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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 491
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the Loss of Oswego. I now transmit you a Copy of my Speech
at the Opening of the Session together with the answers of both
Houses thereto, from that of the Lower a Stranger would be
apt to conclude that part of the £40,000 was immediately
appropriated to the uses I desired & that e'er this an End has
been put to the Session. This however is by no means the
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Letter Bk. I.
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Case for we are but just now proceeding to Business a whole
Fortnight having elapsed before the Gentn of the Lower House
were convinced that Oswego was certainly lost & that Lord
Loudoun was in earnest when he made Application to us for
a Number of Recruits for the Royal American Regiment.
They have at length framed a Bill for appropriating £5000
agreeable to His Ldp's Requisition & another Sum towards
compleating Fort Frederick & raising a third Company of 100
Men for the better protection of our Frontier Inhabitants.
The Bill is to have a second Reading this Day & will I sup-
pose to morrow or next Day be sent to the Upper House for
their Concurrence. A Bill is also brought in for better regu-
lating the Militia but as it has not yet been the Subject of
Debate I cannot say what will be its Fate. I am sure the Situ-
ation of Affairs in America & the Circumstances of this & the
neighbouring Provinces in particular makes a good Militia
Law exceedingly expedient but the people in general are very
averse to every Law of that Sort & their Sense I doubt will
determine their Representatives. Mr Hammond who is a
Leading Man in the House says he thinks it would become
them to recommend it to the people to provide themselves
with Arms & to learn to use them but that every Step farther
than that would abridge the Liberty to which as Englishmen
they have an inviolable Right. As Lord Loudoun was very
importunate for a Number of Men & was pleased to assure me
in his Letter that whatever Expence I should be at in raising
them He would see me reimbursed I writ to the Colonels of
Militia & some other Gentn in different Parts of the Province
& desired them to exert themselves on such an Occasion,
I have not yet received Returns from all of them but I have
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p. 233
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good reason to think that I shall by this Step get about 100
Voluntiers for His Ldp while our Assembly has been consid-
ering as they say in what manner they can best promote the
Recruiting Service. As they have in some Sort approved of
the measures I have taken in Compliance with His Ldp's
Request I hope they will not refuse to repay me the Bounty
Money I have advanced, tho really after what they have already
done I could not be much surprized at such a Resolution.
We are told that the Virginians have voted 500 Men for the
Royal Americans to be raised immediately, but they have in
vain been endeavouring these two years to compleat the Com-
panies that were voted for the immediate Protection of their
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p. 234
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