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To his Excellency Horatio Sharpe, Esq; Governor and Commander
in Chief in and over the Province of Maryland :
The humble Address of the House of Delegates.
May it please your Excellency,
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L. H. J.
Liber No. 49
Dec. 15
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In Answer to your Message, communicating to us a Copy of a
Letter from the Earl of Loudoun, we can only say, could we have
had the Pleasure of seeing his Lordship here, we are persuaded we
should have been able to have shewn our Conduct, relative to making
Provision for his Majesty's Service and our own Security, in such a
Light as might have been satisfactory to him, and to every one else
who has the Safety and Prosperity of the good People of Maryland,
and indeed the Prosperity and Safety of his Majesty's Subjects in
North-America, so warmly at Heart as we are fully convinced his
Lordship has; and we esteem ourselves particularly unfortunate that
the Business his Lordship is engaged in, has deprived us of that
Pleasure : But as that is the Case, and as his Lordship is desirous to
know our Proceedings, we must request your Excellency will be
pleased to send his Lordship a Copy of the Bill we this Session
offered to the Upper House, as soon as the same shall be delivered
you by our Clerk, by which, and the Situation of Fort Cumberland,
as it appears to us at present with regard to the Protection of our
Frontier Inhabitants (which we beg Leave to trouble your Ex-
cellency with, presuming you will transmit it to his Lordship); we
flatter ourselves his Lordship will be convinced our earnest En-
deavours for his Majesty's Service, and our own Security, have not
been wanting.
Fort Cumberland, we are informed, was first begun by some
Gentlemen of the Ohio Company, as a Store-House of their Goods,
designed for the Ohio Indian Trade, and never was Garrisoned by
Troops stationed there by the Direction of any Law of this Prov-
ince, but commonly by Virginia Forces. That Fort, we have too much
Reason to believe, from an Extract of a Letter from your Excellency
to the Secretary of State, laid before the Lower House in September
Session, Seventeen Hundred and Fifty-six, in which are the follow-
ing Words, " There are no Works in this Province that deserve the
Name of Fortifications; just behind and among our Westernmost
Settlements, are some small Stoccado or Pallisadoed Forts, built by
the Inhabitants for the Protection of their Wives and Children; and
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p. 188
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besides these, there is one larger, tho' in my Opinion not much more
capable of Defence, on Patowmack, about 56 Miles beyond our Settle-
ments; it has been distinguished by the Appellation of Fort Cumber-
land, and is at present Garrisoned by Three Hundred Men from
Virginia; it is made with Stoccadoes only, and commanded almost
on every Side by circumjacent Hills; a considerable Quantity of
Military Stores that was left by General Braddock, still remains
there, and Ten of the Carriage Guns that his Majesty was pleased
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p. 189
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