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

Lib. J. R.
& U. S.

At a Council held at the City of Annapolis on Tuesday
the 21^st Day of March in the seventh year of his Lordship's
Dominion Annoque Domini 1758..

Present
His Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esq. Governor.

The honourable Benjamin Tasker Esq: Col: Cha^g Ham-
mond & Col: Tasker.

His Excellency is pleased to lay before this Board the fol-
lowing Letter

New York March 15.. 1758..
Sir
By circular Letters from M^r Secretary Pitt bearing Date
at Whitehall Dec^r 30^th 1757.. to all his Majesty's Governors
on the Continent of North America from Pensilvania in-
clusive to the Southward, which Letters arrived here on the
4^th Instant by the Squirrel Ship of War, and were imme-
diately forwarded to you by Express from Lieutenant Gov-
ernor Delancey, you will find Sir that the King having judged
proper that the Earl of Loudoun should return to England
his Majesty at the same time was pleased to appoint me to
succeed his Lordship as Commander in Chief of the King's
Forces in North America with the same powers and author-
ities, and you will likewise find that in Pursuance of that
Appointment it was his Majesty's Pleasure that all his Gov-
ernors on the Continent should apply to and correspond, with
me on all Matters relating to the King's Service. In Conse-
quence of which Pleasure so signified to you and repeated to
me I am to recommend to you to use your utmost Endeavours
and Influences with the Council and Assembly of your Prov-
ince to induce them to raise with all possible Dispatch as

p. 228

large a Body of Men within your Government as the Number
and Situation of it's Inhabitants may allow, all which has
already been strongly recommended to you by his Majesty's
Secretary of State as likewise several other Matters con-
tained in the same Letter which for the Sake of Brevity I
shall avoid repeating and solely refer myself to, as it is so
full that I do not think it can want any additions. So far I
will venture to go for your further Guidance as to fix the
Number of Provincial Troops that may be wanted for his
Majesty's Service in those Quarters to six Thousand to be
furnished by Virginia Maryland, and Pensilvania in such
proportions, and upon the Terms set forth in the above
quoted Letter of M^r Secretary Pitt, to his Majesty's Gov-
ernors in North America.