of the Council of Maryland. 539

draughted is indigent and has a wife and Child or having two or more
small Children who depend on his Labour only for Support or where
he is debilitated by sickness or rendered incapable of performing
military Duty by other Infirmity; we have requested the Lieutenant
to give a Discharge, and therefore wish you to enquire into all such
Complaints, and if they are well founded to discharge the Draughts.

August 3
Liber No. 78
P. 230

[Council to John Smith Brookes.]

We have yours of the 2^d Instant and have sent you by M^r Landsdale
forty Pounds which as well as that formerly sent you, is to be passed
as Specie, and only for Expences incurred since the 19^th June last,
all prior Claims are to be adjusted by the Auditor and a Certificate
granted for Specie we are much surprized you have said nothing
about the Cattle or taken the least Notice of our Order of the 26^th
ult. to forward to this City immediately, and are at such a Loss to
conjecture the reason for such Inattention, when we informed you
the Troops at this Post were without flesh Provisions [and from ?]

Ibid.

that Cause they are now Suffering and already to mutinv, we there-
fore again direct that you forward to this Place with all possible
Dispatch forty Head of Cattle to be delivered to John Crysal
Commissary.

p. 231

[Council to Andrew Buchanan, Esqr.]

Commodore Grason came into the Harbour this morning with three
of the Barges from the Eastern shore which we have reason to believe
were the Vessels with the Barge they took and the two schooners
retaken that Arthur Cunningham Saw, whose Deposition we yester-
day enclosed you, the Commodore the Day before yesterday was as
low down as Hoopers Straits and neither saw nor heard of any
Vessels of Force of the Enemy being up the Bay, he took one of their
Barges off the Mouth of Patuxent, and chased two others among the
Islands where they escaped, owing to their Barges drawing less water
than those he commanded.

Ibid.

[Council to Colo Samuel Smith.]

We enclose you the Petition of William Ridgway and a Certificate
from Charles Fox. The Petition informs us he was fined by a Court
Martial in the year 1779 in the Sum of ten Pounds Specie for which
the Sheriff had executed him, that he belongs to a Company in Ann
Arundel, and that he never was warned in nor before a Court Martial
to take his Trial; he also informs us that the Sheriff offered to take
eight hundred Pounds of Tobacco for the Fine imposed on him. We
request you will make Enquiry into this Transaction, and if you find
the Allegations set forth in the Petition to be true, that you will
desire the Sheriff to suspend the Collection of this Fine until you
can give us Information on the Subject

Ibid.