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310 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. II.
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that on the 12th & 13th Inst. Expresses arrived there from
General Iohnsons Camp on Lake George with Lettrs importing
that a Body of 8000 or 9000 French & Indians had been dis-
covered by his Scouts within 20 Miles of his Encampment or
Fort & advancing towards it, On the Receipt of this Intelli-
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p. 156
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gence the General called Govr Hardy Lieu' Governor Delancey
& all the Field Officers that were at Albany to a Council of
war & on their breaking up Impress- Warrants were issued for
all the Waggons & Horses that could be got to carry Pro-
visions up to the Army. Colo Scuyler with the Jersey Regiment
that was just come to Albany from Oswego & some Provincial
Troops that had with leave left General Iohnson a few Days
before marched towards Lake George to reinforce him & the
two British Regiments were ordered to prepare to follow them,
but General Iohnson intimating in the mean time that such a
motion seemed to him unnecessary & that the Scout's Report
was without Foundation the Orders that General Shirley had
given were countermanded & the People's Apprehensions of
Danger begin to decrease. General Iohnson I suppose will
garrison the Fort that he is building on Lake George with
some of the Men under his Command & send the Rest home
for Winter Quarters. Upon the Indians making Incursions
into Pensa about a month ago & murthering many of the
Inhabitants Govr Morris convened the Assembly of that
Province & intreated them to take some measures to preserve
their Country & enable the People to make some Defence,
the Assembly has been sitting ever since but done nothing
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p. 157
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because the Governor will not pass an Act to tax the Pro-
prietary's Estate as well as those of his Tenants, the Govr
tells me they had sent him a Militia Bill but such a One
as was never thought of in any other Country & seems
to be calculated to answer no Purpose farther than to
amuse the People, thus are we unhappily circumstanced (for
I think I may speak of Maryland as of Pensilvania) & for
want of having these Controversies in some manner deter-
mined the Proprietaries & their Tenants are equal Sufferers.
We impatiently desire to know what Steps will be taken
in Consequence of General Braddocks Defeat & the Issue of
this Campaign, for my own Part I hope not less than four or
five Regiments will be sent over & beleive that that Number
with those that are already here & three or four Thousand
Irregulars will find enough Business on their hands if it
is determined to cut off the Communication between the
Enemy's Northern & Southern Settlements, this Year's
Experience I flatter myself has demonstrated that the Colonies
are not to be depended on for Assistance & unless the People
are obliged by an Act of Parliament to furnish Horses
Waggons &c & to the utmost of their Power to forward any
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