Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 5
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will lay before Council the Case in its present form but that I
submit to you, what I am most anxious to know is whether
I shall be justified in refusing to order the Officer's Bonds to
be put in Suit or whether I must comply with the Assembly's
Request. As Mr Calvert has writ to me frequently about the
Affair & has received several Letters from me on the Subject
he will be able to inform you of any particulars that you may
want to know, wherefore I shall only observe to you farther
than that all the Persons who contract for the Transportation
of Felons from Great Britain except Mr Stetiart of London
have paid the Duty on such as they imported into this Prov-
ince without murmuring & tho it might be justly said that he
is much more affected by the Act than the others because he
transports a much greater Number yet I cannot help thinking
that he ought to have readily submitted to the payment of so
small a Sum when his profitts from trading hither are so
exorbitant. I am &c.
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Letter Bk. III
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[Sharpe to Baltimore.]
29th of May. 1757.
My Ld.
In a Letter dated at Phila3 the 23d of March I told your
Lordship that I expected to meet the Assembly at Annapolis
immediately on my Return thither, but as the Small Pox con-
tinued to rage in this place & as the Gentlemen were too
much afraid of that Distemper to venture where they were
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Letter Bk. I.
p. 265
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liable to Infection, with the Advice of Your Ldp's Council I
prorogued them for a few Days & then convened them to
Baltimore town which was the only Place in the Province
where they could be well accommodated or entertained. In-
closed your Ldp will receive Copies of my Speech at the
Opening of the Session & of the Addresses that were pre-
sented in Answer thereto. I have also sent Mr Calvert the
Titles of all the Acts that were passed, the Acts themselves
being not yet printed. Your Ldp may be pleased to remem-
ber that by the Plan of which I transmitted a Copy from Philaa
500 Men were required & setled as the Quota of Maryland
for the Service of the ensuing Campaign; to this number the
Assembly has with some Reluctance impowered me to aug-
ment the Troops in the pay of this Province & I have accord-
ingly given Orders for raising two Additional Companies, but
I am afraid I shall not see them compleated this Summer tho
by way of Incitement to the Gentlemen who are Recruiting I
have promised the highest Commissions to those that engage
most Men by a certain limitted time. All that remained un-
expended of the £40,000 that was granted last Year is now
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p. 266
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