[Amherst to Sharpe.]

New York 28^th March 1759
Sir:
With my Dispatches from M^r Secretary Pitt, this moment
received by the Hallifax Packet, came the Enclosed for You,
by which you will see, that the King has been pleased to direct
me, and Brig^r General Forbes, to lose no time in concerting
the properest and speediest means for compleatly restoring,
if possible, the ruined Fort du Quesne, to a defensible and
respectable state, or for Erecting another in the room of it, of
sufficient strength, and every way adequate to the great im-
portance of the several Objects of maintaining his Majesty's
Subjects in the undisputed Possession of the Ohio; of effect-
ually cutting off all Trade and Communication this way,
between Canada and the Western and Southern Indians; of
protecting the British Colonies from the Incursions to which
they have been Exposed since the French built the above
Fort, and thereby made themselves Masters of the Navigation
of the Ohio; and of fixing again the several Indian Nations
in their Alliance with, and dependance upon, His Majesty's
Government; — for all which wise and good purposes, it is His
Majesty's pleasure that You should use Your utmost Endeav-
ors with Your Council and Assembly to induce them to Exert
every means in their Power for Collecting and forwarding the
Materials of all Sorts, and the Workmen which shall be wanted,
and which the Commander in Chief in North America, or
Brig^r General Forbes, shall require for this Service; and that
Your Province do also furnish Every other Assistance of Men,
Cattle, Carriages, Provisions, &ca. &ca. that shall be necessary
for the support and maintenance the King's Forces, that shall
be Employed in this Essential Work, as well as in all farther
Operations to be undertaken in those parts the Ensuing Cam-
paign.
These Directions being so full and Explicit, leaves me
nothing further to add to them, than my warmest Wishes and
hopes that they will meet with a speedy and vigorous Execu-
tion, as well on the part of Your Province as of those of Vir-