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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 111
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for Courage or military Skill I despair of seeing any of them so:
forward as to offer themselves Voluntiers under my Command
unless the Enemy was to approach so far as actually to deprive
them of their Habitations & Possessions of which alone they
are found tenacious. As to the Six Indian Nations I cannot
persuade myself to have much Confidence in their Fidelity or
rely on them for Aid; they are & have been long wavering
between the two Crowns & tho they should be inclined as
some imagine to support our Interest yet the fear of our
Enemys Strength & Vigilancy deters them from declaring
openly in our Favour: A large Party or Tribe of these People
who inhabit near St Lawrences River are avowedly in the
French Interest & will not hesitate to perpetrate whatever the
French require. In the Engagement that happened last July
between the Virginians & the Garrison of Monongahela or
Dequisne Fort a Considerable Body of these Six Nations who
dwell near the Banks of Ohio & Lake Erie appeared with our
Enemy in Arms against us tho many of their Chiefs & People
were at that time receiving our Presents at Albany & making
with the Commissioners from these several Colonies a League
of Peace & Amity, this & some other of their Transactions
incline me to think that they will never join & assist us heartily
against our Enemies till they perceive that we are an over
match for them ourselves; I beleive they have no real regard
excepting perhaps a very few of them either the French or us
but are awed by & stand in fear of our Power & numbers & I
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Letter Bk. II.
p. 10
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doubt not daily curse their Ancestors for suffering either of us
to so peaceably to possess ourselves of Lands that they call
their ancient Possessions, these that I have above enumerated
together with the want of one Engineer at least & a proper Train
of Artillery are some of the Difficulties that occur to me when
I consider what might be expected from the Commission that
I now bear, & they are such as will not I hope be deemed
trivial ones whatever be the Event of my Endeavours to sur-
mount them. I have however the pleasure to acquaint you
that Governor Dinwiddie has given me the greatest Assur-
ances of his Friendship & firm Resolution to support me as
much as is in his power & as I think no time is to be lost while
the Enemy are making such large Strides to Conquest & have
already made prodigious progress in executing their Grand
Scheme, I will not be a moment Idle but endeavour to mani-
fest, as much as I may be enabled to do, my Duty to His
Majesty, to approve myself not entirely unworthy of the Com-
mission He has honoured me with & to merit the Continuance
of your Regard & Affection
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p. II
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