Letter Bk. III
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ward where they cannot be ignorant that large preparations are
making against them. Some of the back-Inhabitants who have
escaped from the Ohio whither they had been carried by the
Savages report that the Artillery which fell into the Enemy's
hands last Summer have been carried up that River & that the
French purchase the Men which the Indians have taken from
the Frontiers of these Colonies & keep them constantly
employed in building Barracks for the Reception & Conven-
ience of the Indian Tribes that have lately come into their
Alliance & are to be employed this Summer in harrassing
& depopulating these provinces. The Cherokees or Carolina
Indians have I hear made great professions of Friendship to
the Commissioners that were sent from Virga to make a Treaty
& enter into a League with them but they will not declare
openly in our Favour, or commence hostilities against the
French or their Allies till we have an Army able to act offen-
sively & till we have constructed a strong Fort in their Country
for the Security of their wives & Children while their young
Men act in Conjunction with our Troops, in this the Commis-
sioners promised to gratify them, & Governor Dinwiddie has
ordered a Detachment from the Virga Regiment on that
Service.
I am &c.
[Sharpe to Albemarle.]
5th of May 1756 —
My Ld
Brother Willm has not neglected to inform me how kindly &
generously your Ldp interested yourself & how earnestly you
endeavoured to do me Service on your Receipt of the Letter
which I took the Liberty to address to you from N York & I
should be inexcusable was I to let slip this first Opportunity
of making my thankful Acknowledgments & of assuring your
Ldp that tho your Solicitations had succeeded to the utmost of
my wishes yet I could not have been more sensibly affected
or more grateful than I am at present. My Brother acquaints
me with the Resolution taken to have some Regiments raised
from among the Germans in this & the Neighbouring Provinces
on a Supposition that those people will readily enlist under
Swiss Officers, I cannot venture to say whether such Regiments
will be compleated or not but I cannot help thinking that if I
had been impowered to raise a Regiment in this Province I
should have done it with greater Dispatch than the Swiss Offi-
cers will be able to do. I am glad to hear Lord Loudon is
appointed to take the Command of all His Majesty's Forces
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