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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 201
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Service which however will not be all raised till that time
twelvemonth. Goverr Dinwiddie had also received £10000 from
England with Liberty to draw Bills for as much more out of
which he promised to remit all his Officers money immediately
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Letter Bk. II.
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to go Recruiting & flattered himself with hopes of being
able to Muster 500 or 600 Men in Virga in a month or 6
weeks from that time. Upon my Return to Annapolis I
called a new Assembly to meet the 10th of Decemr with
sanguine hopes of finding them well disposed to grant suffi-
cient Supplies & in the intervening time I paid a Visit to
the Independant Companies who were encamped & building
themselves a kind of Fort & Barracks at Wills-Creek.
On my way I called at Alexandria where the Virginians were
quartered & to my Concern found that a very trifling Sum of
Money had been sent thither of which 6 or 8 Officers were to
have a Dividend & disperse themselves into the Country to com-
pleat their respective Companies. Being well assured from
Experience that little Success could be expected from their
Endeavours unless they were more liberally supplied with
Money I advanced them 98 pistoles & gave one of them
Liberty to draw on me for more money in proportion to his
Success which I expected Governor Dinwiddie would repay
me out of the Virga Fund, how little my first Visit to Wills
Creek encreased my hopes of being able to succeed in any
Attempt on the Enemy or to execute my Commission with any
Reputation I before hinted to you, scarce a Morsel of Pro-
vision was laid in but what I had ordered Cresap to provide,
indeed so great was the Scarcely of Flour at the Camp when
I arrived there that unless I had given Cresap Orders to
supply the Independant Companies from his Store they must
actually have deserted the Fort they had built in a Day or two
for want of Bread & I suppose you will not entertain a very
high Opinion of the Troops that I was to command when I tell
you that out of one of the Independant Companies only Sr
Iohn St Clair on reveiwing them has discharged more than 40
as unfit for Service. At my Return I acquainted Governor
Dinwiddie with the State of those Affairs & desired him to
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p. 76
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take some measures to recover if possible the publick Credit
which was sunk to the lowest Ebb, by the Inability or negli-
gence of the Chief Commissary of Stores & a parcel of Dirty
Fellows that being employed as his Deputies had contracted
Debts with the Country people for a thousand pounds &
upwards without making any payments. I also writ to the Com-
manding Officer of the Virga Troops to prepare to march on a
certain Day for the Camp where they may be employed in
building Store Houses & in any other Services, the 9th of
Decr I returned to Annapolis the Assembly mett the Day fol-
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p. 77
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