January 1-December 31, 1781 283

[H. Hollingsworth, Head of Elk, to His Excellency Thomas Sim
Lee Esqr. In Council.]

Last night I arrived at this place and find the inclosed letter from
M^r Sam^l Smith State Agent with your order Inclosed, for fifteen
hundred Barrels of Flour — as this order ought to be executed with
the utmost dispatch, and many difficulties appears to operate against
it, I have taken the Liberty of pointing them out to your Excellency
& Honours as tis by this only that you can be properly informed or
I directed, the quantity of flour is 1500 Barrels which from the best
account I can collect is one thousand Barrels more then I have a pros-
pect of procuring from the Eastern shore on this side of Harvest
M^r Smith mentions his being willing to put up with two hundred
B^bls only of superfine, it does not appear the least probable, that half
that quantity can be had, as almost all the Wheat collected is ground
down and Bolted according to your former directions, the flour and
Midling pack'd together for the use of the Army, therefore will not
bear inspection in Philad³ tis also weighed and Invoiced into short
hundreds and most of it moved from the Mills, and of course cant
be bolted over again, and where it can, the expence will be very con-
siderable. I am sorry thus to point out difficultys in executing your
orders on a matter so very essential to the Cloathing of our past army,
though they are not agravated in the least, and difficult as they appear
I shall with cheerfullness undertake to Execute them with your
further advise and assistance, though I see no prospect of doing it
unless a quantity of wheat could be sent me from Hartford County,
where I understand there is great quantitys collected, with us in Cecil
there was very little made last year and less collected in Kent there is
collected 2765 Bushels of wheat tis all ground and mostly on its way
to this place except what has been sent to Duck Creek, Appoquinemy
and consumed by the Militia and new recruits, in Queen Anns
County the Collection is considerable, have .received 211 B^bles flour
and sent to Duck Creek about three hundred remains there all ready
part of which I had ordered with the Pork to your City and Balti-
more, (as the Schooner takes in the Pork contedious to the flour)
this flour is ground bolted and weighed according to your former
Instructions, there is at Seths Mill in Caroline County about 600
Bushels of wheat that was brought out of Dorset County, but this
is out of the district that your Honours have laid out for the furnish-
ing this flour, and suppose it is all Manufactured according to your
former Instructions the 613 Bus. wheat received from Queen Anns
is the better half Manufactured into flour for the Army according
to your former directions (so that on the whole) I have neither
superfine nor common that will bare Inspection nor do I see a possi-
bility of getting the quantity to fill your order, unless from Harford
County where part of the wheat is not yet Manufactured (which if
it cant be done in that County) the wheat being sent here could be

June 13
Red Book
No. 30
Letter 85