Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761. 241

At a Council held at the City of Annapolis on Wednesday
the 25^th Day of January in the seventh Year of his Lord-
ship's Dominion Annoq Domini 1758..

Present
His Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esq^r Governor

The honourable Benjamin Tasker Esq. Col: Cha^s Ham-
mond and Col: Benjⁿ Tasker.

His Excellency is pleased to lay before this Board the
following Letter.

New York Dec^r 30^th 1757.
Sir
I had this Day the Favour of your Letter by Express with
the Bill prepared by the Lower House and the Address from
both Houses to you.
As I had seen an Extract of the military Part of that
Bill before, I am ready to give my Sentiments on it and am
clearly of opinion that had it passed into a Law of the Prov-
ince it would have been a direct Infringement of the Kings
undoubted Prerogative and as such was very wisely rejected
by the Upper House. At the same Time I am willing to believe
that the Assembly had not considered it in that Light or they
would never have framed it in that manner, nor had they
considered that Right of the King of commanding his Sub-
jects in Arms which is a Right undisputed every where or
they would never have disputed the Power of his Commission
to have marched the Troops raised by them for the Defence

Lib. J. R.
& U. S.

of his Dominions even out of your Province, which I do not
understand T have done with Regard to them which was to
Fort Cumberland from the best Accounts I have been able
to procure but that does not come to be the Question for if
they will consider what has happened in almost all the other
Provinces they will find that they are single in the opinion
of the Kings Power of marching the Provincial Troops into
other Provinces.
At the Meeting at Philadelphia it was settled last Spring
that South Carolina was in Danger of a more powerful In-
vasion from the Enemy than they were able alone to resist,
therefore it was agreed that it was necessary they should
have an additional Force sent to their Assistance composed
partly of regular Troops and partly of Troops raised by other
provinces, and two hundred Men did accordingly sail from
Virginia and are now with them, and the Troops from North
Carolina were in Readiness to go but were prevented by Let-
ters from the Commanding Officer there on the Arrival of a

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