March 1 777 . This was vakicd at over £ 1 70, and was 

 also used by Massachusetts to pay on its account with 

 Grcenleaf, largely for outfitting its privateers. '*• 



On June 30, 1 777, J. G. Frazer of Boston wrote Dr. 

 Potts, still at Ticonderoga, as follows: '"'' 



1 have the pleasure to give you this Earh- notice of a prize 

 ship being sent into Casco Bay last week with four tons of 

 Jesuits Bark on board for one valuable article besides a 

 great quantity of other stores for the British .Army at 

 New- York. 



Brisk Business in Boston 



A series of letters to Director General Potts from 

 .•\pothecary Andrew Craigie, who was on a purchasing 

 trip through New England, gives us an interesting 

 glimpse into the situation. On August 29, 1777, 

 Craigie wrote Potts from Springfield '"" that he had 

 just arrived from Wethersfield where he purchased 

 222 pounds of bark of exxellent quality. He saw^ 

 it weighed and repacked, and left the necessary 

 instructions for shipment to .Mbany. Having heard 

 that "a quantity of Bark & other articles are arrived 

 at some eastern ports" Craigie took off for Boston 

 where he wrote Potts on September 1 as follows:'"'' 



I wrote you from Springfield aquainting you that I had 

 engaged 222 lb. Bark at the Price [£5 per pound] Mr. 

 Livingston mentioned to you; it being very dear induced 

 me to engage a less quantity than you proposed 'til I should 

 make enquiry here. I find to my great mortification that 

 it is 40/ [shillings] less than that in Wethersfield. I wish we 

 could get clear of that engagement, and at least think some 

 adjustment should be made as I am informed it cost Mr. 

 Livingston who bought it at publick sale only 3 Pounds at 

 which price I expect to engage i or 200 lb. tomorrow .... 

 In the morning I go to Cape .Anne about 40 miles from this, 

 after medicines that have lately arrived .... 



Recalling Stringer's long absence of the previous 

 year, Craigie concluded: 



I shall pay particular attention to, and if to be had, pro- 

 cure the articles, but everything is very dear. I hope not 

 to exceed the time you have limited. 



Craigie returned to Albany on September 20 and 

 advised Potts that he "succeeded in procuring 

 medicines as expected" and that he had ''on the road 



2 covered waggons of capital medicines &c." '°^ The 



shipmenl iiirhulcd 20(1 pounds of liark that Craigie 

 bought at £3 a pound, and waiting for him in Albany 

 were also the 222 pounds of bark, for which he was 

 billed at £,S a pound plus £23/10 "Carting and 

 Expenses." '"' Payment had not been made by 

 November 10,"° nor was there any evidence of an 

 adjustment. 



.\t the same time that Craigie was in Boston pur- 

 chasing supplies for the Northern Department, 

 .Apothecary Jonathan B. Cutting of the Middle De- 

 partment was also there, competing with him.'" 

 Furthermore, several agents for the Congress (Thomas 

 Gushing, Daniel Tillinghast, and John Bradford) 

 were purchasing drugs for the Continental Navy. 

 Greenleaf's ledger records that between January 23 

 and May 28 over £500 worth of medicine chests and 

 sundry medicines w^ere sold to "The United American 

 .States" for the Continental frigates Boston, Hancock. 

 Providence, and Columbus. 



This competition among various branches of the 

 army and navy led to a brisk business in Boston. 

 Druggists in nearby communities chanced the British 

 blockade to send supplies which they had on hand. 

 For example, Jonathan W^aldo, an apothecary at 

 Salem, Massachusetts, recorded in his account book "^ 

 on April 8, 1777, that "13 packages and 4 cases of 

 medicines are ship'd on Board the Sloop called the 

 Two Brothers Saml West Master, hn Account and 

 [illegible word] of Mr. Olis'er Smith of Boston 

 Apothecary and to him consigned." Evidence of the 

 war appears in the footnote to the entry, however. 

 It reads: "The cases are unmarked being ship'd at 

 Night. Error Excepted. Jon. W'aldo." 



The Situation Improves 



Oliver Smith, ad\ertising in a Boston ne\vspaper in 

 October 1777, clearly emphasized the fact that "A 

 Large and Valuable Assortment of Drugs and 

 Medicines" were on hand. Included in the listing 

 were bark, gum camphor, gum opium, jalap, rhubarb, 

 and salts. "^ 



Back in Philadelphia, the supply situation was also 

 improving. William Smith, Continental Druggists, 

 recei\ed over $5,000 from Congress for drug pur- 



'"* Grcenleaf Ledger, op. cii. (footnote 6). 

 '"5 Potts Papers, vol. 2, folio 213. 

 '»« Ibid., vol. 3, folio 305. 

 11" /*!,/., folio 33L 

 I"" Ibid., folio 346. 



i»9 Ibid., folio 336. 



no //);,/., folio 369. 



"' Ibid., folio 331 ; Craigie to Potts, September 1, 1777. 



"2 Preserved at the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts. 



ns hidfprndnt Chronicle, October 30, 1777. 



122 



BULLETIN 225: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .AND TECHNOLOGY 



