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284 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. II.
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Companies may now be posted, but by what I can find the
French may make themselves Masters thereof at a very small
Expence & without much Difficulty just when they please,
unless some of the Indians should insist on its being a place of
Neutrality as they did during the late war between the two
Crowns: should the Indians appear less desirous of reserving
that place to the English at present (which indeed I am some-
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p. 142
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what suspicious will be the Case) I apprehend the French will
immediately dispossess us thereof as soon as they hear of your
Arrival & that they have some thing to fear on Account of their
late acquired possessions on the Ohio, had the General used
less Dispatch in marching to Fort Du Quesne & employed his
Men in making places of Defence at proper Distances as they
marched the Enemy would have been kept in Suspence on the
Ohio while things were carried on more privately to the North-
ward & till a Descent could have been made by water on
Niagara but as General Braddock thro the impatience of the
young people about him as 'tis said hurried on too fast & mis-
carried so early in the Summer I am afraid there are e'er this
more Troops at the Streight than Shirley is able or will under-
take to deal with. Colonel Johnson I see by the Northern
papers conceiving himself too weak to invest the French Fort
at Crown Point is employing his Men in raising another about
20 Miles on this side thereof till he can be reinforced from the
New England Governts. to whom he has made his Situation
known & sollicited immediate Succours. I inclose you our
last Gazette which contains all the News we have lately
received from Boston, which makes us flatter ourselves with
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p. 143
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hopes that Admiral Boscawen will not let the Fleet that is at
Louisburg escape in a Condition to do much mischief. About
a month ago Governor Innes writ to me intimating that he
thought Fort Cumberland would be attacked by a Body of
French & Indians that had been discovered by one of his
Scouting Parties, at the Meadows; Was the Enemy to make
such an Attempt I am apt to think they would find little diffi-
culty in making a Conquest, for from 300 provincials that were
left to garrison the Fort when Dunbar marched with the
Regular Troops scarcely 100 remain which we must attribute
to the Opinion they entertain that being no longer in Conjunc-
tion with Regular Troops they are no longer Subject to the
penalties of the Mutiny Bill & tho we & their Officers should
entertain different Sentiments yet the Offenders could not be
brought to condign punishment because none of the Officers
are vested with a power to hold general Courts Martial. You
may learn from Mr Calvert (to whom I have sent their
proceedings to what a length the Dispute has been carried
between Governor Morris & his Assembly, that nothing is to
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