for the people to Co-opperate with me in all Respects. But he appears to have taken Every step to disappoint the good Intentions of Col Lochry and many other Gentlemen of Westmorland county who have us'd Every Effort to Raise men, But disappointed by those alluded to, I have Endeavourd to make myself acquainted with the different persons who appeard to be busy in Ruining the sentiments of the Inhabitants and think it my duty as a Citizen and officer to acquaint you with the principals, Believing that you are Imposed on as those bodies gain their Influence by opposing Every measure proposed for the publick good in the military Department, strange that such Conduct should have those Effects among any class of people in This Departmt. Every commanding officer has Experienced, and I think I can Venture to say you never will be able to have any thing of Importance done in this Quarter untill many of them are Removed from their Respective offices. The Inhabitants on my arrival was so Buoyed up at the thought of my carrying out an Expedition that promised them peace that it has Required all their little artifices to disappoint, which is to too likely to be the case at present. Mr. M. of Washington County, Lt. Colos. C. and D. I believe to be the perpetratos of these Evils, I fear this country will feel after giving you my honor that I am not influenced by prejudice to point out those Gentlemen, I can assure you they are persons that will for Ever disgrace this part of the country while in power. As for Mr. M. he has, I learn, lived in Obscurity, untill lately his promotion has so confused him that his Conduct is Contradictory in his own publick writing and as wavering as the minds of that class of mortals he has had the Honour to Influence. I hope you will not suppose this to amount to a Reflection on the Honourable Council in making such appointment, from Circumstances, I believe them Imposed on, but the anxiety I have for every part of the Commu nity, and the probability of losing the fair prospects I had of puting, an Eud to the Indian war, Occasion me to View such Characters in in a most Dispikable light, aud to make this Representation. I do not suppose I shall have any thing more to do with them, but should it be the case, and had power should take the necessary steps to teach them their duties before I went any farther. I learn that it is generally believed that the Inhabitants of the western country are Disaffected, I do not think it to be the case, and was a line between the two states Established, and the whole well officered, they might, in a short time be made Valuable Citizens, and any necessary force cal'd to the field on the shortest notice. But at present, scarcely a week passes but you hear of some massacre. Sufficient stores of necessaries provided to Enable them to Reduce the Indians, and yet those Inducements are not sufficient to draw them to action, owing to those principles before Recited.

I have the Honour to be,

Your Devoted & Very Humble Servant,
G. CLARKE, B. G..

His Excellency, the President of Pennsylvania.

COL. LOCHRY TO PRES. REED, 1781.

Miraile's Mill, Westmoreland County, Augt 4th, 1781. Honoured Sir,

Yesterday the Express arrived with your Excellency's Letters, which does singular Honour to our County to have the approbation of Council in our undertakings-and for which I beg leave to return my most Humble Thanks.

I am now on my March with Captain Stokeley's Company of Rangers and about Fifty Volunteers from this County. We shall join General Clark at Fort Henry, on the Ohio River, where His army has lay for some weeks past, as it was most Expedient to have the Boats there, the Water being deeper from that to where He intends going than From Fort Pitt there. I Expected to have had a number more Volunteers but they have by some Insinuations been hindered from going. Our Rangers have been very ill supplyed with Provisions, as there has been no possibility of Procuring Meat, particularly as our Money has not been in the best Credit-We have generally had Flour, but as I have kept the Men constantly Scouting it is hard for them to be without Meat.

We have no Issuing Commissary for this County, I Expected the Commissioner would have appointed one, but He tells me it does not belong to Him-I would have appointed one in a Temporary Manner, but as we Shall be away some time, Shall hope for your Excellency's Instructions in that matter. When Mr. Duncan, who is Commissioner for this County, and myself Considered the distance of the Stations from Each Other and from any one Place where an Issuing Magazine might be kept, we Alledged it be necessary to Affix two Issuing Stores in such a manner as one Commissary might Attend both, I think it might Answer several good purposes

Mr. Cooper, the Gentleman by whom I write, and whom I before Recommended for an Ensigncy in Captain Stokeley's Company, I hope your Excellency will Approve of, He has been always Esteemed as a very worthy while in the Continental Army, He is Acquaint with Military discipline, And is in Particular Calculated for an Officer in a Ranging Company, As he is well Acquaint with Woods and the nature of Indian fighting.

I rest these matters with your Excellency, and am

Directed,

your Excellency's most Obedient

and very Humble Servant,

A. LOCHRY.

His Excellency, Joseph Reed, Esquire, President of the Supreme Executive Council, Philadelphia.

Honoured by

Mr. Cooper.

VOL. IX-15

Sir,

PRES. REED TO CAPT. ROBINSON, 1781.

Your Letter by Mr. Gray came safely to Hand & was duly answered, but I now find it has miscarried, and therefore it becomes necessary to repeat what I then said. With Respect to Mr. Quin the Council upon the Recommendation he brought appointed him an Ensign, but to our great Surprize we found him in Philad a Month afterwards, & having also understood that a Part of the Money given him to carry to the Country for the Troops & the £15 Bounty to those Men you had inlisted, was not delivered over to Mr. Gray, the Paymaster, as it should have been, I say under these Circumstances the Council recalled the Commission given him.

I hope that by this Time the Ammunition & Cloathing sent to Capt. Hambright to be forwarded to Capt. Scott at Middle Town, & from thence to Col. Hunter, has arrived safe. The Council have also complied with your Request in appointing Mr. Smith a Surgeon, but as you do not mention where he is to be found, we have not been able to forward his Appointment to him. You will observe by what I have said before that the Ass by a Vote directed that the Men you had enlisted before you knew the Bounty allowed to Continental Soldiers should receive the Sum you had agreed for, & Mr. Gray has directions to pay it.

