Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 425

ago The Rev^d M^r Alien applied to Me for a Lycence or
Authority to officiate there either by Himself or Curate hoping
that he should by that means be able to secure to Himself the
Income of that Parish without relinquishing this, of which he
will continue Rector until some other is inducted, sensible of
your Ldps great Regard for M^r Alien I readily granted his
Request but at the same time I am not without Apprehen-
sions that the Vestry & Parishioners of one parish or the
other will when the time for settling Accounts comes oppose
his Receipt of the Thirty p^r poll & make him have Recourse
to Law in order to try for it, Should that be the Case I shall
not be surprized if some of the Busy Men in the Lower House
of Assembly who eagerly watch for pretences to clamour take
it up as a publick Matter & complain of it as a Grievance, My
Fears may perhaps be groundless & will I hope prove so but
I thought it my Duty to communicate them to your Ldp as I
have already to M^r Alien who flatters himself that no Stir will
be made about the Affair & intimated to Me that if the
Assembly should concern themselves he supposed my telling
them that what had been done had been done by your Ldp's
Instruction would be a sufficient Answer to them, but in that
I could not agree with him, nor would I without your Lord-
ships express Orders give any such Reason for my Proceed-
ings. As Tobacco is likely to sell high the Thirty p^r poll in
S^J James's Parish together with the Annual Value of two
Glebes & a parsonage House that belong to it will fall very
little if at all short of £300 stg & if it should I would myself
readily make it up that Sum till a better living becomes
vacant rather than he should give any Opening for Complaint
or Uneasiness in either Parish, if your Ldp on considering
what I have taken the liberty to write should think M^r Alien
had better relinquish his pretensions to One of the Parishes in
case the Vestries do not readily come into his proposal, the
least Hint from your Ldp will I am satisfied have its due
Weight, but really I am somewhat afraid lest such Advice
from Me should be construed as an Unwillingness to serve
him to the full Extent of your Ldps Instructions, tho I declare
I have already gone & shall always be ready to go greater
Lengths to serve him than I would do for any other Person
whatever not having the honour to stand so high in your Ldps
favour. By a Letter I have lately received from Mess^rs Mason
& Dixon I find they had extended the Line to the Westward
of the Monongahela & expect to finish it this year tho it will
probably be very late first, their Steward is to come to me the
ninth of next Month when M^r Dulany M^r Jordan & I are to
attend the Sale of Conegocheague Mannour in Frederick
County & perhaps I may before I return see the Surveyors

Letter Bk. V