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now as ever to do every thing in my Power consistent with
his Majestys Service to remedy such as have happened or
may hereafter happen in the Province of Pensilvania or else-
where: His Majesty hath ordered his Regiments employed
in North America for the Defence of his just Rights and
Dominions and protection of his Subjects there to be forth-
with augmented to 1000 Men each out of such of the
Inhabitants of these Colonies as will inlist into his Service, he
hath an undoubted Right to do this: If it can't be done
without receiving indented Servants into the Regiments; to
forbid the Entertainment of them or order them to be dis-
charged by without being replaced by other effective Men
would very probably defeat the Service for which the Regi-
ments were ordered by his Majesty to be augmented; which
the Assembly I am perswaded will upon further Considera-
tion think would be a most unwarrantable Proceeding in the
Kings General: The only Orders I can justify sending the
Officers upon this occasion which I shall take care to do, will
be to release such indented Servants as are willing to return
to their Masters upon having good effective Men offered in
Exchange for them; As to receiving them at first into the
Service in cases which shall appear extremely hard to the
Officers, they are at liberty to refuse it, and will I doubt not
act with discretion: the Intention of my last Orders was only
to take off the Restraint I had before laid upon them against
receiving any indented Servants which I should not have
done if the Regiments had met with that success in their
recruiting as might have been expected: It must rest with
the Assembly to ease such Masters as may notwithstanding
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Lib. J. R.
& U. S.
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this, sustain any great Hardship by the Loss of one or more
of their servants in his Majestys Service, and if in doing that
any considerable Burthen should fall upon the whole Com-
munity; upon a Representation of it to his Majesty it will
doubtless have a proper Consideration given it; And this I
can't but hope Sir, the Assembly will upon a cooler Thought
of this Affair judge to be a more elligible Method of Proceed-
ing, than to incite the Populace to pursue the violent Meas-
ures which the Address seems to point out to them
I am Sir
Your Honors most obedient
humble Servant
W. Shirley
Kent County Goal March 21st 1756
Honoured Sir.
In consequence of fresh and positive Orders which I re-
ceived by an Express last Thursday, I have enlisted some
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p. 90
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