not observe and if the Cherokees and Catawbas can be induc'd to furnish the 1000 Warriors they have promis'd to be join'd to the 4000 Men of the Southern Colonies, it will doubtless be sufficient to do every thing necessary on that Side, and nothing seems wanting to enable us to carry every point against the French this Year but the Southern Colonies exerting themselves in the same proportion with the Eastern ones and sending 3000 Men to join the Regular Troops, intended for the Operations on the Lake Ontario, &c.

I can't but hope that your Honour will see these Matters in the same light with me, and do every thing in your power with the Assembly of your Government to induce them to enable you to furnish the Quota of your Province for repelling the French of Canada at this most critical Conjuncture (and before they are strengthen'd with fresh Reinforcements from France) from their dangerous Incroachments upon his Majesty's Territories, and for putting an End to the Ravages and Depredations of them and the Indians in their Interest within the Borders of his Western Colonies upon. this Continent: with regard to myself, Your Honour may depend on my doing every thing in my power for the protection of the Frontier of Maryland in particular.

As it is necessary that an Officer of Rank in his Majesty's Army should be appointed to take upon him the Command of all the Forces rais'd in the Colonies of Pensilvania, Maryland, and Virginia and South Carolina to be employ'd in an Expedition against Fort Duquesne, I have appointed you, Sir, to that Command, and now inclose your Commission.

In Answer to that part of your Letter relating to the payment of the Waggoners, &c. that attended General Braddock from Wills's Creek, I am to inform your Honour that Mr. Leake Commissary General of all his Majesty's Forces on this Continent has my Orders and instructions to Settle and pay off all unsettled Contracts made by the late Genl Braddock, and whatever may be due for Water Carriage on the Potowmack or for Waggons or Horse hire for the Forces late under his Command; Mr Leake went from

Philadelphia on this Business about the time I left New York, and I hope will be able to finish it to the Satisfaction of all parties by 25th of March.

I am with great Esteem and Regard,

I am sorry to give you the trouble of the Inclos'd; I must further beg the favour of you to give orders to some justi

11 Penna. Arch. 2, 582. On Feb. 24 Morris wrote Shirley:DEAR SIR,

I wrote you a few days ago, and since have the honour of yours in answer to one from the President of the Council about indented Servants, and tho' the Burthen will fall much heavier upon this Province than any of the others, as we have a much greater number of Servants of that kind than any of them, Yet as his Majestys service is at this Juncture so much concerned in having the regiments filled in time, and there was little reason to think they would soon be done by the ordinary method of recruiting, I must approve of the determination you have given as to that matter, having no doubts in my own mind as to the Legality of taking into his Majestys service any subject that offers himself; for that purpose, I immediately sent your letter to the Assembly in hopes it would satisfy them, but they adjourned upon it for a week without any reason assigned, or indeed giving me notice of it. I have taken some pains to come at their intentions as to the Crown Point expedition, but cannot learn what they mean to do, or whether they will do any thing.

Immediately upon my return from the frontier counties I appointed Commissioners, in Conjunction with Mr. Leake, to settle the demands upon the Crown, for the service done by order of Genl Braddock, pursuant to your former letter to me on that head, and

fiable person to assist the officers, who shall be molested in the service, both with respect to their defending themselves in actions, which may be brought against them, and prosecuting in such as it may be necessary to commence against others for Injuries done them. I am determin'd the point shall be brought to a peremptory, authoritative Decision from home, in some shape or other. Whatever Assistance or Advice you can give the officers, without involving yourself in any Disputes or Trouble whatever with your Assembly or People, I shall be obliged to you for, But would by no means desire you to run the least risque of doing that.

As it seem'd necessary for me to appoint some person to the Chief Command of the Western Forces, which should be employed in an Expedition against Fort du Quesne, &c., and the circumstances of Govr Sharpe having been appointed to a like Command before by the King, with a Brevet Commission of Lt Colonel in his Army for that purpose, I thought my self likewise under a necessity of pitching upon him for the Command, and sending a Commission to him.

