206 Journal and Correspondence

December 18

[William McBryde to Gov. Lee.]

Hon. Sir I Received yours the 14th & you may Rely on my Doing
every thing in my power to Promote the Common Intent but am
very sorry to Inform you, it is impossible for any man to Purchase
Provision here without hard money Speedily, and not much with
that, as I never knew so Great a Scarcity of Pork in this & Worces-
ter County, the Price ask'd here is 6os. p^r Hundred hard money,
& all that has been Sold to speak of, has Cost 405. & 453. tho' the
Greater part Chooses Rather to Salt than Take even 455. However
I have Offered Tobacco & as farr as £200 p^r Hundred, but has not
yet found a man that will Take Continentall, at Least, they must see
the money before they will let the Pork go, as they say they have
been bitt too often that way, by letting there effects go, & not getting
the money for 2 or 3 Weeks, & when they get it, had Depreciated
y2 its value, therefore I Dont expect to Purchase any Quantity Till
I get Cash, I have engaged about 2 or 3^m Weight Corn fed Beef
& have this day Received Part of it @ 4^d p^r lb hard money or the
Exchange of 90 for one, to be paid in 3 Weeks from yesterday, & to
pay which I Please, I shall Likewise engage Pork for 455 at the
same Exchange, if I Can get it, should these prices appear to be too
high, Please to inform me, & will Take what I Purchase at their
Prices on my own Acc^t & afterwards Purchase what I Can at the
Price you may Limitt me to, my Reason for mentioning this is,
having no Price mentioned to me, & should I be higher than the
Other Purchasers, would Rather Loose on it, than Suffer the Pub-
lick to Loose by it, as I ought Rather to be too Low, than Two High,
as to wheat, or Wheat Flower, none will be got hear of any Acc^t,
there is a Good Crop of Corn, & Peas & may be got on Pretty good
Terms if Bought soon, Especially if the Taxes were to be Collected,
but the Collectors are so Careless that I have never yet got Paid of
that Sm: order, you gave me on the Sheriff of Worcester, tho' have
applyed Sundry Times for it, I have sent up by Capt Midletons 12
Barrels of Pork Purchased by Coll^o Jo: Dashiel, & 19 D^o & Bacon,
bv M^r Jackson & 2 Barrells Flower from myself, & all I had to
Spare, Pray Dont let me be Longer without money, than 3 Weeks,
as I could not wish to be worse than my word, the new money will
not do for that, nor in short they will not Take it, Till forced, neither
will any I have yet Talked with, Take Tobacco, if you Could Possi-
bily send down some hard money, Can buy for that when nothing
else will do.
P. S. I do Imagine Corn now might be got for 1505. & Peas 40
Dollars tho' am not shure

December 20

[John McKay to Gov. Lee.]

Dear Sir This is to inform you that my Leg has got so bad that
I Dont know What to Do with it and I shall be obliged to spend what