488 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk V.

me to provide for as soon as I should have an Opportunity,
about the time that the Affair of Pluralities began to make a
Noise in this part of the Province the Vestry of Coventry
Parish lying in Somerset & Worcester Counties which had
become vacant in the year 1766 & in which One M^r Reade
had since officiated as a Curate adopted an Opinion that the
Parishioners as Founders of the Church had the Right of Pat-
ronage & gave out that they would not admit any Rector
unless of the Parishioners Election ; Thinking it my Duty to
check such Pretension sat the Beginning I immediately ordered
an Induction for Coventry to be made out for One M^r Ross
the Rector of a neighbouring Parish less lucrative who had
the Character of a Deserving Man, but when upon his prepar-
ing to remove & take possession of it some threatening Papers
were stuck up at publick Places he was so alarmed that he
repaired to Annapolis & desired me to let him remain in his
old Parish where he had lived in harmony with the People &
I thereupon issued an Induction for Coventry Parish to the
Rev^d M^r Hughs who then officiated as a Curate in Worcester
County & was said to be well respected & esteemed there.
This Gentleman had come into America in the year 1755 as
Chaplain to S^r Peter Halkets Regiment & continued so till
that Regiment returned to Europe ; when he came to this
Province he brought Letters from Gen^l Gage & many other
Gentlemen of Rank recommending him to my notice & as I
knew he had at the Affair of the Monongahela & on other
Occasions behaved with great Spirit I was pretty confident he
was not to be easily frightened & therefore thought him a
very proper Person to send among such a wrong-headed Sett
of People as seemed to have taken the Lead in Coventry
Parish. On his coming hither & applying to M^r Dulany for
His Advice how far he might legally go in order to get pos-
session of the Church in Case the Vestry should lock up the
Doors & refuse to deliver him the Key, M^r Dulany gave
him a long opinion of which M^r Hughs before he left Town
gave me a Copy which as it seems to contain his opinion with
regard to the operation of our Act of Assembly & against the
Canon Law being introduced here I will herewith transmit to
you. As I have not heard any thing to the contrary I presume
M^r Hughs has taken Possession of his Parish & since the Step
I took seem'd to be highly expedient I flatter myself His Ldp
will approve of my inducting M^r Hughs without waiting for
his Instruction to do so. Having in Consequence of what you
wrote to Me on the Occasion of the Death of M^r Hunt desired
the Gentlemen of the Council to tell me whether they appre-
hended His Ldps appointing M^r Osgood Hanbury a Trustee
in his stead to act in Conjunction with M^r Capel Hanbury the