22^d of Jan^y 1758
My Ld
As I could not be favoured with Your Ldp's answer to my
last Letter or Your Opinion on the Bill which I was desired
to send Your Ldp a Copy of before the Day on which our
Assembly was to have met I was advised by the Gentlemen
of the Council to prorogue them to the 17^th Inst & since that
to prolong the time of their Prorogation to the 6^th of Feb^y
when I shall lay before them a Copy of Your Lordship's
Letter of the 30^th of Decem^r & endeavour to obtain the neces-
sary Supplies for the Support of the Troops that are at Fort
Cumberland & elsewhere on the Frontiers of this Province.
Soon after I had the pleasure yesterday to receive Your Ldps
Letters I wrote to Capt Dagworthy & other officers of the
Maryland Forces, & gave them some room to expect that
both they & the Men under their Command will receive all
the pay that might be due to them when the Assembly shall
have again met but I declined making them any Promise lest
it should be suspected that I had received Instructions from
Your Ldp to do so; I have likewise wrote to the Person that
has hitherto victualled our Troops & desired him to continue
to Supply them with provisions as well those that are at Fort
Frederick as them that are posted at Fort Cumberland being
convinced by Your Ldp's Letter that you will not Let him be a
Sufferer in case the Assembly should refuse to make him any
Satisfaction. As I am throughly persuaded that our Gentle-
men would never be brought to augment the Maryland
Forces again on any Terms whatever if I was now to reduce
their Number, I shall not since Your Ldp is pleased to leave
that matter entirely to me, make any Alteration or Reduction
till I have once more tried whether the Assembly will come
into reasonable measures or not, but if the Gentlemen of the
Lower House should when they meet again persist in the
Resolution they lately took, I shall immediately advise Col^o
Stanwix thereof that with Your Ldp's Approbation he might
thereupon give orders for three compleat Companies of 100
Men each to be formed out of the best of our Soldiers who
with their proper Officers might remain at Fort Cumberland
as long as your Ldp shall think proper to support them,
while some Companies of Militia take possession of & garri-
son Fort Frederick in the stead of those of our Men that may
be disbanded.