him with his Vessel a Pass Port to
Virginia where he may obtain a number of Prisoners sufficient to
Exchange those which he brought :
Unless he obtains this pass Port and Prisoners he cannot with-
out the miraculous intervention of Providence Regain his Port as
he has with a force peculiar to himself brought but one man with
him to navigate a large Burmudian Sloop

September
15

[Jas Calhoun, Baltimore to His Excellency Govr. Lee]

Sir I am very sorry to find my success in purchasing has by no
means equal'd my expectation scare any wheat or flour has come
from the Country this week owing I believe to the busy season it
being the heighth of seed time, nor has any wheat come by water
I imagine it generally goes towards Elk & Bohemia where the price
is higher than with us the last that came here was bought up by
M^r Hollingsworth & sent to Elk & several of the Millers from Cecil
have been down here to purchase Wheat the price of flour at Philad^a
is £100 to f 112:10 p^r C^t
M^r Mathews had secured what flour was in Town or in the
Mills contiguous before I had it in my power to buy any, his
purchases must amount to 5 or 600 Barrels at least part of which
is gone on to Elk.
The Country back of this abounds in grain and I am perswaded
could we wait until it came regularly to Market & was enabled to
pay the cash it might be got on good terms but am fearful to make
our present great necessities known or ride about to the Millers &
farmers in the Country will be a certain way to raise the price & not