Provisions. I shall order him to leave 120 of our Men as
Detachments from his & the other Companies & as soon as
our Troops can be augmented to 500 as proposed, the
Detachments shall if you think proper amount to 250 to be
relieved monthly as I have already intimated. I shall order a
Surgeon to remain at Fort Cumberland & a Person will also
reside there to deliver out Provisions to the Detachments;
if Provisions should be wanted for the Command that you may
order thither Mr David Ross who victuals our Troops will if
you please engage to deliver at the Fort any Quantity at as
low a Price as any one can afford. He victuals the Garrison
at Fort Frederick at the Rate of 9s Currency for each Man p
Day, & has given great Satisfaction, he has the Character of
an honest Man & will I am persuaded punctually comply with
the Forms of any Contract that he shall enter into. I learn
from Fort Cumberland that there is a considerable Number of
Catawba & Nottoway Indians at that place who are come from
the Southward to act in Conjunction with the Troops that shall
be employed for the Protection & Defence of these Colonies
& by a Letter which I have received from Fort Frederick I find
that 62 Cherokees are come thither with the same Design.
I have ordered the Express to wait for your answer the Receipt
of which will afford much Satisfaction to Sr &c.
[Sharpe to Denny.]
Baltimore 8th May 1757
Dear Sir
I should not have so long delayed to make my Acknowl-
edgments for the Civilities I received at your hands while I
was at Philaa If I could have conceived that our Assembly
would let so many Weeks elapse without coming to some
Resolution upon the Matters that at the Opening of the Ses-
sion I recommended to their Consideration. They have at
length with great Reluctance impowered me to augment the
Troops in the pay of this Province to five hundred Men to act
as they express themselves in Conjunction with the Forces
that may be raised in the Neighbouring Colonies or ordered
to these Parts for His Majesty's Service & the Protection of
the Frontier Inhabitants with this Reserve however that none
of our Officers shall have the Chief Command at Fort Cum-
berland nor any of the 500 Men placed there as a Standing
Garrison. I have endeavoured to convince them of the Impro-
priety of such a Restraint or Prohibition as Lord Loudoun has
already ordered a Detachment of the Maryland Forces thither
but they are deaf to all the Arguments that I can use in favour
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Letter Bk.III
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