That they should go by the way of Susquehanna and call upon all the Indians settled upon both the Branches of that River and engage as many Indians as they have any Influence with to [join and] accompany them. That assurance be given them of their being supplied with Arms Accoutrements, Cloaths, Provisions and pay. That they shall have besides these, a reward for every prisoner or scalp taken from the enemy and every other reasonable encouragement, all which to be ascertained to their satisfaction by Treaty as soon as they arrive in Pensilvania. That as in all Indian Towns, some may be for the French and some for the English, they should be advised to use prudence in their applications to particular Indians, lest the French be too soon informed of their Intentions. That they be instructed to look out for fit and proper persons to get intelligence and engage them to go to the French Fort on the Ohio and to the Towns in that neighborhood, and when they have made themselves masters of their future designs, and operations then to proceed to the Governor of Pensilvania with their information for which they shall be well paid. That if any of the Indians are afraid to leave their wives and children they be desired to bring them along with them and care shall be taken to assign them a strong and well fortified place to live in where they shall be supplied with necessarys. W. SHIRLEY. By His Excellencys command WM. ALEXANDER Secry. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO SIR THOMAS ROBINSON1 SIR, New York Decr. 25th 1755. I have, for more Safety of the Conveyance of my Dispatches, and of the Answer I may receive to them, Sent them 1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. This letter is printed to illustrate the importance placed under the Care of Captain Morris,1 one of my Aids de Camp, who will have the Honour of delivering them into your Hands, and hath my Instructions to return to Boston or New York by the first Opportunity after he shall receive from you his Majesty's pleasure upon the Parts of his Service, which I have lay'd before you. Captain Morris is knowing to all the proceedings in every part of his Majesty's Service in the Expedition under my immediate Command from his personal Attendance upon it; and to all the other Matters contain'd in my Letters of the 19th and 20th Instant, and is able to give you a very particular Account of any Circumstances, which may be inquir'd into. He is an Officer of Merit, and a young Gentleman of Worth and Honour, and as Such I beg leave to recommend him Sir to your Countenance and Favour. I have the Honour to be with the Highest Respect Sir, Your most Humble, and most Obedient Servant. W. SHIRLEY. Rt. Honble: Sir Thomas Robinson Knt. of the Bath, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State. Endorsed: New York, 25th Decr. 1755. Govr. Shirley R. 10th Febry. 1756. by Capt. Morris. by Shirley upon his communications of Dec. 19 and 20, with their inclosures, and as showing an increased dignity due to his office of military commander in America. It was also essential in the mind of Shirley that he have a representative in London to explain his plans for the coming year. 1 Roger Morris was born in England, Jan. 28, 1727. He was commissioned as Captain in Francis Ligonier's regiment Sept. 13, 1745, and served as Aide de Camp to Braddock in the expedition against Fort Duquesne. He held the same position under Shirley, and appears to have been one of his most trusted assistants. Morris served later with Wolfe at Quebec, being promoted to his majority on Feb. 16, 1758, and commissioned Lieutenant Colonel May 19, 1760. SIR, WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO HORATIO SHARPE1 New York December 30th 1755. Being ordered by his Majesty in his Instructions to me as Commander in Chief of the Forces in North America not only to Cultivate the best Harmony and Friendship possible with the several Governors of his Colonies upon this Continent but likewise with the Chiefs of the Indian Tribes and for the better Improvement of his Good Correspondence with the said Indian Tribes to find out some fit and Proper Person agreeable to the Southern Indians to be Sent to them for this Purpose, and to Endeavour to engage them to Act with his Forces in such operations as I shall think most Expedient: I think I can't better Answer his Royal Intention, especially at this time of General Incursions of the Indians into his Western Frontiers, than by recommending the Inclosed Plan2 to your Honour which if unanimously Executed by the Several Governments concerned, I can't but Conceive Strong hopes may provide in the most effectual manner for their mutual Security against the Hostile Attempts of the Southern Indians upon them and creating a Dependency of those Nations upon his Majesty. If your Honour can Suggest