334 Assembly Proceedings, Sept. 28-Dec. 16, 1757.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 49
Dec. 9

that Gentleman; which I desire may be entered in your Journal, as
they will, in my Opinion, most clearly shew, that if any Abuses have
been committed by the Officers or Soldiers on our Frontiers, during
this last Summer at least, not I, but Mr. Chapline is answerable for
them. He was then, as well as now, one of the Lower House of As-
sembly, elected by the Inhabitants of Frederick County, and resided
near the Place where these Abuses are said to have been committed ;
he had better Opportunities of examining into the Grounds of any
Complaints, which the Frontier Inhabitants may have made, than
any other Person; and if he had, upon Enquiry, found them just, he
ought to have laid them before me, that I might have immediately
taken Care to have the Offenders punished, and the Sufferers re-
dressed. You will be pleased to observe, that this Gentleman was
twice reminded of his Duty to his Constituents and to Myself, by
Two Letters writ by my special Order; the first of these he was
pleased to acknowledge the Receipt of by his Letter dated the 18th
of May, but his Answer was such as made me conclude, that he
was much afraid of being called upon as an Evidence against the
Officers, or of having his Name brought in Question; and therefore
to free him from all Apprehensions and Restraint, and that I may
nevertheless come to the Knowledge of what the Officers may have
been accused of, or censured for, in private Conversation, or pub-
licly. I desired Mr. Ridout to write to Captain Chapline a second

p. 160

Time on the same Subject: This Letter Mr. Chapline likewise re-
ceived, but for Reasons best known to himself, never thought proper
to answer; which indeed I am really sorry for, and it will, I doubt
not, be by you thought unlucky, since his answering it properly,
might possibly have saved the Country a great deal of Money, and
you, as well as many others, Abundance of Trouble. But besides what
I have already mentioned, I think these Letters will shew, that Captain
Joseph Chapline, a Member of your House, had very little room to
say any Thing which could confirm you in an Opinion, that I had
done wrong in ordering out any of the Militia this last Summer to
serve on the Frontiers: As there are many Gentlemen among you
that were Members of the late Lower House of Assembly, it is un-
necessary to repeat the lamentable Story (whether true or false is not
now the Question) that Mr. Chapline's Brother came to Baltimore,
and told us when we were there assembled, all the Soldiers that were
at that Time in Garrison at Fort Frederick, or employed on this Side
the North-Mountain, were not more than about Seventy at most, and
several of these were sick in the Hospital. This Consideration de-
termined me to order a Company of the Militia on Duty at that Time ;
and other Reasons of equal Weight induced me to order out Two
small Detachments afterwards; all which I have already recom-
mended it to you to provide for the Payment of, and I hope you have
readily complied with my Request.

9th December, 1757.