110 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761.

Lib. J. R.

& U. S.

as Pensilvania, the number of its' Inhabitants constantly em-
ployed in its fisheries, Ship building, Lumber Trade, & navi-
gation greatly diminish the number of its Hands for Agricul-
ture & other Labour; and it hath not the Benefit of those
Resources for augmenting its' Inhabitants from the northern
parts of Germany &c. which hath for many years so greatly
increased the People of Pensilvania, yet thus exhausted as
it is, the Governm^t, raises no Obstacles to the recruiting of his
Majesty's Forces within it, and hath besides chearfully voted
to raise a Number of Troops, which amounts to a ninth Part
of its fighting Men this Year towards the Defence of his
just Rights & Dominions upon this Continent; an Example
which I can't but hope the Assembly will think the Interest of
the Province, as well as their Duty to the Crown call upon
them to follow :
The Assembly observe by their Address how great a
quantity of Provisions their Province supplies the King's
Army with, this Sir seems to be an Advantage which should
make them easier under the Inconveniencies which attend his
Majestys Service in other Respects; and when they consider
that all the Men which are now drawing out of Pensilvania
for recruiting the Kings Forces will be employed in that

p. 89

part of his Service, which more immediately concerns the
Protection of the Inhabitants of that Province against the
growing Incroachments of the French they should as readily
acquiesce in parting with some of their indented Servants,
as any Charter Colony doth.
It is not necessary to enter into a minute Examination of
every Part of the Deduction made by the Assembly of the
mischievous Consequences, which arise to the Comunity
from enlisting indented Servants into his Majestys Service,
some of them seem too remote: when a Country is in Danger
of being lost to the Enemy it is not a time for the Govern-
ment of it, to enter into critical dissertations whether the
enlisting of indented Servants for the Defence of it may not
have a Tendency to lessen the Importation of them into the
Country for future Tillage of the Land, and to increase
that of Slaves; It would certainly have been more happy for
the Province of Pensilvania to have lost the Service of some
of their bought Servants last year in defending their Fron-
tiers against the Incursions of the Enemy than to have suf-
fered the cruel Ravages and Depopulation committed by them
within their Borders.
I have already acknowledged that ill Conveniencies and
Hardships frequently arise to Individuals from their inlisting
indented Servants into the Kings Regiments, I am as ready