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496 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. III
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£30000 for the King's Use that is for the better Defence of
their own Frontiers for as they had brought themselves £10000
in Debt, the Remainder will at the Rate they have expended
this last year be sunk on their Frontiers in three or four
Months, The Men that were raised for the Defence of that
Province have lately made an Attempt on & reduced an Indian
Town to the Westward of the Allegany Mountains, & it is said
that another Body is marched agst an Indian Town on Beef
River, but as no notice is taken of it in the Pensa Paper I am
afraid the Report is without Foundation. I do not find that
any circumstantial Accot of the Siege or Surrendry of Oswego
has been yet received, but it seems the Intelligence concerning
the Garrison's being put to the Sword is without foundation
tho Govr Dinwiddie has thought proper to mention it in his
Speech to the Virga Assembly as an indisputable fact. In a
Lettr that I have lately received from Sr Iohn St Clair he tells
me that unless the Enemy are very strong indeed he appre-
hends they cannot attempt any thing more this Season to the
Northward with probability of Success but whether Lord
Loudoun & all the Regular & Provincial Troops are to remain
on the Defensive only he does not say tho I am apt to think
that will be the Case as we hear nothing of their being in
Motion. We have not for a Month or Six Weeks been at all
disturbed by the Heathen (as our people call them) but they
have paid the Virginians another Visit & invested Fort Din-
widdie a Stoccade in Augusta County, Colo Washington is
marched from Winchester to it's Releif but I doubt not the
Enemy will have reduced the place or given over their Enter-
prize long before he can come up with them. So much for
general news. I am now to communicate to you something
that more particularly relates to myself & to desire Your good
Offices in case a Set of People whom I have some reason to
suspect should think proper to become my Enemies; You
may remember that I told you in a former Letter that the
Roman Catholicks were much dissatisfied at my having
assented to the Act for granting a Supply of ^40000 for His
Majesty's Service because it imposes a double Tax on the
Lands of all Persons of that persuasion, They are I find
determined to apply to His Ldp or the King in Council for
Releif, & to remonstrate by what I can find agst my Conduct in
assenting to the Bill, in an Extract of a Lettr to Mr Calvert
herewith sent you will see what induced me to do so & I cannot
but think such Reasons will justify my Conduct. They have
given out that one of my Brothers has engaged to espouse
their Cause & to get the Act dissented to, but as you have
never given me a Hint to that purport I am inclined to think
they speak in such a manner with a Design to render me more
suspected of favouring them than I am already: If they had
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