158 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

taken the liberty to suppose they are much the same, & then
to conclude that the Seeds of continual Discord must be sown
with the first principles of Proprietary Governments as if there
were Disputes in such Governments only when in fact the
warm Contests in many of the other Colonies & even in Great
Britain at this very time shew that his Observation cannot
with any degree of propriety be confined to Pennsylvania &
this Province. The Itch of Scribbling having for some time
infected the Philadelphia Politicians is at last brought into this
Province, for you will by an inclosed Pamphlet entitled " Re-
marks" &c. perceive that some Person or other acquainted
with our Assembly's Transactions & prompted as he would
have it supposed by a true Zeal for Liberty & the Welfare of
the Province has taken an Opportunity when Men's Passions
were rouzed by the Pamphlets published in Pennsylvania to
revive an Affair which upon the Assembly's passing it over in
Silence last Session was almost forgotten here & to take the
Upper House severely to Task for the Message they sent to
the Lower at the End of the Session held in April 1762, by
the way throwing a good Deal of Dirt at M^r Bordley & M^r
Ridout in particular the supposed Penmen but in that Suppo-
sition they were quite mistaken for the latter had not the least
Concern in it being at that time employed in drawing the
long Message which I communicated to the Lower House
the 23^d of April in that Session & also the long Address
of the Upper House to Me bearing Date the 24^th of
the same Month. As you have already in your posses-
sion a Copy of the Address which the Gentlemen of
the Council severally signed & presented to me on its
being intimated to them that it had been suggested the
Appointment of M^r Ridout to a Seat in the Council was by no
means agreeable to them I shall not say any thing more on
that head presuming that both His Ldp & yourself were
thereby perfectly satisfied of the Falsehood of such a Sugges-
tion now repeated in the Pamphlet, & as you could not after
perusing my Letters dated the 17^th of October 1760 19^th of
April 1761, 15^th of Feb^y & 11^th May 1762 be at a loss to
account for the pains which had been taken by some to lessen
M^r Ridout in His Ldp's & your opinion while at the same
time they were as wickedly employed here in representing
him as a person too much devoted to His Lordships Service
to entertain a good Wish for the Welfare of the Province, I
thing it unnecessary to make any farther Observations on that
part of the Remarks which appears to be particularly level'd
at him than that while the Author seems anxious to have it
believed that the Rest of the Council were dissatisfied at
having that Gentleman among Them he represents him as