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50 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. III
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thence & were very positive that their Number did not at
most exceed 200 or 300. Being told what the Cherokees who
first came in & who gave the Alarm had insisted on they said
that They were Young Men & may have been frightened
at the Report of some Cannon which had been fired at Fort
Du Quesne, that they had probably discovered the Tracks
which the Enemy's party had made or perhaps seen the party
at a Distance & as they may have been much struck with the
Sight their Fears had magnified the Objects that occasioned
their Terror. I presume this might have been the Case or
possibly as there was no Body at Fort Cumberland that was
well acquainted with the Language of the Cherokees the first
party might not have been rightly understood & the Alarm
might have been owing entirely to the want of an Interpreter
at that place. As I perceived by Capt Dagworthy's second
Letter that he did not beleive that the French were marching
any considerable Body this way I immediately countermanded
the Orders that I had before given to the Militia & so our
Expedition ended without occasioning any Expence to this
Province except what I gave the Persons that were sent
Express with my Letters. I have since heard that they were
in the utmost Consternation at Phila while the Alarm con-
tinued & as Colo Washington had forwarded the Letter that
he had received from Fort Cumberland to Governor Dinwid-
die the Inhabitants of that Province were much more disturbed
than our people & as the Governor ordered the Militia of
several of the Lower Counties to march & by not being on
the Frontiers could not countermand his Orders till some
Days afterwards the Alarm must prove an expensive one to
that Colony. As the Pensa Assembly has thought proper to
observe to Govr Denny that the Embargo was taken off here
before it was in some of the other Colonies, perhaps it might
be asked at home how that happened, I would conclude this
Letter with a particular Account of that Affair but as I have
already detained the Person who waits for it longer than I
intended when I begun to write I must beg leave to refer you
to the inclosed Letter which is a Copy of one that I sent to
Ld Loudoun, & shall only observe farther that altho Governt
Dinwiddie has not yet intimated to me that the Embargo is
taken off in Virga I advised Goverr Denny as well as Ld Lou-
doun of its being taken off in this province so soon as I had
complied with the Request of the Council to do so.
I am with the greatest sincerity
P. S. I will endeavour to get Dr Sr
you some wild Turkies, & Your obliged & most affe Br
will also send you some
American Seeds before the
next Season for sowing them.
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