Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 539

The loss of Oswego is a bad Event & opens the way for the
Enemy's March to annoy the frontiers of the Southern Prov-
ince; also relative to y^rs of the 3^d of Nov^r concerning the
Assembly's extragant demands on his Lord^p he is well Inform'd
thereof by their proceeding i. e. the L. H — their ill will & the
other Colonies preversness against defence of themselves &
his Majesty's Dominions in America will bring on them the
Authority of Parliament, for obliging them to contribute their
respective Quota's & to exert their united fforce in Defence of
themselves & the Soveraign, The spies taken off ffort Cum-
berland, their Intelligence I hope has proved of Advantage
his Lord^p approves of y^r Presentation to the Rev^d M^r M^cPher-
son to W^m & Mary Parish in Charles County, conformable to
his Instruction.
In y^rs of the 23^d of Feb^y last from Philadelphia you mention
y^rs the 4^th of that Instant, which is not come to hand, nor the
Inclosed Copy of the Assembly of Pensilvania Proceedings.
The Complainants of that Province are not arrived.
By my Lord is shipp'd, Consign'd to you on Board the Ves-
sells call'd the Sally, & Iohn & Ann, the Masters Iohn lohns-
ton & ludson Coolidge, bound for Patapsco & Patuxent Rivers
in Maryland, Mark'd F. L. B. is put on Board each viz^t forty
Barrells of Bullets & Twenty Barrells of Gunpowder for the
use of the Province und^r your Directions. — M^r Stuart has been
again this year with Complaint on the Duty he charges by the
Naval Officers that is Collected by them on Convicts, by the
Act for raising six Thousand pound for his Majesty's service,
.... seem'd perplex'd what to do ? He told me, the Duty
Collected was Tantamount in Effect a prohibition to the Acts
of Parliament, the Authorities he transported & disposed of
them: I answ^d I couldn't perceive his Authorties were any
way Questioned by the Maryland Act, nor could I conceive his
Authorities meant, on Gain by Traffick of them to Barr with
fforce of excluding such Dues in Common with the Subject, in
Support of his Majesty's Crown & Dignity & the Primary Law
of Nature — Self Defence! But of this his Lord^p was Judge,
with Appeal to His Majesty in Council. — Since, he has pre-
sented his memorial of Complaint to the proprietor, who has
referred it for Advice to S^r Robert Henley His Majesty's
Attor^y Gen^l His wrangling Occaisioned by the opinion of the
Provincial Lawyers to the Naval Officers for requiring the
Duty, obscure by the Law, tends to the disquiet of the Pro-
prietor, the Province, to you the Lieu^t Govern^r Naval Officers
& all parties Concerned, from a measure set into Debate.
A Petition by Iohn Beadnall of Queen Ann's County in
Maryland stiling himself Clerk, has been presented the Lord
proprietor setting forth inter al^s viz^t . ." towards the close of