88 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

tunity of returning an answer by a Gentleman of the Army
who tells me he shall set off to morrow morning for New York
in order to go thence to England in the next Packet. We are
indeed not a little embarrassed with this confounded Tangent
for the Surveyors are again at a Stand & have desired the
Commissioners to meet forthwith at the Sixty Mile Post where
it seems the Line they have been lately employed in running
passes at the Distance of 150 feet 6 Inches westward of the
Point it ought by Calculation to have run through, so that if it
was to be continued this Line would probably run farther to
the Westward of the Extremity of the Radius than the Line
run for a Tangent last Summer did to the Eastward of it ; &
how the Error is to be rectified I cannot tell : for my own part
I should as I have before hinted to you be for submitting what
has been already done to the Consideration of our Con-
stituents & waiting their farther Orders but I expect the Penn-
sylvania Gentlemen will still insist on or making other Experi-
ments or Trials which I am afraid will only serve to enhance
the Expence without answering any good End whatever ; It is
really vexatious to see Business go on after such a manner &
to be as it were dependant on other Persons Humours, but
how to help Ourselves we know not, for were we to refuse to
proceed in their own way however improper it might appear
to us the Maryland Commissioners on account of past Trans-
actions will always fall under the Suspicion of being backward
& averse to carrying the Articles of Agreement into Execution.
I have in some late English Papers seen the Hints that were
given of the Ministry's Intention to form a Scheme for com-
pelling these Colonies for the future to provide Pay for 10,000
Men but how the proportions are to be settled is not mentioned.
If they are to be rated or burthened according to the Propor-
tions agreed on at Philadelphia when several of the Governors
met there in 1757 at the Instance of Lord London, I do not
think this province will be over taxed ; for I took much pains
at that time to have our proportion or quota reduced as low
as possible: As I have already communicated to you my Senti-
ments (in Letters & Estimates transmitted to you the 10^th of
July 1758 & 26^th of May 1760) concerning the most eligible &
easy methods of raising large Sums of Money in this Province
I must beg leave to refer you to those Letters but if no more
than about £4000 stg p^r annum was to be required of us,
which indeed I hope is as much as will be expected, It might
be raised I apprehend by a Duty of Eighteen pence p^r Hhd
on all Tobacco exported ; & a Duty of Three pence (or four
pence) stg p^r Gallⁿ on all Rum Wine & other Spirituous
Liquors imported, to be collected by the several Naval Officers
in the same manner they at present collect the Duty of Fifteen