not Money. The other Purchasers have had no Countermands but the Reverse. We rely upon the Candour of the Board to represent the Matter properly to Congress & the General & to be assured that we shall do all in our Power to forward the Supplies. Indorsed, Sir, April 5th, 1781. To Hon'ble Board of War. PRES. REED TO ARCHIBALD MCCLEAN, 1781. Í duly received your Favours by Major Moore-it is indeed a most unfortunate Situation in which we are by the Backwardness of the People to pay their Taxes. Your Letter is an Echo of what we have had from most of the other Counties who all send to the State Treasury for Money, not reflecting that the Supplies of the State Treasury depend upon the Country, & that there is no other Mode of our filling it but by Taxes which are always so deficient in Time & Value as to fall short one half of what they were when laid. We have sent you an Order for £1000 which will include the £700 you refer to, but it is out of our Power to do more for you at present. Inclosed is a Letter to the Commissioners to which we must request you to add your urgent Solicitations to them to do their duty in Collecting the Taxes & Recruits by Classes or we may expect the most unhappy Consequences. It is impossible for any one to conceive the Difficulties in carrying on the publick Business when so little Attention is paid to the collection of Taxes, & the People so reluctant to part with their Property for publick Use. The Council approve the Payment of the Gratuity, our Resolution which was directed to be sent to you but by Accident omitted. It may perhaps have been best to take new Inlistments but we were of a quite different Opinion as it implies the former Inlistm* under which they were held to be invalid & sanctifies all the Complaints of the Soldiers on that Head. We have sent by this Opp 100 Inlistments, & desire you to forward the Duplicates & an Acct of your Proceeding as soon as the Affairs are finished. I am Sir with Esteem Your Obcd. Hbble. Ser., Indorsed,-April 8, 1781. ORDERS OF GENL. ST. CLAIR, 1781. Head Quarters, Philad", April 5, 1781. A detachment of the Pennsylvania line to hold themselves in readiness to march to and assemble at York Town immediately. First and Seccond Regiments are to form One Battalion 8 Comp. of 40 R. & File each, Third & Fifth Do.-One Battalion, Fourth & Sixth D.-One Battalion, 320 men. 320 320 960 The Senior Captains & Subalterns in the several Regiments are to be warned for this Detachment. The Cloathing to equip it will be forwarded immediately to the different Cantonments. L' Hughes late Qur Mas. to the first Brigade is transfer'd to the Second, and Lt North to the first. Sir, By Order Majr Gen. St Clair. JOS. HARMER, L' Col. PRES. REED TO F. A. MUHLENBERG, 1781. The inclosed Papers, which it is our Duty to communicate to the House, will exhibit a melancholy, tho' too true a Picture of our present Situation, & the Probability of some alarming Consequences to the general Interest, & particularly dishonourable to this State, unless prevented by the most seasonable & vigorous Measures. We have so often called upon the Commissioners of the Taxes, & urged our Distresses, with the Necessity of their exerting themselves, & with so little Effect, that we can promise ourselves no Relief from them. It is painful to us so frequently to call the Attention of the House to the Subject of Supplies; but the Importance of the Subject & the Impossibility of our complying with the Demands & the fatal Consequences of a Failure, will, we trust, sufficiently justify us. I am, Sir, with great Respect & Regard, Your Obed. Hbble. Servt. Indorsed, Sir, PRES. REED TO ASSEMBLY, 1781. We consider the Advices contained in the inclosed Papers to be of so much Importance, that we have forwarded them immediately to the House. The Intricacy of the Navigation of the River Delaware, & the great Expence which attended its Defence, have occasioned a Reduction of the Force, which it may now be necessary to increase; if the House should be of the same Opinion, they will, we presume, take the Subject into immediate Consideration, & provide speedy & effectual Supplys of Money for this important Purpose. I am, Sir, April 7, 1781. To F. A. Muhlenberg, Esq., Speaker of the General Assembly. SEC'Y MATLACK TO JOHN LUKens, 1781. Philad", April 6, 1781. Sir, His Excellency the President & the Council Order me to request you will permit E. Burd, Esqr., to search the Surveyor Gen" office for the following records, viz: "Warrant dated 29th March, 1749, to Malcolm McMichael for 100 acres or 150 acres in Little Britain township, Lane county, and the survey-The survey is called Derry." "Survey under a warrant to James Murray, dated 12th Augt., 1741. "Survey under a warrant to the survey made on the 29th May, 1772." Edgehill, dated 16 July, 1743, I am, &c., T. M., Sec❜y. And permit him to have copies thereof. Directed, John Lukens, Esqr. Sir, JAMES MOORE TO PRES. REED, 1781. Downings Town, April 6th, 1781. His