We have had the greatest Difficulties imaginable in procuring the Ammunition for the Supply of the Frontiers & the Cloathing for the Men, having been obliged to borrow the Money, as the Treasury has not yet nor nor do we expect it will for some Time be supplied with Specie, which is now absolutely necessary to procure Articles of that Nature. We hope therefore that all due & prudent Care will be taken that there be no unnecessary Waste or Expenditure of what is now sent, as it is exceedingly uncertain when we shall be able to send more.

The signal Blow the Indians have received to the Northward, whereby near 90 of them and their viler Associates, the Tories, fell in one Action, & the Party totally defeated, will have a happy Effect for the Frontiers generally, but in the mean Time we rely much upon your Exertions. We observe many Complaints from the Country, & sometimes they find their Way into the News Papers: we cannot but think them very unjust with Respect to Northumberland, as the Force raised and kept there exceeds all the other Parts of the Frontiers, & the Supplies of Men, Monies & Ammunition which have been sent from Time to Time for these three Years past are much greater than is generally apprehended. However much will depend upon you & the Gentlemen in Command to apply the Force you have so as to give Satisfaction to the People. We observe that in Northampton County they have been successful in making immediate Pursuit after the Indians, having recovered the Captives

& Booty & killed some of the Party. We are very sensible of the Difficulties of an Indian Pursuit, but as any loss on their Part is so mortifying & discouraging to them, we must request that you would cherish a Spirit of this Kind in the Men, & you may be assured that every such Exertion will be duly noticed.

Indorsed,
Aug. 6, 1781.

Directed,

I am, Sir,

your Obed. Hbbl. Serv.,

J. REED.

Sir

Capt. Robinson, of the Company of Rangers.

WILLIAM ATTLEE TO PRES. REED, 1781.

Lancaster, the 6th August, 1781.

Having just now some conversation with Col. Hubley respecting the militia on duty at this Post, as Guards over the Prisoners of Warr & Stores, & finding their tour of duty will expire in about two weeks, I beg leave to trouble your Excellency, to express my wishes that the duty here could be performed by the militia of the Town only or that we might at least have one Company of the Town militia always on duty, they seem to me to be much better officered than the militia from the Country & being more accustomed to duty are better qualified for keeping in order a set of artful fellows who frequently persuade some of those, from the Country, as well officers as privates when on duty to let them pass from the Barracks on various pretences; by which means they get opportunities of stragling into the Country & with the assistance of the disaffected make their escape.

We have been fortunate these two last Guards in having Gentlemen at the head of the Guard who have seen service & have taken a great deal of trouble in instructing the militia, & with those from the Country are Capt Scott & a few more good officers; but as there seems a prospect of the next Guards coming chiefly from the Country & but few of the Gentlemen who 'tis expected will command them have had opportunities of knowing service, I fear the business will be done in rather a careless and unsoldierlike manner unless Council shall be of opinion that a considerable part of the Guard may be of the militia of the Town & shall be pleased to order accordingly.

Mr Hall being in Philadelphia we can do nothing towards fitting up a part of the Store-house for a Hospital untill he returns as there are public Stores there under his charge.

Capt Hambright being in my office begs me to mention that he lately wrote your Excellency giving a state of affairs in his department & wishes the honour of a Line from you, as he is apprehensive that he will be under the necessity of giving up his bargain with Mr Ross for 500 Cords of Wood purchased from him, unless he can comply with his contract with him which requires the wood to be cut & taken from the Lands in a certain time.

Directed,

I am Sir with the greatest esteem

your most obedt. Servt., WILL. ATTLEE.

His Excellency, Joseph Reed, Esquire, President of the State of Pennsylvania.

Sir,

PRES. REED TO JOHN HAMBRIGht, 1781.

Your Letter of the 25 ult. came safely to Hand & we are obliged to you for your Care in forwarding the Ammunition & Cloathing to Northumberland. We shall be glad you would inform yourself whether it has gone forward from Middleton.

With Respect to the Hospital we are quite of opinion that such a Building is necessary but having had the Brick Store on the Hill recommended to us for this Purpose, before your Letter came to Hand we had wrote to Col. Hubley to apply it accordingly. We are sorry to find the Quarter Master's Department in such a feeble Condition as to be unable to bear the slightest Expences such as necessary Repairs & Wood. We must entreat you to apply to Col. Miles in the most earnest manner for some Assistance as it is absolutely out of our Power to give any hard money, as none has come in for Taxes & the Inhabitants of this City have been frequently called upon heretofore. We cannot but think that such a Represen tation from Mr Atlee & yourself stating at the same Time that the Government is not in a Condition to supply you will bring round a Grant of at least a small Part of the £300,000 given lately by the King of France to Congress. We think your mode of getting Wood the cheapest & best, but we have never yet either here or elsewhere taken upon us the Payment of the Bills or Direction of the Quarter Master's Affairs in any Part of the state, Should we begin we do not know where it would end.

So far as the Repair of the Barracks which belong to the State & have been usually repaired by the Government formerly,we should not hesitate to do it if we had the money, we do assure you that Persons in office are obliged to live as well as they can till the new Taxes are levied. We hope every one will see the Necessity of collecting them speedily & that Lancaster County especially (which is so able,)