of the Council of Maryland. 145

you & the members of that State; We hold, ourselves p'ticularly
obliged to our good friend M^r Steward for hav^g procured an oppor-
tunity of addressing to you how sincerly & respectfully we are Your
Excellencies Devoted H'ble Servts.
P. S. You have Copy of William Carmichael Esq^rs Letter to us
relative to the bill of £1500 & also M^r Russell of London's answer,
as yet we have no answer from his Excellency Benjamin Franklin
Esq^r to whom we have wrote a Couple of Posts ago on the occasion,
In course you'll hear of our success.
The p'test for non Accep^e of the State of Maryland's bill p f 1500
& we Inclose to our friends Mess^rs Steward & son p the Sloop
Porpus, Cap" W^m Weems the Talbot, Cap" Frazer has been unfor-
tunately taken by the Casberus & Crescent frigates & Carried into
Plymouth.

October 14

State of Maryland the 26^th day of July 1780
Pursuant to an Act of Assembly entitled An Act to enable the
Treasurer of the Western Shore to draw and sell Bills of exchange,
and for an emission of bills of Credit, if necessary.
Exchange for £ 1500..0..0 Sterling N^o I
At forty days sight of this my first of Exchange second third or
fourth of same tenor and date not paid pay unto Stephen Steward
& son or order the sum of Fifteen hundred pounds Sterling money
of Great Britain and place the same to the Account of the State of
Maryland without further Advice Thos Harwood Treas^r

To Messieur Osgood Hanbury Sylvanus Grove and James Russell
in London or William Carmichael Edmund Jenings, Joshua John-
son Jonathan Williams and Richard Bennett Lloyd, or either of them
Trustees for the State of Maryland pay the order of V & P. French
& Nephew value in Acco^t Stephen Steward and Son pay to Mess^rs
French & Hobson or order value in Acco^t Bordeaux the 16^th Sep^r
1780. V & P. French & Nephew.
On the Twenty sixth day of September 1780 at the request of
Mess^rs French & Hobson of London merchants I Benjamin Ham-
matt Notary Publick dwelling in London duly admitted and sworn
Exhibited the Original bill of Exchange above Copied to M^r James
Russell of this City merchant, one of the Trustees for Maryland, and
demanded Acceptance thereof, who answered for himself and the
other Trustees in London, that the said Bill would not be accepted.
Whereupon I the said Notary at the request aforesaid have and do
hereby Solemnly Protest against the Drawer of the said Bill and all
others concerned for all Change Rechange Costs Damages and In-
terest already Suffer'd and to be Suffered for want of Acceptance of
the said Bill.

10

July 26