264 Letters to the Governor and Council

June 1

[And. Buchanan, Balt. Co^ty to His Excellency Tho^s Sim Lee Esq^r]

Its Probable in the course of this summer their will be some-
thing for the Mil^tia to do if so it will be necessary to have some
Person appointed to be an Inspector of the Brigade of this County
when in Actual Service this officer will rank as Lieu^t or Ensign in
the Mil^a as M^r Hamilton is well acquainted with this duty I hope
he will be Authorized to Act in that Station

June 1

[Joshua George A. D. Q. M. George Town, Potomack, to
Gov. Lee.] (Fav^d by M^r Murdock)

I embrace this opportunity to inform your Excellency that I came
to this Post early in April as Assistant deputy Quarter Master under
the appointment of Col^o Donaldson Yeates & as such apply'd to
M^r Thomas Beale for the Commissary Stores in his possession, his
answer to me was that he thought he woud not be justifiable in
delivering them without orders from the Governor & Council and
that he would write to the Governor concerning it, as he has not
received any answer they still remain with him. If Your Excellency
thinks it necessary you will please give M^r Beale orders respecting
them. M^r Beale informs me there is about nine hundred or a Thou-
sand Barrels of Flour in Town & between two & three hundred Bar-
rels at a Mill some distance of that he has not more then Eight or
nine hundred weight of Salt provision and no live Stock, this I
thought my duty to inform your Excellency of that you might give
such orders to the State agents with respect to the deposit of the
Stores as you may judge most proper.

June 1
Red Book
No. 7
Letter 4
[Indorsed
" Secret "]

[Sam. Huntington, President, In congress, to Gov. Lee]

I am directed to inform you that Congress have received un-
doubted intelligence both from their Minister at the court of Ver-
sailles, and the minister of france in America by order of his court,
that the courts of Vienna & Petersburgh have offered their mediation
to the belligerent powers for the reestablishment of peace. That
these overtures had been eagerly embraced on the part of Great
Britain. That France had declined her full acceptation thereof until
the concurrence of her allies could be obtained for that purpose, at
the same time observing that should she again be pressed on this
head she would be obliged to enter into a previous plan of negotia-
tion conditionally for her self & allies. That Spain had answered in
such manner to the proposals of the mediating powers as to shew
her eventual acceptance. The intervention of such formidable powers
will undoubtedly prove an event the most favorable to these United
States, if by a great & timely exertion we sufficiently reduce the
force of the enemy now operating in our country. But should lan-
guor and inaction Subject us to the contempt of the negotiators all
the consequences will be chargeable upon ourselves.