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thought by all candid and reasonable Men, no more than sufficient
for the Purposes they are intended, even in times of the profoundest
peace: At present the Situation of Our Affairs certainly require
something further from Us for our own necessary Defence
There is no need of exaggerating the Danger we lately escaped
from the horrid Conspiracy of Our Negroes, it being very certain,
if they had carried their Design into Execution, We should have been
put to the cruel Necessity of defending Our own Lives at the Expence
of many of theirs, to the entire Ruin of Numbers of particular
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U. H. J.
Calvert
Paper
No. 735
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Families, and perhaps of the Province in General: And indeed the
Danger we must of Course be exposed to, from so large a Body of
Slaves, will always be very great, but particularly so in time of War,
which you well know we are now warmly engaged in with Spain,
and must from Our different Interests always be in Danger of having
with France, who is become a near and formidable Neighbour to the
British Plantations, and seems to have it in her Power to invade most
of them, whenever she pleases, in the present Condition they are in
These are Points, Gentlemen, very well worth your Attention, and
I hope you will shew your Prudence and Discretion in the Con-
sideration of them; Let us but imitate the Wisdom of Our Mother
Country in arming Ourselves in the best Manner that Our Cir-
cumstances will admit of, and we may reasonably hope to remain
free from all Insults here, while the British Arms, to the great Joy
of all true Englishmen, are acquiring so much Glory in other Parts
of the World.
You may see, by the Publick Papers, what large Sums of Money
several of the other Colonies are raising, and what great Prepara-
tions they are making for the Defence of themselves and their Neigh-
bours, and I flatter myself that the Assembly of Maryland will shew
no less Regard for their own Safety, and Zeal for the Publick Good
than Others, in this very critical Juncture of Affairs
For my own Part, I can very truly assure you, I have no other
View but promoting your Happiness and Prosperity, which I shall
always do to the utmost of my Power, being fully perswaded that all
Gentlemen of Understanding and Humanity in the like Stations
with myself, must find more real and lasting Pleasure and Satis-
faction in employing the Power they are intrusted with, for the
Welfare of the People under their Care, than in any Advantages
they can procure to themselves by acting otherwise: And I believe
I may justly say, it would have been happy for the People under the
several Governments in his Majestys Dominions in America, if they
had always made a right Use of this Disposition in their Governors,
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p. 3
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