March 7th 1780.
Sir, Philadelphia,
We are honor’d by your Excellency’s Favor of 18th last.1 The Minister of France knows very well, however wrong he may have deemed the Measure, that the Seizing the french Flour was to releave the exceeding great Distress of the Army, & we have never understood, or even heard it suggested, that the Conduct of the State was imputed to any other Motive. We have no Reason to think that he doubts the Attachment of Maryland to the Alliance, & have heard him express Pleasure at the Receipt of your Excellency’s late Letter, which he says is fully satisfactory.2 We have set before him, in the clearest Point of View we cou’d, the Extent of your Powers, which will not permit the suspension of any Law, without an Exception for that Purpose, & that it is your Duty to see all Laws executed in the utmost Extent; of all which he appears fully persuaded. The Consequences which he mentions to have imparted to one of us were, that as he found the Supplies were uncertain, & not to be depended upon, even after being purchased & stored, he cou’d not, under such Uncertainty, invite a french Fleet to our Coast. We have ever esteemed it our Duty, & hoped we had discharged it, to communicate to the Governor & Council, in Recess of Assembly; all Matters of Importance acted upon in Congress which may relate to Maryland; therefore are at some Loss for the Meaning of your last Paragraph, as we know of no Matter of Importance, relative to the State lately discussed which has not been forwarded - there is indeed a Report of a Committee on the Application of Mr Holker for three thousand Barrels of Flour over & above the Quantity last assigned, which when passed, we shall not fail to communicate.3 We have the Honor to be with the most perfect Respect,
Yr Excellency’s most obt. & very hum. Servants,
Geo Plater
James Forbes
Receiver’s copy, Maryland State Papers (Red Books), Maryland Hall of Records Commission, Annapolis. Written by Plater and signed by Plater and Forbes.
1 Lee had written to the Maryland delegates on February 18 regarding the purchase of clothing for Maryland troops, for which see Maryland Delegates to Lee, February 23, 1780. The letter to which the delegates are replying here, however, is a February 17 letter from Lee relating to Maryland’s seizure of flour purchased by the French agent of marine Jean Holker, for which see Md. Archives, 43:89 - 90; and Samuel Huntington’s letters to La Luzerne and to Lee, January 18, 1780.
2 For the Maryland Council’s February 17 letter to La Luzerne, see Md. Archives, 43:88 - 89.
3 See Samuel Huntington to Certain States, March 11, 1780, note 1. In addition, Maryland was also sent an emergency appeal for flour for the Continental Army by the Board of War this day, since New Jersey was already nearly "exhausted by its Exertions for the Supply of the Troops this Winter." See Md. Archives, 43:444.