296 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1777, 



Dr. Robert Harris, for £58, for making powder for Congress, 

 to be charged to his Acco't." 



" Mr. Towers was directed to deliver Dr. Robert Harris one 

 ton of Salt Petre, & Sulphur in proportion, to make into Gun 

 powder." 



" Mr. Nesbitt to pay Jno. Morton £B — 6 — 0, for wharfage of 

 the Floating Battery Arnold, in March last." 



" Resolved, That Thomas Marie be employed to fix the Boom 

 to the Piers at Fort Island, and to be stationed there to have 

 the care of it, to receive orders, and to be subject to the com- 

 manding oflScer at that station, and he is to employ a sufficient 

 number of hands, and do this business without any delay." 



Dr. Thomas Bond proposed "instituting Hospitals for the 

 sick in Darby, Chester, Marcus Hook, Wilmington & Newcastle." 

 "I think," he says, " the water carriage from Trenton to those 

 places would save much carting, and this plan much better than 

 one proposed of sending the sick to East Town, [Easton] Beth- 

 lehem, Nazareth, Reading, &c." 



The successful attack made by General Washington, on the 

 night of the 25th December, on a body of Hessians encamped at 

 Trenton, arid the capture of a large number of them, with a great 

 number of guns and military stores, at once turned the tide of 

 events, at this period, in favor of the American cause, and re- 

 lieved our people from any immediate apprehension of the pre- 

 sence of the enemy. 



As nearly as can be ascertained, up to the close of the year 

 1776, the several meetings of the Society of Friends within what 

 now constitutes Delaware County, had disowned eighty-one 

 members for being concerned in military affairs. But three or 

 four were reclaimed who had taken up arms. The minutes of 

 the meetings during this period show an increased activity in 

 visiting such members as continued to hold slaves, and generally 

 with good success. Many slaves were emancipated by members 

 of the Society about this time. A more lively testimony was 

 borne by the meetings than heretofore against the use of alco- 

 holic drinks. Early in the following year, " friends are advised 

 and desired to avoid being concerned in the distillation of grain, 

 or selling grain to such as distil, or purchasing the produce 

 thereof." 



The year 1777 was the most eventful period of the revolution- 

 ary war. To the people of this County it was a period of the 

 direst calamity. Circumstances placed the seat of war in our 

 midst, and the events of the year being adverse to the American 

 cause, our people, almost without discrimination or exception, 

 were subjected to the ravages and plunder of the successful inva- 

 ders of our soil. 



