strong for us. His Majesty's Colonies those of New England at least, have still left among them a general Spirit (which will be much irritated by the Carnage the Enemy has made at Oswego) for attempting the Reduction of Canada, and if such an Expedition is prosecuted next Year, they would, I believe most chearfully and vigorously exert their united Strength, as one Man, but be difficultly brought to engage in any other, that does not strike at the Root of the French in North America.

In the mean time I shall use my best Endeavours, the few Days I shall stay here, to strengthen the Earl of Loudoun with more Provincial Troops; I did, soon after my Arrival at this place, issue a Warrant for impressing 600 Men out of this Government to compleat it's Quota; and have recommended it to the Assembly in the strongest Terms to augment their Troops; which they have now under Consideration; and I shall write to the other New England Governments upon the same Subject: I sent his Lordship two Companies of Rangers consisting of 60 Privates each, soon after my Return hither.

It is Reported from New York that about 900 Recruits (I suppose of Otways and the Highland Regiments) are arrived there lately; if that is so the Earl of Loudoun will have about 3500 British Troops between Lake George and the Great Carrying Place at Oneida inclusive. If it is true that the French have quitted the Country at Oswego a Body of 500 or 600 Troops seems sufficient to keep possession of the Country of the Indians of the Six Nations as far as the Great Carrying place, beyond which I suppose they will not attempt any thing in that Quarter this Year; and in such Case his Lordship will have a Body of about 2900 old Troops; which with the Provincials will make up 9, or 10,000 Men fit for Duty. Whether that Force would be sufficient for the Reduction of Crown Point, in case the French join their Forces, which they had at Oswego, with those they have at Tionderoge, etc. (which the Earl of Loudoun must best know from his Situation, and the Intelligence he may have) I won't take upon me to say, but if it is and his Lordship

should employ the whole of that Force in an Attempt against Crown Point and succeed, that would go far towards immediately retrieving the Blow sustain'd at Oswego; at least such a Body of Troops would be sufficient to frustrate any Attempts, the Enemy might make in that Quarter.

It is unfortunate that the Provincials with such a Body of the Regulars as was determin'd upon in the Council of War held at Albany the 26th of May, did not March to Tionderoge; as I was in hopes they might have done before the end of July, in which Case they might not have found more than a third part of the Troops to oppose them which they

now may.

I am informed from Albany by an Officer of my Regiment, that there are about 150 Soldiers of it with a proportionable Number of Officers posted at the several passes between Schenectada and Oswego. If there are any French Officers and Soldiers prisoners of War in Nova Scotia, I shall endeavour by that Means to get an Exchange of Officers and Soldiers of that and the other Regiments which were made prisoners of War, for them, as far as the Number of the French prisoners will go.

Upon my Return to Boston I found here Ninety Acadians which Governour Lawrence had sent to Georgia to be distributed in the Country there, from whence having obtain'd a let pass from the Governour, they coasted it in Boats to South Carolina, where they obtain'd another pass from Governour Glen, and with that they Coasted quite to New York, where Sir Charles Hardy gave them another, with which they Coasted it to this Province, where their progress is stopt and I have ordered them to be distributed in the Country Towns and provided for. The next Trip they had taken would have been to Nova Scotia, where they would have prov'd to that Government worse than Indians, and I suppose after this Voyage they must be exceeding good Pilots to every part . of the English Coast for any French Ships of War. The Assembly is so sensible of the Mischiefs which must arise from this pernicious Practice, that three Days ago they sent me a Message to apprize me of another Company of Aca

dians, being upon a like Coasting Voyage from some Southern Government, and desireing I would write a Circular Letter to those Governments, pressing them to put an end to this practice; and they have promised me if this second Company should arrive here, they will keep them in the Province. I had before wrote to the Earl of Loudoun upon this Subject.

I had the satisfaction to hear that last Week his Majesty's Ship Stirling Castle arriv'd at New York with the £115,000, for the Colonies, and a Convoy of Transports having on Board Recruits and Stores for the Kings Troops: The £43,000 which I lent three of the New England Governments out of the Contingent Money to enable them to raise Men etc. for the Expedition against Crown Point is now replac'd in the hands of the Contractor's Agents here.

