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426 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. IV
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Cause he would wish to serve than lest he should be deficient
in Point of Duty. His Abilities as a Lawyer cannot be ques-
tioned & by this means he will I suppose be ever a Check on
Mr Dulany of whom however he is perhaps too suspicious &
jealous as they have always been at Enmity, but as there is no
Man who is not liable to Error & those of a warm Temper are
generally more liable than others, I shall never think it right to
surrender myself up even to this Gentleman as to a Pilot, tho
I assure you his opinion in matters of Law will always deter-
mine me; & his Advice in other Affairs will have great
Weight unless upon examining his Propositions cooly & con-
sidering them maturely, I see good Cause to decline carrying
them into Execution. What induced my Predecessors to rec-
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p. 112
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ommend several of the other members of the Council I do not
know, but imagine it could not be on Account of their extra-
ordinary Abilities for scarcely any of them except Mr Thomas
whose Understanding & Capacity were never questioned have
ever taken upon themselves to pen a common Message yet all of
them except Mr Thomas enjoy Lucrative Offices, & as it pleased
the late Ld Proprietary to destinguish them by peculiar marks
of Favour I shall only say that if they are now found deficient
either in Point of Understanding or Affection to the Ld pro-
prietary I hope their Failure or Defects will not be attributed
to me who had no hand in their Promotion. I now proceed
to consider your Scheme for gaining & securing a Majority
in the Lower House of Assembly, which it supposes may
be done by Conferring the Offices of Sheriffs, Deputy Sur-
veyors & Deputy Commissaries on such Members as should
be tractable enough to follow the Directions which it might be
thought fit to give them. That it would be good Policy to
reward if possible every one of the Delegates that act a mod-
erate Part in the Lower House & manifest a good Disposition
to preserve Order & promote the Prosperity of the Province
is my sincere Opinion & I have adopted & pursued this
measure as often as it lay in my power but that hath not
always been the Case. You know Sir that I have at times
been obliged to bestow Sheveralties & other Offices in Obedi-
ence to His Ldp's or Your Instructions on Persons who not
only had not Interest enough to be Elected themselves but
also espoused the Interest of Such (being some how connected
with them) as were known to be Enemies to good Order &
the Proprietary Governt Many have also been appointed at
the Sollicitation of His Ldp's Agent whose Recommendations
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p. 113
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you once hinted to me that His Ldp hoped I paid due Regard
to. Several have been promoted at the Instance of Mr Tasker
whom also I have understood from some of Your Letters
that His Ldp was desirous I should oblige, & indeed I had
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