546 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. V

People of the Province are more or less interested they might
take the liberty to scrutinize & perhaps to dispute my Qualifi-
cations. Had M^r Allen I say talk't to me in this strain on
my refusing to admit him to the Agency what Answer could I
have given him. Had he been appointed Commissary where
could he have procured the two sufficient Sureties having
visible Landed Estates to the Value of £3000 to join with
him in the Bond directed by Act of Assembly to be given pre-
vious to the Commissary's entering upon his Office when
upon being appointed Agent he could only offer as his Secu-
rity M^r Merewether of Virginia whom he had engaged as his
Clerk, & who had not the smallest Landed Estate in this
Province or any where else that I have heard of. Upon the
whole I am clearly of Opinion that there was infinitely more
propriety in appointing M^r Allen His Ldp's Agent than Com-
missary General, the latter Office he could not have executed
by Deputy but it was very possible for him to get for a hand-
some Salary a Person in every respect qualified to do or assist
him in doing the Business of the Agents Office, & in case of
any little Slips he would not be responsible to the whole Prov-
ince, while too the Board of Revenue here would rectify any
Errors & be always ready to advise him. Having already
touched on that part of your Letter which seems to imply that
by the Appointment of M^r Allen to the Agency Col^o Lloyd
was abruptly dismissed when His Ldps Intention was to have
parted Civilly with him, I shall only add that by such Appoint-
ment I rather obliged than disobliged him ; he had as you say
in your Letter of the 13^th of August 1767 before that time
desired you to advise My Lord of his Intention to resign, he
had lately express't to me an earnest Desire to be quit of His
Ldp's Affairs & was determined that none with whom he was
intimately connected should ever be concerned with them
again, as M^r Jordan it seems was given to understand when
he offered the Colonels Son to procure for him the Agency if
his Father would only continue in the Office long enough for
him to write to My Lord on his Behalf. As I fear I have
already tired your Patience while I have been endeavouring
to excuse Myself for issuing the Commission to M^r Allen I
shall be very short with respect to the other Step by which I
have been so unfortunate as to incur His Ldps Displeasure.
After Col^o Lloyd had given Major Jenifer (his Deputy in
Annapolis) to understand that he should resign his two Offices
as soon as a final Settlement could be made between him &
the Commissioners authorized to audit his Accounts, M^r Tasker
the late President applied to me on the Major's Behalf desiring
he might be appointed Keeper of the Rent Roll, I answered
that I was satisfied no Person in the Province was better