84 Letters to the Governor and Council

February 22

me to continue the purchase with assiduity. I am ready to exhaust
my inmost means to fullfil your orders, but 'tis impossible to con-
tinue the purchase without money — the little credit I had acquired,
has already received injury from my inability to comply with my
contracts. If you will advert to my acco^t you will find me only fur-
nished with 25o£, my purchase is nearly 15 thousand pounds of pro-
visions, the whole of which I have purchased for money — you will
therefore see the necessity of my being immediately supplyed and
pray write me upon what terms I am to purchase, as the Law does
not authorize me to receive dead Beef — and that is the only kind of
meat now for sale. I am pushing my provision to Geo Town with
all haste — twill not be necessary to order Waggons to this place, as
my provisions are carted from this to the Eastern Branche, and from
thence to Geo Town by Water — M^r Beall Waggons from thence to
Frederick

February 23

[Hen. Nicols, Aquila Browne, Art: Emory, Rich. Tilghman, 4^th,
Queen's Town Commissioners of the Tax for Queen Ann's
County To his Excellency the Governor in Council]

Under the Law entitled "An Act to raise supplies for the year
Seventeen hundred and Eighty one " We observe that one of the
Duties on us by said Law is to adjudge and fix the Value of the new
Continental Bills of Credit issued in this State and the new Bills of
Credit issued under Acts of Assembly of this State compared with
Spanish Dollars at Seven Shillings and six pence each But we are
this day informed by the Honb^le W^m Hemsley Esq^r a Member of
the General Assembly, that there is a supplement to said Law whereby
the above mentioned monies are since regulated and of course our
power Superseded; and though we have just received by Express
from your Excellency two Laws the one entitled "An Act relating
to the Treble Tax imposed on Nonjurors and absentees " the other
entitled "A supplement to the Act for the regulation of the Staple
of Tobacco " Yet as we have never received or seen the supplement
mentioned by M^r Hemsley as above we are at a Loss to know how
to conduct ourselves and therefore request the favour of your Excel-
lency to advise us therein as soon as possible.

February 24
Red Book
No. 5
Letter 51

[Daniel Carroll, Philadelphia, to Gov. Lee.]

Y^r favor by Co^l Livingston with 2 packets came to hand this
morning. I shall endeavour to execute y^r orders in a few days. We
are under a considerable degree of anxiety about the state of affairs
in North Carolina. The latest intelligence from General Greens army
was on the 9^th instant, he was then at or about Guildford Court
House. Cornwallis at Shallow Ford on the Yadkin, distant from
our Army 40 Miles & 250 from Charles Town. He had burnt his
Waggons & it was expected woud cross the Yadkin that day. The