36 Letters to the Governor and Council

January 24

of an Officer with the Establish'd pay I will therefore undertake to
engage a person and fix his pay in proportion to his service. The
Good of the Publick service the Ease of the Inhabitants of this
County and my own Interest has induced me to make this represen-
tation tho done in part

January 24

[Joseph Ford, Saint Mary's County, to Gov. Lee]

Your Excellencies letter by M^r Leigh I Received Accompanied
with Two Hundred and fifty pounds of the New Bills and should
have answered it before this but no oppertunity I am fearfull I shall
not make up a number of Steers worth Sending to Frederick having
Purchased only four, and but little prospect of geting any more then
I shall not send without Orders. New Tobacco of good weight sells
here for fifty Pounds with an Allowance of 4 p C^t for cask I dont
Believe any person with us can buy a quantity and pay the money
Immediately I shall not make up the quantity of Pork I had an ex-
pectation of when I wrote last having lost a Crop of Twelve Hun-
dred weight for want of Continental money I have purchased up-
wards of fifteen Hundred Bushels of Corn at Twenty dollars & can
Purchase a large quantity at that I am told that M^r Jenefer can lay
in corn much cheaper in Charles County I have laid out what money
I Received by M^r Leigh in Beef, Pork and corn I have paid for and
Receiv'd upwards of Two Thousand weight of Pork and have en-
gaged about Fifteen hundred weight more which If I had money to
pay for would be all I should have an Occasion for Unless it should
be thought advisable to continue the Purchase of corn in that case
a Sum Sufficient to pay for Three Thousand Bushels may be sent
I am indebted Six Thousand weight of Tobacco and have advanced
Seven Thousand Eight Hundred on Account of the Horses I pur-
chased and the corn I fed them with should it be convenient I should
be Glad that sum of Tobacco may be sent by this oppertunity, the
Tobacco I paid was of good weight and new and this I owe I prom-
ised it should be new and of good weight

January 24
Brown Book
No. 3
Letter 26

[M. Gist, Baltimore, to Gov. Lee.]

M^r Poe informs me that he has not any money in his hands for
the use of the Q^r masters department at this post, in consequence
of which I have directed him to wait on your Excellency in order to
procure a loan of State money to enable him to execute the duties of
his Office. The stores ordered for the Southern Army generaly come
thro this place, and without money in this department the Trans-
portation must stop here, to the great injury of the public Service.
I shall write M^r Yates immediately p Express to procure an order
from the Board of Treasury for Money for this purpose and if the
State of your Treasury will admit of a temporary relief to us you
can be reimbursed out of this order.