The Consequences of the Misfortune at Oswego will necessarily detain me here a very few Days, after which I shall embark for England on Board his Majesty's Ship the Mermaid.

I have the Honour to be with the highest Respect

My Lord

Your Lordships most Obliged
and most devoted humble Servant.
W. SHIRLEY.

The Rt: Honble: Earl of Hallifax.

Endorsed:

1756

Major Gl. Shirley

to

The Earl of Halifax.

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE EARL OF
LOUDOUN 1

MY LORD,

Boston, September 4, 1756.

By the Return of the Express, which carried my Letter of the 26th of August to your Lordship, I have, this Morning, the Honour of your Lordship's, dated the 29th of the same Month,2 in Answer to it; in which your Lordship confirms the Advice you sent me in your Letter of the 20th of August, of the Surrender of Oswego to the French.

I am extreamly sorry that I have Occasion to have any Difference with your Lordship, especially upon so disagreeable a Subject as the Misfortune which hath lately befallen his Majesty's Service at Oswego; but as your Lordship hath endeavoured in your two Letters, especially that of the 29th of August, to fix the Blame of it upon my Conduct in my late Command, I am under an indispensable necessity of vindicating myself against that Charge.

Your Lordship, in your Letter of 29th August, imputes the Loss of this Important place to the Situation in which I left it; I suppose your Lordship means by that, the weak State of the Garrison and Works, at the Time when I was superseded in my Command. As to the Weakness of the Garrison, My Lord, it was reduced to that State, partly by great Desertions from the 50th and 51st Regiments, which continued ever since they have been raised, and partly by Fluxes upon their first arrival at Oswego, and a bad Scurvy, which prevail'd among the Soldiers from the Beginning of November to near the Middle of May; all which have made a great Havock among them, particularly the 50th Regiment; However, I am well informed that the whole Gar

1 Massachusetts Manuscripts, Vol. 1, Library of Congress, also P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46; 5, 47. Inclosed in Shirley to Fox, Sept. 5. Transcripts of this letter are in the Library of Congress and in the Parkman Papers in the Mass. Hist. Society.

2 See Loudoun's letter of Aug. 29 on p. 521, ante, with note to same. Loudoun's letter of Aug. 20 is on p. 523.

rison consisted, at the time of making the Attack, of about 1400 Troops (besides Workmen) which is a larger Number, than was determined, by the Council of War held at Albany the 26th of May last, to be sufficient for putting it into a proper State of Defence; And, according to the Intelligence which we then had of the Strength of the French at Fort Frontenac and Niagara, might, together with his Majesty's Naval Force, which there was no Reason then to doubt would be upon the Lake Ontario by the latter End of July, be very justly deemed a sufficient Force for the Defence of Oswego.

As to the Fortifications, My Lord, I left them in as defensible a posture, as it was in my power to put them into; The short Time, I was at Oswego, which did not exceed two Months and three Days, would not allow me to have stronger erected, and there was, at the same time, an Hospital and Barracks to be built as soon as possible, one of the Vessels to finish, and new Carriages to be made for the Artillery. I stay'd till the 24th of October, to see them advanced, as far as was possible, before I left the fort; at my Departure I gave Orders for going forward with the Works as far as was practicable in the Winter; And I sent Mr. Mackellar and Mr. Hind, as early in the Spring as the Season would admit, to compleat and strengthen them. And, tho' they were far from being compleated, yet, at the Time of the Attack, the old Fort at Oswego was defended with a Ditch, Rampart, and strong Breast-work, which was carried on to the old Ravelin, and had 25 Cannon mounted, which made that Fort very defensible towards what they call the Street; And, tho' Fort Ontario was far from being finished according to my plan of it, yet, it was a strong Log-fort, was mounted with eight Cannon, and some Swivel Guns, and Garrison'd with about 300 Men, and was not to have been taken, without Cannon, Bombs, or scaling Ladders, by double the force that attacked it with Small Arms, which is said to have consisted of 4000 Regulars, besides upwards of 3000 Canadians and Indians, if the Garrison had done its Duty.

Your Lordship's Accounts say, that Fort Ontario was