Excellency the President of Council of the State of Pennsylvania. As a Detachment of One Hundread men will march in a few days from this place belonging to the Second Pennsylvania Regimentgreater part of whom have still three Pounds of their bounty due them which Ought to be paid previous to their marching, have therefore to request you to send Bearer, Lt. Whitehead, Five Hundread Pounds, which may probably answer the purpose. I am, sir, your Humble Serv', JAMES MOORE. PRES. REED TO COMMITTEE OF ASSEMBLY, 1781. Gentlemen, April 6, 1781. The Propositions contained in the Minute of the House of the 31st Ult. seem to be quite distinct & unconnected, & have therefore been so considered by the Council. The first is a Proposition to lay out the Monies arising from the Impost Law in Bills of Exchange, the small Sum hitherto received on that Law, viz., £127 14, 14, & the little Probability of its affording a very productive Revenue without some Check to the evasions now practised, very much lessen the Importance of the Object, but the Council join in Opinion with the Committee that it would be a beneficial Expenditure of the Money. As to the second, viz., The recalling Mr. Searle, we are so unfortunate as to differ from those Gentlemen who espouse that Measure, & that for the following Reasons. 1. The Objects, viz., to obtain Specie & military Supplies are as desirable as ever, the Necessities of the State being as great, & the publick Credit having rather declined than advanced since his De parture so as to make the above Articles of greater Necessity than at any Time these 3 Years past. 2. This being the Case, it does not appear adviseable to recall him when he may be upon the point of completing his Business, as in that Case all would stop, & all unfinished Engagements would remain so, & more especially as we had no Intelligence of his Progress or Prospects, tho it may be daily expected, & there can be no Doubt but his Credit would be immediately affected by a publick Resolution of the Assembly in his Recall. 3. The Objection of the Dutch War operates differently on the Minds of the Council from the Sense of the Committee, as we appre hend his Business will be rather facilitated than obstructed by this Event-Great Brittain has now become the common Enemy of both Countries, all motives with Holland against taking part with us have ceased, & irritated by her Losses she will seek Revenge by every Means the most effectual-She has not been at War for half a Century, & therefore must be considered as ill prepared with Fleets & Armies, but she has had a long & profitable Peace by which she is enrich'd. America is directly the Reverse, she is poor & warlike, & the Distance from Europe is an additional Motive for other Na, tions to keep Great Brittain engaged with us as more expensive transfering & keeping British fleets & Armies at a great Distance from themselves. But it is said being now at War herself she will not be able to spare us Money, but the History of commercial Nations engaged in War shows the contrary, these very Dutch when engaged in the War of the Succession, subsidized half the minor Princes in Germany, & England in the last War, when deeply engaged herself, & groaning under heavy Debts did the same Thing with the King of Prussia & many other Princes-France did the same with Sweden & Russia, why may we not expect the same Conduct towards us? The Prospect of coming in for a share of our Trade will also probably have some Effect, we see it had a great Influence on the City of Amsterdam in their late Treaty, & there is certainly no State in the Union whose commercial Friendship is more worth cultivating than that of Pennsylvania-If therefore Holland should see her own Interest, as most probably she will, & it may be demonstrated that the Common Enemy can no where be more effectually annoyed & her Fleets & Armies employed without Prejudice to them than in America, there can be no Doubt but she will willingly advance Money on a much more advantageous Lay than a Subsidy, which differs from a Loan as much as a Gift does. 4. The Expectation of Supplies of Cloathing & military Stores from Congress must we fear be deemed fallacious after the Disappointments they have experienced for four Years past, which have greatly endangered the Cause & have operated so powerfully on Congress that notwithstanding they had a Member on the Spot they have sent a special Envoy to make necessary Inquiries when Success is uncertain & Prospects unknown. Farther, this Expectation if better founded is opposed to the Confederation, the Articles of which direct "that each State shall allways keep up a well regulated " & disciplined Militia sufficiently armed & accoutred & provide & "constantly keep ready for Use in publick Stores a due Number of "Field Peices & Tents & a proper Quantity of Arms, Ammunition, " & Camp Equipage."And in the 9th Article it is declared "that "the Legislature of each State shall appoint the regiment Officers, |