38 Letters to the Governor and Council

January 25
Red Book
No. 27
Letter 18

to dispatch the five State Boats & some other Craft to Secure what
we do save, there can be little Risk as we have our Guns planted
properly for defence & nothing dare come near the wrecks, we have
already experienced this. The Barges being prevented from burn-
ing these Two. Cap^t Bull for want of Amunition has lost his Brig.
She is burnt — however he has sav'd 200 B^bbs The avarice avidity &
Lazyness of the Inhabitant does not admit of a Comparison for
Heavens Sake Dispatch the Vessells, if they come, more than one
Half of the flour may be sav'd, for altho the water ebbs & flows into
both Vessells, we find the water does not penetrate more than an
Inch into the flour. The frigates went down yesterday & are now
quite out of Sight. The Bearer I have agreed to pay £150 besides
his Expences which your Excell^y will please order. Happening to
hear of this accident I came fortunately to give my assistance, but
without Money I must Beg an immediate Supply, of at least four or
five thousand pounds, again let me Intreat that the Vessells be Imme-
diately sent

January 25

[Robert Buchanan, Baltimore, to J. H. Stone recommends

" Probity and Industry " of Alexander W. Davy who applies to be
made " Vendue Master of this Town "]

January 26

[Robt Armstrong, St. Mary's County, to Gov. Lee]

In consequence of Your Letters of the 18^th Instant and Agreeable
to your Request and Instructions of Fixing a Chain of Expresses
from Point Lookout to Annapolis which has Just come to hand. I
will exert myself to employ an Active Person to that purpose on the
best Terms I possibly can The enemy now being before Our doors
prevents me from setting out Immediately on that Business we all
being on the strictest Guard. Their force is two ships one of them
supposed to be a small Friggate the other a Sloop of War one Brigg
& a schooner They last Monday came up the Bay in chase of the Bal-
timore fleet forced two Briggs and a schooner on shore a small dis-
tance Below the mouth of Patuxent one of the Briggs they Burned
the other was by accident as is supposed Blown up and every man
except one Lost, the schooner was saved with all her cargo. The
same ships are now at Anchor off St Georges Island on the upper
side of the mouth of St. Mary's River what their Intentions are we
are not able to Judge They yesterday about three O'Clock Landed
about forty men at Point Lookout deprived Joseph Milburn a Ten-
ant on the Land of all Bedding cloathing and Provision which he
had and in some measure plundered me of a Part of what I had on
the Plantation fired several Balls from the schooner through the
Houses
The morning of the same day they Landed from the Schooner
three men in a Canoe and Deprived M^rs Egerton of some stock and