18 October 1780 - Henry Hooper, Dorset County to His
Excellency the Governor in Council
Sir On the 26th of July last I transmitted to your Board a List of
all the Recruits raised and Deserters taken up at that time in this
County in Virtue of an Act passed the last Session I have since
appointed recruiting Officers in each Hundred to procure Recruits
for such Classes as had failed in getting Substitutes at the time
limited by the Act but without any Success there not being a Single
recruit enlisted by any of them to this time. I have advertised
agreeable to your Excellencies Order in Council of the 2ist August
in order to inform the persons who compose those Classes which have
neglected to find Recruits and for which no Recruits can be obtained
that they might discharge the 15 pr Cent in wheat at 60 dollars pr
bushel and have just now called on the Commissary of this County who
informs me that there has been no wheat offered to him by any of
them. The whole of the Class money which I have received amounts to
£16..15..0. I recd your Excellencies Order some time ago to transmit
you an acco of the Arms Ammunition and Accoutrements in this County
belonging to the State. It is really out of my power to make this
return at present, The Depredations of the Enemy in several parts of
this County have occasioned so many Calls upon me for Arms and
Ammunition and of course such a Distribution of them, that I cannot
ascertain the Quantity we have but believe it to be the Quantity
returned in a List to the late Govr Johnson in Council, except 12 or
14 muskets ab' 50tt gun powder, some Lead Cartridge boxes and
Canteens which were since consumed by fire in the Magazine at New
Market; what arms we have are in good repair but from the
Situation of this County we are really in want of two or three
hundred Stand more and some Lead