January 1-December 31, 1781 503

M^r Lainey and M^r Clabaugh will be much injured should they not
have it in their Power to procure their Teams, as they are unable to
supply their Places by Purchase and consequently cannot carry on the
Cultivation of their Farms. They further think that the State of
Virginia could not legally impress Waggons into their Service that
belonged to the State of Maryland.
They have no Prospect of recovering their Loss, but thro' the In-
tercession of your Excellency and the Honorable Council and are
induced to beleive that your Excellency's Application to the Governor
and Council of Virginia would promise a Discharge for their Teams.
Relying upon your Excellency Care and Attention to the Interest
of the Inhabitants of this State I am led to flatter myself you will
so far interest yourself in Behalf of M^r Lainey and M^r Clabaugh as
may appear most consistent to you and most conducive to their In-
terest and advantage

: September 24
Red Book
No. 30
Letter 39

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

And please your Excell^y and Honours Your favour of the 22^d is
now before me, the quantity of Provisions I have in this County is
about four hundred Barrels of flour and about two hundred head of
Cattle which I have frequently offered to the Quarter Master though
have not yet got them delivered, hope I shall in a day or two, I wrote
you in my last that my prospect of flour was discouraging for though
there is large quantitys of wheat collected yet we have no mode of
Transporting it to Mills where it can be Manufactured with dispatch,
as the Vessels are all taken up in transport Service nor have we
enough for that service, as Capt Stephens is here yet impressing Ves-
sels for ordinance Stores, (by direction of his Excell^y Gen^l Wash-
ington) so that Col^o Yeates or my self cant get a single Vessel for
flour, there is also large quantitys of Hospital Stores for the French
Army which are in my care, waiting for Transportation, and Gen-
tlemen waiting with them, every thing has been done by Colo. Yeates
Capt. Stephens and myself (in our power) to procure Craft but they
are not to be had (here) must therefore intreat that some of the
Transport Vessels be sent back as soon as possible or I dispare of
forwarding the flour in time I have wrote circular Letters to the
several County Commissaries to have all the Wheat they possibly
can manufactured into good Flour and to send me such as is more
convenient to Navigation then to the Mills (if Vessels can be ob-
tained) my future prospect of flour depends much on the wheat I
receive; and the Transporting it to the army, on the Vessels that may
be sent us, as none shall escape that come within our reach.

September 25
Red Book
No. 30
Letter 41