494 Letters to the Governor and Council

September 15

there must be a very considerable quantity coming in dayly from
Fred^k & Washington Counties as I have repeatedly wrote the Com-
missaries of those Counties to forward what they had or could get
with the utmost expedition & enclosed each of them warrants for
impressing Waggons for the purpose.
I sincerely join in congratulation on the Junction of the Fleets and
their success, it affords a pleasing prospect to every good Whig &
lessens the hopes of the Tories

September 15
Red Book
No. 30
Letter 36

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

^lAnd please your Excell^cy and Honours Your favour of the 30^th
August came duly to hand with the £250 which should have been
answered sooner had not the continued throng I have been in ever
since prevented it, the flour I now have on hand is about 500 Bb^ls and
about one hundred head of Cattle for this State with about five hun-
dred Head of large Oxen belonging to the continent, these oxen
together with about three times that number which I was (by your
order) obliged to supply with Forage and pasture, has made a very
considerable consumption in the Forage and pasture of this County
which renders it difficult to obtain pasture now, (and I fear more so
hereafter (for our state Cattle) I have therefore wrote to M^r Voor-
hees & Casson to have what cattle he has collected put out to pasture
in Kent and Caroline Countys, where I will send for them when
wanted, and if large quantitys should come shall be obliged to send
them over to the Delaware state where pasture is plenty, (though
they wont take one shilling of our State money) In all payments in
our State I pay the People one half hard, the other State, this I do
from necessity, as there is no other way of possibly getting on with
the business in this County, tis so near the Line that should I urge
the whole in State it would have a great tendency to depreciate it.
I have consulted some of the first men in the County (in my difficul-
tys) and they recommend it — the flour delivered in Philadelphia I
have not yet got a return of as soon as I do shall send it — there is large
Quantitys of wheat collected in my district (among some of which the
fly is begining to be busy) which I fear must suffer as there is very
little water with the Mills below, and all the Vessels are taken up in
the transport service so that I have not one to forward the wheat to
where it might be Manufactur'd with certainty and dispatch nor have
I any wheat in the Mills (I have so often recommended) will thank
you for any assistance the service will admit of in obtaining craft to
forward the wheat
Inclosed is a copy of a letter from Col^o Blain this day received,
by which your Excell^y & Honours will observe that a quantity of
Salt provisions are expected of us, as Barrels and salt are both want-
ing — before any thing of this sort can be gone into, I shall wait your