I am greatly obliged to you, Dear Sir, for supplying my late son, Shirley, with the sums express'd in two notes, which Mr. Alexander hath shew'd me, and I have order'd payment of, together with the balance which you paid Captn Orme for him.

He will give directions concerning the list of things you have been so kind as to transmit to him inclos'd in your letter.

of your Instructions to Mr. Leake, and they sat ten days at Lancaster upon the accounts brought in by the People of this Province, which they have adjusted, and are now sitting in this town upon those of Virginia and Maryland, and in as little time as Possible, will complete and settle the whole. Mr. Leake and the other officers assure me that it would have been impossible to have settled these matters without the aid of men of weight here, and that the savings on the part of the Crown through their means will be very considerable, but as I shall send your Excellency their Report at large, when the whole is finished I will not trouble you further upon the subject at present.

A draft of this letter is printed in 1 Penna. Arch. 2, 583.

Wishing you all success and happiness in your Publick and Private Affairs, I am, most affectionately,

Dear Sir,

Your Friend and Servt,

Honble R. H. Morris, Esqr.

W. SHIRLEY.

Endorsed:

Genl Shirley - that I would favour the officers that may be distressed in the recruiting service.

Boston, Feby 23, 1756.

SIR,

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO HENRY FOX1

Boston in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, Febry. 24th, 1756.

Seven Days ago I had the Honour to receive two Letters dated 11th of November from Sir Thomas Robinson one of them signifying to me his Majesty's Royal Approbation of the Zeal and Spirit, which this Province hath exerted in his Service for removing the French from their Incroachments at Crown point; and his Majesty's Orders that I should communicate the same to the Council and Assembly, and let them know that his Majesty would be graciously pleas'd to recommend to his parliament to grant them such Assistance in consideration of the Charges, they have born, as their Circumstances shall require, and will enable them vigourously to pursue the aforesaid great and necessary Work: The other acquainting me that his Majesty had been pleas'd to direct 10,000 Stands of Arms with the proper Accoutrements, and a sufficient Quantity of Ammunition to be sent forthwith to Boston to be deliver'd to such persons and for such Uses as the Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Forces in North America shall from time to time think most expedient for the King's Service.

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46. A transcript is in the Library of Congress.

Nothing could arrive more seasonably for promoting his Majesty's Service in the Colonies of New England at this most critical Conjuncture of it, than the former of these Letters, which being deliver'd to me when the Assembly had just enter'd upon the Consideration of that part of my late Speech, which recommended to them to raise their Quota of the 10,000 Men determin'd upon in the Council of War held at New York the 12th of December (Copies of which I have before transmitted) to be necessary for prosecuting the Expedition against Crown point, to effect this Year, I immediately lay'd before them, in obedience to his Majesty's Orders.

This Government's Quota of the 10,000 Men to be divided among all the Northern Colonies according to their Several proportions of it as settled by the Commissioners at Albany in 1753, amounts to about 1750; and from the exhausted Circumstances of the Government under the very heavy Debt it contracted the last Year by the Expences incurr'd in this Expedition, I had Reason to apprehend that a Vote for raising that Number of Men would have been difficultly obtain'd, tho' the House in general retains the same Zeal and Spirit it manifested last Year for the Defence of his Majesty's just Rights and Dominions upon this Continent: But the Effect, which the timely Encouragement given them by his Majesty's Declaration of his Royal Favour towards them hath produc'd, is a Determination to raise 3000 Men as their Quota of 9000 to be rais'd by the three other Governments of New England and New York over and above what the Southern and Western Colonies shall raise for the beforemention'd Service.

As the Massachusetts Bay ever hath the lead among the other Colonies as far as the New Jerseys, and their Determinations of what part they will take in the Operations of the ensuing Campaign will very much depend upon those of this Government, I hope they will proportion the Number of their Forces for the Expedition against Crown point, to that now raising in this Province: And I have accordingly wrote a pressing Letter to each of them for that purpose, as also to the Govr. of New York proposing an Augmentation of that Province's Forces from 1000 to 2000 Men.