xiv Introduction.

march to South Carolina but none of those from Maryland were to take
part in this expedition to the south (pp. 3-5). The minutes adopted at the
Philadelphia meeting of the governors provided that the King's troops, both
in time of peace and in time of war, should be properly quartered among the
inhabitants of several colonies, and that carriages for transporting their
baggage should be supplied at reasonable rates. The billeting of troops in
the homes of the inhabitants was to prove one of the great grievances of the
people against the Crown.

The Upper House expressed the desire to meet the " so moderate " request
of the Earl of Loudoun (p. 6), but the Lower House, after declaring its wish
to promote the service of the King by doing " every Thing that may be reason-
ably expected of us ", did not commit itself further, and three days later,
on April 12, asked the Governor for details as to the number and terms of
enlistment of the men now in the service of the Province (p. 49). On the
following day the Lower House sent a message to the Governor enquiring
by what law of England and Maryland he was authorized to quarter troops
on the inhabitants (p. 52). To this last enquiry Sharpe replied that this
would be done by " command of His Majesty " (p. 60).

The Governor, on April 12, sent a message to the Lower House that the
Virginia troops which had been garrisoned at Fort Cumberland for its defence
had been ordered to South Carolina, and that at the request of the Earl of
Loudoun he had ordered a detachment from the Maryland forces under
Captain Dagworthy to garrison that fort (p. 50). It will be seen that the
Lower House felt that Fort Cumberland should be manned by British regu-
lars, and bitterly opposed the use of Maryland troops to defend a fort which
it felt was too far distant from its settled frontier to be assumed by the
Province (p. 97). Governor Sharpe on April 12 furnished the Lower House
information as to the number of provincial troops then enlisted for the security
of the frontier, the time and term of their enlistment, and their pay; he also
sent the last returns from the officers at Fort Frederick, showing that the
First and Third companies were complete and that the Second company was
being recruited with "pretty good success" (pp. 49, 50). On April 16 the
Lower House, sitting as a committee of the whole, resolved that a force of
not over 500 men be kept in the pay of the Province for the defence of the
frontier, that certain balances heretofore granted and unexpended under
former Supply acts be used for their support, and that of the men stationed on
the frontier a sufficient number must always be left at Fort Frederick for the
defence of the settlements (p. 61). The Lower House before proceeding to
draft a Supply bill appointed a committee to find out what balances were left
unexpended under previous acts for His Majesty's Service. This committee
reported on April 15 that of the money granted under the acts of February,
1756, and of September, 1756, under the former there was unexpended
£7,469: 17:4; that of the £4,000 reserved [under the two acts] for rewards
for Indian scalps and prisoners only £3,979: 10: 0 had been spent, and of the
£3,000 set aside to cultivate friendship with the Cherokee Indians, none had
been spent (p. 59).