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486 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. III
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dition but by what I can find his hopes are all frustrated & the
Assembly after sitting a Fortnight continue averse to making
any Provision for their own immediate Defence unless the
Governor will accept a Bill imposing a Land Tax for 20 years
which it seems is a Duration of 19 more than by His Instruc-
tions he is at liberty to agree to. You will easily judge from
what has been mentioned that these two Colonies are in a
deplorable Condition; Virginia is in much the same Circum-
stances & I find the Indians have lately begun with the
Inhabitants of North Carolina, in all the Northern Colonies
too they are at present in great Consternation on Account of
the Loss of Oswego & our Naval Force on Ontario Lake
I presume you will have a particular Account of that Affair
long before this can reach you all we have heard as yet is
that the Garrison consisting of about 1600 were made Prisoners
by a Body of 6000 French & Indians that laid Siege to the Fort.
This general Account is confirmed to me by Ld Loudoun who
has thereupon writ to me for a Number of Recruits for the
Royal American Regiment without the Assistance of which His
Ldps seems to think himself unable to oppose such an Army
as the French may possibly march into the Province of N York.
On the Receipt of His Ldp's Letter I met the Assembly yester-
day & have pressed them to comply with His Lordship's
Requisition by appropriating to that use part of the Money
lately granted for His Majesty's Service. I cannot judge as
yet how far I shall succeed with them tho I find they are in
general very averse to sending Men to the Northward &
draining as they say their own Country, but as the Officers are
now at Liberty to enlist Servants I think the most prudent
thing they can do will be to make an Act for raising at once
500 or 600 Men for His Ldp by drafting the Militia. As soon
as the Assembly shall come to some Resolution on this Matter,
I propose to push once more for a strict Militia Law & to
persuade them if possible to vote an Additional Number of
Troops for the Defence of this Province, If I succeed our
Frontiers will I hope be pretty well secured for the present &
we shall have a Number of diciplined Men ready to take the
Field in the Spring if an Expedition should be undertaken to
the Westward. As I do not press our Assembly to raise
Money but only to appropriate a Fund that already exists I
hope We shall proceed with harmony at this time for unless
they should think proper to blame me for constructing the
Fort of Stone & Earth instead of Wood & thereby encreasing
the Expence of it I do not see how they can express any Dis-
satisfaction at my Proceedings since last Session. I shall next
week by Mr Wayne's Vessel acquaint you with my Success &
with any thing of Consequence that might happen before that
time —
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