Letter Bk. I.
p. 259
p. 260
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[Sharpe to Calvert.]
23d of Feby 1757 at Philadelphia & transmitted by the Packett
from N York —
Sir
In my last dated the 4th Inst. I informed you that the Earl of
Loudoun had thought proper to require my Attendance here
at this time when he expected the Governors of Virga & the
Carolinaes as well as of this Province would meet & have an
Interview with him. Agreeable to His Ldp's Desire Goverr
Dobbs Mr Dinwiddie & Myself are come hither & have been
some Days expecting His Ldp from Boston whither he went
immediately on his leaving Albany to lay as is supposed his
plan of Operations for the next Summer before the Governors
or Legislatures of the five Eastern Colonies & to prevail on
them if possible to grant him such Supplies & Assistance as
they can respectively afford & as His Ldp thinks he might
stand in need of. What were His Ldp's propositions to them
or his Expectations from them We know not but it is said that
they have come readily into His Ldp's Measures. The Assem-
bly of N York is now sitting & it is presumed that they will
not shew less Inclination to support His Ldp & promote His
Majestys Service than the New England Gentn have done but
no Body ventures to entertain such sanguine Expectations of
the Colonies that lye to the Southward. The Assembly of this
Province has been some time & is still sitting to very little pur-
pose being resolved as it should seem to give up the Province
to the Enemy rather than provide for its Defence by such a
Bill as Governor Denny finds himself at Liberty to accept.
Inclosed I send you a Copy of the Minutes of their late Pro-
ceedings which are just published & by what I can learn they
are now acting over the same Part that these Minutes give an
Account of. Mr Norris a Quaker their Speaker & Mr Franklin
one of their Members are about to embark for England to
represent the unhappy Situation of the Province to the Parlia-
ment, to exonerate the Assembly as they say of the Blame that
has been unjustly thrown on them & to expose the Iniquity
(according to their Language) of Proprietary Instructions.
To enable their Ambassadors to execute this important Trust
they have given them £2000 & whatever farther Sum they
may on their Arrival in England stand in need of or require is
to be advanced that Matters may at length be brought to a
final Issue & all Occasions of Dispute hereafter be removed by
an Act of the British Legislature. I need not tell you after
what I have often observed that this Step of the Pensilvanians
will be much applauded in Maryland & indeed I shall not be
surprized at our Assembly's asking why they may not have
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