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Letter Bk. III
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Sir is the Situation of the Officers that have commanded the
Maryland Troops since the 8th of Octr last when the Money
which had been granted by the Assembly for their Support
was entirely expended, I am persuaded Your Excellency
will think their Case extreemly hard & I flatter myself you
will if possible relieve them from their Distress.
With respect to Mr Ross who has victualled the Garrisons
at Fort Cumberland & Fort Frederick & furnished the friendly
Indians that have come thither with Provisions Liquor & a
few necessaries, his Case is worse than that of any of the
Officers, as the Sums which he has expended & the Debts
that he hath been obliged to contract to victual the Troops &
support the Indians in pursuance of Colo. Stanwix's Letter &
on the Encouragement which I gave him amount to much
more than the Pay of a single Company; I do not indeed
know what is the exact Sum that is due to him at this time
but the Expence of carrying Provisions to Fort Cumberland
for the Garrison ever since Captain Dagworthy has had the
Command there must have been very considerable as the
Distance from our Frontier Settlements to that place by the
old Waggon Road was near 100 miles. The Expence like-
wise of supporting the Indians that have come to Fort Cum-
berland & F. Frederick since the 12th of May 1757 when Colo
Stanwix gave Orders to Capt Dagworthy & Capt Beall to
support & cherish them as had been usual on the Frontiers of
these Colonies must have been very considerable. I suppose
these two Articles together with a Hospital Account might
amount to£2000 Currency & that the Expence of Victualling
our Troops from the 8th of Octr to the End of this Month will
amount to near twice as much. A sum much greater I am
confident than Mr Ross is worth & unless Yr Excelly shall com-
misserate his Condition & think of some method to relieve
him he must I am persuaded be inevitably ruined. Should
Your Excellency upon considering what I have now submitted
to you think fit to give any Orders for the Payment of the
Officers or Mr Ross I will with Your Approbation order the
Muster Rolls to be laid before any Person that might be
appointed by your Excellency to receive them & I will also
order Mr Ross to wait upon him with his several Accounts
made out & proven after such Method as may be required &
as he can conform to. I should have observed to Your Ex-
cellency that altho my late Applications to our Assembly for
Supplies have not had the desired Effect yet they did in an
Address which they presented to me the 17th of April last
speak of the Troops that were then at F. Cumberland & F.
Frederick as in the Pay of this Province, & they engaged as
it were to pay them whenever a Bill should pass for raising
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