Letter Bk. III
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power; I must therefore yield to all their Absurdities & let
dear-bought Experience convince them that there is no im-
mediate Connection between Tobacco planting & Military
Affairs & that the Knowledge of one does not always imply
Skill or Experience in the other. I have writ to the Secretary
of State to acquaint him with our deplorable Situation & the
Inability of the people to take effectual Measures for their own
preservation, 1 have intimated to him that the Assembly have
resolved to grant £40,000 for His Majesty's Service & the De-
fence of the Province but that fearing they might involve them-
selves in greater Expences than the Circumstances of their Con-
stituents can bear if they had impowered me to raise any con-
siderable Body of Men they have restrained the Number to 200,
tho I could easily raise 700 or 800 from among the Inhabitants
if the Assembly would grant Money for that purpose; I have
inclosed the Letter to Lord Baltimore as I am ordered to do
all that I write to the Ministry, but as it will be presented Mr
Fox soon after you receive this, possibly you may make as
good a use of it as if you had it to deliver yourself. I delay
writing to lennings till I know the Determination of the Lower
House of Assembly on a matter which concerns myself & him
& about which he writ to me; but if your Fears about him
have proved groundless he shall receive a Letter by the next
Ship that sails —
[Sharpe to Fox.]
3d of May 1756
Rt Honble
In Obedience to your Commands signified in a Lettr which I
did myself the honour to acknowledge my Receipt of the 8th
of March I am now to inform you that soon after my Return
from N York where I had been attending General Shirley last
Novr & Decemr I convened the Assembly of this Province &
laying before them the General's Plan of Operations exhorted
& pressed them to contribute as much as was in their power
towards carrying it into Execution, & to provide for the
Defence & Security of the Frontiers of this Province on
which some parties of Indians had begun to make Incursions.
After having sat some weeks they voted about £25,000 Stg for
His Majesty's Service & have been since preparing a Bill for
that purpose. They intend to appropriate part of the Money
for building a Fort on the Frontiers of this Province &
garrisoning it with 200 Men, but as the Fort is to be 60 Miles
on this Side Fort Cumberland & the Men to be all disbanded
next Winter, I am afraid the Money will be expended without
contributing much to the Security of the Inhabitants of this
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