xxxii Letter of Transmittal.

there were a few scattered palisaded forts for the defence of the women and
children, and a larger one, Fort Cumberland, scarcely capable of defence as it
was commanded on all sides by hills. This fort was located on the Potomac,
fifty-six miles beyond the Severn, was garrisoned by three hundred Virginians,
and contained some of the military stores which had escaped destruction on the
Braddock expedition.

In reply to the inquiry of the Lower House as to the status of the new forti-
fications recently authorized by the Assembly, the Governor sent a message
dated September 25th, submitted plans of Fort Frederick, and communicated a
letter from Capt. Alexander Beall giving details of its construction; and the
Governor estimated that the fort which was to be constructed on the North
Mountain would cost at least £5,000. He reported that he had ordered one hun-
dred of the Prince George's County militia under Col. Joseph Belt and one hun-
dred Baltimore County militia under Col. John Hall and Capt. Tobias Stansbury
to be sent to Frederick County as rangers for the defence of the Conococheague
settlements, and added that the Prince George's men were all volunteers, but
that it was necessary to draft some of the Baltimore County men as they were
unwilling to leave their homes because of fear for the safety of their own county.
The Lower House thereupon resolved, September 8th, that £2400 be used to-
wards completing Fort Frederick and maintaining the garrison; and on Septem-
ber 29th, that one hundred additional men be sent to garrison Fort Frederick,
and on the 3Oth, that one hundred other rangers be enlisted to replace the two
hundred Prince George's and Baltimore County men when their terms of en-
listment should expire. On September 3Oth the House expressed its approval
of the Governor's action in sending these rangers to the defence of the frontier
and of his providing for them by victualing instead of " pressing " food for
their use. But immediately following this resolution of thanks, the House on
October 2d registered its disapproval of the action of the Governor in drawing
upon the Agents of the Province for £630-2-8 to pay the expenses of the rangers
without specific authority from the Assembly to do so, and an acrimonious
dispute between Sharpe and the Lower House followed. The House demanded
that the Governor personally reimburse the Agents for this amount, and that
it would then appropriate sufficient money to repay him the amount he had
expended as it had promised to do. The Governor in a hot reply refused to do
so, and intimated that from the recent actions of the House and the vague state-
ment that it would consider some method of repaying him, it had given him rea-
son to be suspicious of its " engagement," and that as he had need of the money
for recruiting the Royal American Regiment he was justified in thus drawing
upon the Agents. By the close vote of 18 to 17 the House struck out of the draft