Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 69

Justice of Peace & a Gentleman with whose Conduct in the
Assembly I had great Reason to be satisfied & who is univer-
sally esteemed I told M^r Smith that it was not at present in
my power to gratify him in the manner he desired. As to
M^r M^cLocklin I must inform you that Col^o Lloyd having
recommended him by a Letter wrote before I arrived in the
Province & delivered to me the Day I came on Shore I would
have appointed him Sheriff of Kent County in which he
resided, but as soon as the People were apprized of my Inten-
tion many of the Inhabitants of the County drew up & pre-
sented to me a Petition setting forth that he was in desperate
Circumstances & therefore praying that he might not be
appointed to such an Office ; Convinced upon Enquiry that
there was too much Truth in the Allegation (& indeed he
soon afterwards was broke up) I thought myself obliged to
signify to him that I could not in prudence issue a Commis-
sion to himself but as I had intended him a Kindness I left it
to Col^o Lloyd who recommended him to nominate some other
in his stead whereupon the Colonel mentioned to me a Friend
of M^r M^cLocklin's who was thereupon appointed & I have
understood that M^r M^cLocklin received a Share of the Profits.
Since that time he has acted as a sort of Factor or Store-
keeper for some of his Countrymen & is lately credited with
a Cargo or Store by one M^r M^cLean another of his Country-
men who is setting up for a Tobacco Merchant. In a Letter
I wrote you some time ago I told you that I should appoint a
Son of the M^r Nicholson You recommend Sheriff of Queen
Anns County, what I had then promised I have since per-
formed & he is at present in that Office, which methinks might
have satisfied the Father at least for some time especially as I
had told him the Sheriff's Office of Kent County where he
(the Father) lives hath been long since engaged, besides as he
is Deputy Clerk of Kent County an Office of considerable
Profit to him, it would I think be doing him little Kindness to
make him Sheriff since in that Case he must quit the other for
they are incompatible & not to be executed by the same Per-
son, however when I have fulfilled my Engagement to the
other Gentleman (which was made partly to oblige his Father
in Law whose Behaviour in the Lower House of Assembly I
had reason to be pleased with & partly as a Reward for his
having acted as Clerk to the former Commissioners as well as
those now appointed to run the Divisional Lines) I will not
forget your Recommendation of M^r Nicholson unless you are
Yourself pleased to wave it, to his Behaviour I have no Objec-
tion tho indeed he did upon my Arrival here take some Steps
to frustrate M^r M^cLocklin's hopes & to get the Office for him-
self as I could by no means approve of. 1 will in one of my

Letter Bk. IV