Letter from Samuel Squier to Governour Trumbull

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Fairfield, July 19, 1776.

HONOURED SIR: By yours of the 10th instant I observe you want to know how much pork I have procured for the Colony' s use, where it is stored, and the price. I have purchased three hundred barrels of pork, chiefly from the farmers. There is yet about two hundred barrels of pork more at Newtown. The owners don' t care to part with it, and for excuse have told me it is engaged to the Commissary-General, which I am since informed is not so. I expect to know the truth of the matter very soon, and shall act accordingly. The reason why I have not procured more pork is, that Mr— Wadsworth, of Hartford, and Mr˙ Coult, of New Haven, had been into this County and engaged it before I got home from the Assembly. As to the hunting shirts, I have no other voucher than Daniel Gray' s receipt for them, who went with Colonel Webb last summer to Cambridge to carry his baggage. By him I sent those shirts. Said Gray has taken a receipt in his own name of the Quartermaster-General' s clerk for them, a copy of which I sent before, and now you have herein enclosed the original. I made those shirts out of cloth which I had before purchased and charged the Colony with for tents. I therefore took an account of how much cloth it took for the shirts, which was three yards apiece. I also charged the making to the Colony, not then knowing there should be a separate account kept of the price of the tow cloth, which, upon an average, was nearest 16 1/2d. I therefore formed my former account that I sent you, from my common account with the Colony, and kept no other copy, as also I have done this account, and expected to give the Colony credit if ever the shirt account should be paid separate from the other. I have made out this account at 6s˙ per shirt, which will be very near the cost, as the cloth and making will be 4s˙ 10 1/2d˙ per shirt. The one-and-a-half per cent, commissions, carting, &c˙, will make up the rest.

I am, sir, your Honour' s obedient servant,
SAMUEL, SQUIER.

N˙ B˙ The thirty-five barrels of pork I left in the farmer' s cellar, judging that to be as safe a store as I could get. I find there is more pork among the farmers, which I trust I shall be able to procure. S˙ S.