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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 163
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received a Letter from the Secretary of State, the Contents of
which I have taken the Liberty to communicate to his Ldp, &
as it urged me to call the Assembly of this province & procure
Supplies I consulted the Council thereon who advised me not
to meet the Assembly before the time that had been appointed,
as so much time must have been necessarily spent before the
proclamations could be published that the Assembly could not
have met in obedience to them a great many Days before the
time before mentioned. As I conceive you are no stranger to
the several particulars mentioned in Sr Thos Robinson's Letter
respecting the Transportation of Forces hither & who are
appointed to commend, & as I have quoted a great part of the
Letter to His Ldp I will not intrude on your time by my
prolixity on that head farther than to acquaint you that by the
inclosed I acknowledge the Receipt of that Letter, promise to
obey his Majesty's Commands & tell him that I am about to
depart again to the Camp where Ours & the Independant
Companies are & whither I have ordered the Virginia Troops
to march that I may endeavour to bring them under some
Dicipline to which they are as yet pretty much Strangers; &
make some preparations for the Reception of those Regiments
from Europe of whose Arrival we now daily expect to be
informed. I have also inclosed for your perusal & mentioned
them to his Ldp the last Pensilvania Gazetts which are almost
entirely filled with Messages that have passed between Govr
Morris & the Assembly of that province who are still sitting
but are not now expected as Governor Morris informs me to
grant any Supplies at this time more than £5000 for purchasing
provisions & Carriages for the use of the Troops who may
have Occasion to march thro, that province. None of the
Northern Colonies beside New York who gave £5000 some
time since have been prevailed on to grant any Supplies as yet
unless the Jersies can be said to have done so who have given
about £6000 Stg by an Act which it is expected will be dis-
sented to at home. I have writ to His Ldp acquainting him
with the evident Backwardness of the people to apply for Land
to His Ldps Office since these Disturbances have happened
which indeed makes me dispair of being able to advance at
present the price of His Ldp's Lands in the province & I am
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Letter Bk. I.
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apt to think that it will be no easy matter tho we should suc-
ceed against the Enemy, as no doubt Numbers from these
provinces will then flock out to settle on Lands which they will
have on easy Terms & which by the Description given of
them are realy extremely rich & fertil. however I take pleasure
in acquainting you that I have a prospect of being able to
advance the Rent of Arundel Mannour (many Leases on
which are now expiring) from £3. 15 to £5. p 100 Acres, but
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p. 106
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