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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 161
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to join will be about 500, which Number he proposed to increase
to 700 or 800 but I know not whether this last Letter from
home will not make him decline it as there are thereby no
Directions given how they are to be formed, or on what footing
or Establishment they are to be raised, this Doubt & ignorance
makes us wait with impatience the Arrival of those Regiments
& farther & particular Instructions from His Majesty: as to
levying any number of Men I conceive we shall not find it
difficult especially as the Assemblies of this Province & Vir-
ginia have passed a Sort of Press Act, but the Difficulty will
be to get money from the Assemblies to support them after
they are raised; indeed this I look upon as impracticable or
not to be expected without the Legislature of Great Britain
shall make a Law to be binding on all these several Colonies
& oblige them to raise such a Fund, as may be thought expe-
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Letter Bk. I.
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dient for the Support of their own Troops. This is all the Intelli-
gence I can send your Ldp as to these publick Transactions &
the present posture of Affairs beside an Account of the Assem-
blies of New York & the Jersies having refused to grant any
Supplies unless their respective Govrs will consent to a new
Emission of Paper Money which it seems they are both by His
Majesty's Instructions positively forbid to do without a sus-
pending Clause till His Majesty's Approbation can be signified.
As to your Ldp's private Interest I am greatly concerned at
being obliged to acquaint your Ldp that it will be I am afraid
considerably affected by these Disturbances & the Danger
that appears to threaten Us, to advance the price of any of
your Ldp's Land that remains unsold will I doubt be rendered
impracticable & the Vicinity of the Enemy to the frontier
Counties where most of the Vacant Land lies has already very
sensibly lessened the number of Applications to your Ldp's
Land Office; but I have the pleasure to acquaint your Ldp
that I have a prospect of being able to advance the Rent
of your Ldp's mannour in this County from £3. 15 to £5.p
100 Acres as the Leases under which the Tenants at present
occupy terminate. I am &c.
[Sharpe to Calvert.]
Iany 12. 1755.
Sir
I am not a little sorry at being obliged to acquaint you that
I have found the Apprehensions I intimated to you in my two
last Letters but too well founded, as you will learn from the
perusal of the Journals of the Upper & Lower Houses pro-
ceedings last Session which I take this Opportunity of trans-
mitting. I am persuaded that when the Vote for granting the
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p. 103
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