Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 511

on Monday the 20^th Inst just before the Business of the Ses-
sion was brought to a Conclusion I received by the Post from
New York a Letter from Ld Hillsborough with a Copy of a
Circular Letter said to have been sent by the Boston
Assembly to the Speakers of the other Colony Assemblies
exhorting them to apply by Addresses to His Majesty &c
against the new Act of Parliament imposing Duties here on
Goods imported from Great Britain. In what light this Cir-
cular Letter was seen by the Ministry your Ldp will be able to
judge by my inclosed Message which contains the Substance
of it, & which I apprehended I could not avoid communicating
tho I suspected it would interrupt the harmony which had
before subsisted during the whole Session, at first the Mem-
bers seem'd to be divided about it & to be undetermined
what to do but on Wednesday when all the Acts were ready
for the Fiat the zealous Patriots produced their answer to my
Message or rather to His Ldps Letter in such Terms that had
not the Business of the Session been finished I must have
thereupon put an End to it, to have acted up to His Ldp's
Instruction, & indeed I do not know but I may be now blamed
for not dissolving them, but had I done so it would in my
opinion have answered no other End than to raise a Ferment
here & perhaps in the neighbouring Colonies for the people
would be apt to consider it as a Common Cause, & perhaps
not to have taken the least Notice of this Circular Letter
would have been the best Way to prevent its having the
intended Effect, & if the Assemblies had addressed the King
as it were unanimously in Consequence of it their being
actuated to do so by such Circular Letter might have been
given as a Reason for the Addresses being rejected or disre-
garded which would probably have made the Colonies sick of
the Measure, but as Ld Hillsboroughs Letter seemed to leave
nothing to my own Judgment. 1 immediately on the Receipt
thereof acted agreeably to what I apprehended was his Inten-
tion & I embrace the earliest Opportunity thro your Ldps
hands to give His Ldp an account of my own Conduct & of
the Proceedings of the Assembly. I am &c.

P. S. The other inclosed Lett^r N^o 4 to Ld Hillsborough is
not of material Consequence nevertheless I likewise send
your Ldp a Copy of it.

Letter Bk. V

[Sharpe to Sir William Johnson.]

To Sir William Johnson. Annapolis the 27 June 1768.
Sir
The General Assembly having met here the 24^th of last
Month I communicated to them the two Letters you were

Letter Bk. III