& Indians & he is raising two Companies of Rangers accord-
ingly, from our receiving no Letters from the General since
those dated the 22 of Iune we Apprehend that those Indian
Parties have cut off the Communication between him & Fort
Cumberland & taken the Carriers. I am about to depart for
Frederickton (where I have given Orders for all the Military
Officers of that Cty to meet) to try what can be done with the
Militia for the Defence & Protection of our distant Inhabitants,
I propose to draft a Company of 60 or 80 from the Militia by
Lot & oblige them to keep ranging on the Frontiers for a few
Months without any Pay. Provisions they must impress &
take it where it can be found & if money be ever granted, the
People from whom it is taken must be satisfied for the same.
Unless some such Step be taken The people will not be per-
suaded to stay on their plantations being already struck with
an universal pannick — The Representatives fur Frederick &
some of the other Ctys on this side the Bay would have gladly
done any thing to obtain Assistance & protection but as the
Gentn whose Counties are not so immediately exposed did not
so sensibly feel for the Sufferings of the poor people as they
would were they less retired from Danger all propositions for
an Accommodation were vain & fruitless. The Laws are
transcribed as low down as 1 749 so that I hope to have them
bound & fit to be sent by the very next Opportunity —
[Sharpe to Baltimore.]
Iuly 9th 1755 —
My Ld
Inclosed is a Duplicate of the last Lettr that I took the Lib-
erty to address to your Ldp & I heartily wish the Contents of
what I am now writing were more agreeable than the news
that I then communicated. When the Gentn of the Lower
House came to the Resolutions that your Lordship was before
advised of I was not without hopes that they would fall on
some unexceptionable Means to raise a small Sum of Money
for the protection of your Lordships Tenants who are exposed
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p. 138
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