Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 483

his own merit. His Lord^p requests such an Answer from y^r
Excellency as he may be able to shew L^d Essex & his desire
to oblige the Earl makes him Interest himself more than
ordinarily in the business I am with usual respect
Your Excellencys
Most obed^t Faithful Humble
Serv^t Hugh Hamersley

[R. J. Henry to Sharpe.]
Sir
I have the Hon^r of your letter of the 15^th last month, inclos-
ing your Excell^y's Instructions to me as Naval Officer of Poco-
moke, to which I shall pay due regard, and shall endeavour to
have them observ'd by my Deputies. I also rec'd the letters
and papers you were pleas'd to send for my perusal, which
have done and now carefully return them.
I observe by M^r Heron's letter, his Application is to gain
your Excellency's Approbation of moving the Collectors Office
from Wicocomoco to Nanticoke as the Center of Trade: and
. this seems to be inforced by sundry persons request to M^r
Heron and Council's opinion on the Fortieth Instruction to M^r
Heron. I apprehend the Inducement to this Application is
M^r Herons moving his place of Residence from Wico^o in
Somerset County to Dorchester County where he has Pur-
chased a Seat of Land. It is well known to your Excellency
that the District of Pocomoke is of considerable Extent and
particularly Circumstanced in regard to the Inletts upon the
Seaboard side and the many Creeks and Rivers within its
Limitts making out of the Bay of Chesepeak ; and as the
River Nanticoke is the very Extream part of the District to
the Northward, it therefore can by no means be Centrical to
the Trade of the District in General, and should the Custom
House be keep'd at Vienna only it would by no means be
convenient for the Trade in General. True it is that more of
the comon Trading Vessels come into Nanticoke than any of
the other Rivers within this District, but it is as true that the
few ships we have from Great Brittain of late years have all
lay'd in Wicomoco River, and it is probable they may for some
time continue, and there are other Trading Vessels which
frequent that River as well as all the other Rivers in the lower
part of the District, and as it is Impracticable to suit the Office
to the Ease of the Trader in every part of the District, and
forasmuch as the Trade may be fluctuating in Different parts
of it, so the placing the Office as Centrical as conveniently
may be for the Trade of the District in General seems to me
the most Natural Intention of the Instruction.

Original.