Correspondence of Governor Sharpe, 547

qualified for that Office than the Gentleman he recommended,
that I thought his Services to the Government & his Behaviour
towards the Ld Proprietary & Myself entitled him to it, &
that I should not fail to write to My Lord or yourself in his
favour which you may remember I did in my Letter of the
29^th of Nov^r. Surprized at your telling me that Major Jenifer
informed you by a Letter bearing Date so long ago as the
25^th of Dec^r that I had then appointed him Keeper of the
Rentalls on the Western Shore I communicated to him that
part of your Letter whereupon he assures me that he never in
his Life wrote to you till the 25^th of March last (& that the
Letter was not transmitted before April) when it seems he
informed you that I had (viz on that very Day) authorized him
to take Charge of the Rent Roll & express't his hopes that
thro your good Offices he might be continued Keeper of it.
On Colonel Lloyds Resignation it was necessary that some
Persons should be appointed to keep the Rent Roll & it was
not till after M^r Allen had refused it that I desired Major
Jenifer as I express't myself to you the 24^th of Feb^ry "to take
Charge of it till His Ldp's Pleasure respecting that Office
could be communicated to Me.
Unapprized as I was of His Ldps favourable Intentions
towards M^r Merewether & not knowing on whom he might
be inclined to confer the Office, to whose Custody Could I
more properly commit the Rent Roll than to a Person who
as Deputy to Col^o Lloyd had for some time had the Care of
it, & was experienced in the Business. If it had been His
Ldp's pleasure to continue him I am satisfied he would have
discharged his Duty in such a manner as would have done
Credit to my Recommendation, for he has during the short
time the Rentalls have been in his Keeping done a great deal
towards rendering them perfect, & in my Opinion as much
Assiduity Circumspection & Capacity is necessary for the
Rent Roll Keeper as for the Agent. Without taking notice
of his being a Person generally known & well esteemed
throughout the Province, his unexceptionable Conduct as a
Justice of Peace for many years, as a Member for some time
of the Lower House of Assembly, as a Provincial Justice, &
his Attendance as a Commissioner for running the Boundary
Lines (when Gentlemen enjoying very lucrative Offices excused
themselves from the Trouble) gave him as I conceived some
Pretensions that M^r Merewether cannot yet have & I am apt
to think never will ; however as the Major is in easy Circum-
stances having by a successful Trade considerably increased
his Paternal Fortune he will I hope be as happy without the
Office as if it had been confirmed to him. I am sorry we

were not sooner favoured with your Opinion relative to the

Letter Bk. V