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on Conococheague in August 1756, about six Weeks before the late
Lower House of Assembly addressed me to order out the Militia that
marched from Prince-George's and Charles Counties to the Frontiers,
might be said to have made an Incursion; but when the Detachment
from Fort Duquesne appeared near Fort Cumberland in December
last, the Province was under an actual Invasion, altho' no Report of
an Enemy's being near it had reached the Ears of any Person that
resided in Kent, or Queen-Anne's, County. Whether the Gentlemen
who penned those Laws, and talked of an Invasion by Indians, knew
the Meaning and Force of that Word, so well as some of their De-
fendants pretend to do, I shall not take upon me to determine; nor
should I perhaps, if you had thought proper to give a Definition of
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L. H. J.
Liber No. 50
May 5
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it, have taken the Liberty to tell you what your Ancestors thought
an Invasion; but since I have mentioned them, give me leave to add,
that if They had thought it was too soon to march before their
Enemies were in the Heart of the Country, and that it was too late
to stir after their Enemies had retired again beyond the Inhabitants,
the Number of his Majesty's faithful and loyal Subjects in Mary-
land, would in all Probability have been now far less considerable
than it is at present.
I am glad to find, you are at length persuaded, that our Frontier
Inhabitants might be in some Degree protected by Parties making
Excursions from Fort Cumberland into the Country that our Ene-
mies are at present in Possession of; tho' it is still a Question with
me, whether the People who live about Conococheague thought that
this Excursion of the Cherokees who, by the Bye, are in another
Part of your Address supposed to be at this very Time on our
Frontiers contributed at all to their Security, for they have been made
to think, that no Men who are employed in any Manner whatever
beyond the North Mountain can be of any real Service; and it was I
presume from the same Opinion, that you proposed by the Bill
which was rejected by the Upper House in December last, to make it
Criminal for any of our Officers or Men to go beyond that Mountain,
even in Pursuit of any of the Enemy, tho' they should have been
sure of overtaking them.
It does not I presume necessarily follow, that because I am of
Opinion I had a Power to march, by Advice of the Council, the
Companies of Militia abovementioned, that therefore I must suppose
I had an Authority to march the Militia of this Province whenever
and wheresoever I should please, even without their Advice, and that
some future Governor might, by Virtue of the same Authority,
whenever he shall find himself opposed in any unjust Views or
Designs, compel the whole Militia of the Province to march to any
distant Part of it, and keep them there until their Representatives
shall have complied with all his extravagant Demands : I can answer
for myself, that a due Sense of my Duty to the Lord Proprietary,
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p. 174
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