to me any Amendment of this Plan or other Measures for compassing this great Object, I shall very gladly do all the Service I can in promoting them. I have at the same time likewise Endeavoured to Induce the Indians of the Six Nations to join with us in putting a Stop to the Devastations of the Shawanese, Delaware, Susquehana, and other Southern Nations within his Majestys Western Colonies either by their Good offices and Authority 1 Printed: Arch. of Md. 6, 330; 31, 90. Sharpe's reply of Jan. 24, in which he promises to furnish supplies, but will send no troops north of Fort Duquesne, is in Arch. of Md. 6, 337. Substantially the same letter was sent by Shirley to Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire, N. H. Prov. Papers, 6, 460. A copy of the plan referred to was sent by Shirley to Robinson in his letter of Dec. 20, and is printed on p. 364, ante. over them or if those should prove ineffectual by taking up the Hatchet against them. Inclosed I send your Honour a Copy of the Minutes of a Council of War composed of Governors and Field officers according to his Majestys Instructions held at this Place the 12th and 13th Instant upon the operations of the next years Campaign, at which your Honour assisted,' I doubt not but you will recommend to the Assembly within your Government in the Strongest Terms to Contribute their Just Quota by Men and Money towards carrying so Salutary a Plan into Execution; which if done with Vigour and in its proper Season, they must be Sensible will lay the most lasting foundation for the future Safety and Tranquility of their Province and I can't but hope that the Outrages and Devastations lately committed by the Enemy more or less within all his Majestys Western Colonies will Convince the Assembly of Maryland how essential it is for the welfare of his Majestys Subjects within their Province that they should heartily join in the Execution of this Plan which your Honour will be Pleased to Communicate either in part or in the whole as your Honour shall judge Proper and how loudly their Duty to their King and Country calls upon them to do it. Upon this occasion I cant but hope that the Province under your Honours Government will consider how deeply it is Interested in the event of the next years Campaign. I will not omit returning your Honour my thanks for the Journey you took from Annapolis at so late a Season of the year, and long attendance at this Place upon his Majestys Service and acknowledging my obligations to you for the great assistance I have had in my Consultations with you upon the most Essential and difficult points of it; which hath put it into my power to promote it further than 1 The Minutes of this Council were sent to various governors in America, and a copy was inclosed to Sir Thomas Robinson in Shirley's letter of Dec. 19. They are printed in N. H. Prov. Papers, 6, 463-467, and Arch. of Md. 31, 92. See Jonathan Belcher to Shirley of Dec. 26 regarding the Council and in appreciation of Shirley's commendation of Col. Peter Schuyler, I N. J. Arch. 8, pt. 2, 203. I am perswaded I should have been able to have done without it. I beg leave to assure you, Sir, that I shall ever esteem it an happiness and Honour to me to maintain the Closest Correspondence with you in the future Course of his Majestys Service, and to give you proofs with what an unfeigned Esteem and regard. I am Sir Your Honours Most Humble and Most Obedient Servant W. SHIRLEY 1 P.S. Inclosed are the Proportions according to the Plan Settled by the Commissioners at Albany; which though not perfectly Equal, are the only ones that can be made use of untill more exact can be formed; which cant be done in time for the Present purpose. All inequalitys must be Equitably Adjusted, and afterwards Set right upon the first Opportunity of doing it. Your Honour must be Sensible that the Success of the next years operations depends upon an early Campaign. I must desire your Honour to prevail on your Assembly to raise their Inclosed Proportion of 1000 men towards the Expedition against Crown Point in the first place, before you recomend to them to Raise their proportion towards the Expedition against Du Quesne. Proportions of the 10,000 Men proposed to be rais'd for the Crown Point Expedition according to the Plan Settled by the Commissioners at Albany. Maryland 1,000 1,750 1,500 1 Much the same letter was sent by Shirley to Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia, and the question of the rank of Capt. John Dagworthy was taken up with him. See Dinwiddie's reply of Jan. 24 (Dinwiddie Papers, 2, 328), and Sharpe to Dinwiddie therein referred to (Jan. 4, 1756, Arch. of Md. 6, 333). See also Shirley to Sharpe, Mar. 5, 1756 (Arch. of Md. 6, 347), the extract of Dinwiddie's letter of Jan. 23 (ibid. p. 348), and Shirley's order of Mar. 5, 1756, post, p. 412. |