of which (among others) might be given in his obliging the Colonies to find Provisions at their own Expence for the troops, they rais'd for his Majesty's service in 1756 (amounting to about £80,000 sterling, which it appears, the Government thinks they ought to have been allow'd at the Expence of the Crown, and it has been lately pleas'd to reimburse them for; And it is well known that your Memorialist upon former Occasions, during the last Warr, sav'd the Nation about £60,000 by his Economy in the Execution of the publick Trusts, then repos'd in him. Lastly, Your Memorialist begs leave to represent to your Lordships, that far from having acquir'd a Private Fortune in his Majesty's service, he shall be greatly distress'd in his circumstances unless the allowances, herein pray'd for, are granted him by your Lordships. Your Memorialist therefore humbly prays, that your Lordships will be pleas'd to order him Payment of the several Sums of £414: 11: 6; £184: 8, and £513: 6: 7; for reimbursing him his Expences in his Accts. annex'd; as has been usual in like Cases; together with the further Sum of £1000, which was allow'd both to his Predecessor and Successor for their Equipage Money, Endorsed: And Your Memorialist, etc. Memorial of Major General Shirley. W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE LORD BISHOP OF LINCOLN1 St. James's place, March 16th, 1757. MY LORD, What your Lordship mention'd to me last night concerning my having furnish'd Mr. Charles Townshend with Evidence to attack the late Lords of the Treasury, which the Duke of Newcastle was at the head of, upon the present 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32877, 468. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. Contract made with Messrs. Baker and Kilby for supplying the King's Forces in North America with Provisions, hath dwelt so much upon my Mind, that I beg leave to trouble your Lordships with the following Acct. of that matter. The inclos'd is an Extract of a private Letter from me to Lord Halifax dated from Boston 28th March 1756 in vindication of myself against some injurious Reports, which I had been inform'd were propagated in London concerning my management of the contingent money under my direction with regard to the purchasing provisions and stores, and which had reach'd his Lordship's Ears: And in order to contradict these Reports in the City, I transmitted in the same Vessell, which carry'd my Letter to Lord Halifax, the like Accts to my Correspondent there, and to Mr. Bollan, to be communicated as he should think proper for my Vindication about St. James's; I mention'd to him in particular Mr. West Secretary to the Treasury, thro' whom I was desirous the Duke of Newcastle and the late Lords of Treasury would be appriz'd of it; Mr. Calcraft, thro' whom I imagin'd Mr. Fox would be inform'd of it; the late Mr. John Sharpe, and Mr. Charles Townshend, all connected, as I then thought, with the Duke of Newcastle's Administration, and at a time when I had not the least Idea of the present Contract's being made with Messrs. Baker and Kilby by the Treasury. Mr. Bollan, knowing at the time of his receiving my Letter to him with the inclos'd Acct. of my victualling the Troops after the Rate of 3 per man a Day, that I was sent for over to England, and should soon arrive there, determin'd not to deliver the papers inclos'd to him to any of the persons: But happening accidentally to mention them to Mr. Townshend, he desir'd one of the Accts. and had one of them deliver'd long before I arriv'd in England; and by that means became possess'd of my Rate of victualling the Army, and the 2000 New England Men sent to Nova Scotia. The Minutes of the Treasury containing the Stipulation of Mr. Baker's Contract I was an utter stranger to, and were obtain'd from the Treasury; the second parcel of Papers he was furnish'd with from the Secretary of State's Office, were brought into the House at Mr. Baker's Motion, or that of one of his Friends, as I understand. Among these is contain'd the most material Evidence for shewing that the Crown was at the Expence of transporting provisions supply'd by Messrs. Baker and Kilby from Albany, arising from one of Lord Loudoun's Letters, which I knew nothing of before it was brought into the House: My Accts. he had of Course from the Treasury, which only tended to shew the Rate, at which the Troops were victual'd during my Command, and did not contain any thing relative to Mr. Baker's Contract; and as to Doctr. Kirkland's Evidence tending to shew that Lord Loudoun had paid out of the Crown's Money the Expences of transporting Mr. Baker's Provisions from Albany towards Fort William Henry, it was given Mr. Townshend before I knew Mr. Kirkland could give any Evidence of that kind; and Mr. Townshend has not been furnish'd by me with any papers whatever with the least View of putting it into his Power to attack the late Lords of the Treasury for making the present Contract relative to provisions; nor could I possibly help Mr. Townshend's making the Attack he did; which your Lordship, I believe, will recollect, put me under great Concern, when I first heard of it; and that I express'd great Uneasiness at it. The great Obligations, I have to the Duke of Newcastle, my first Patron, I shall ever have the most grateful Sense of; And was it in my power to give the most solid proof of it, nothing would give me an higher pleasure, than to demonstrate thereby my unalterable Attachment to his Grace; And I should be highly oblig'd to your Lordship, for your good Offices in clearing up any Idea, that may be entertain'd to the contrary. I am with the greatest Respect, My Lord, Your Lordship's most Oblig'd, and most Obedient Servant. Rt. Revd. Lord Bishop of Lincoln. W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE DUKE OF My LORD DUKE, Upper Grosvenor Street, Septr. 24, 1757. I beg pardon for the repeated Trouble, I give your Grace, upon my Intended petition to his Majesty. The Sollicitation now making, as I understand, My Lord, by a Gentleman for the Governmt. of Jamaica, which will appear, from the Inclos'd Extract of Mr. Fox's letter to me, it was H. My's Intention to confer upon me as a Mark of his Royal favour for my Services, has occasion'd an Alteration in my petition, which I think it my Duty to lay before your Grace, for your Grace's Approbation (as I did my first Draft of the petition) together with the Inclos'd Representation of some of my Services, which I intend shall accompany it.2 The first part of those Services, my Lord, your Grace is not unacquainted with, as they were done under your Grace's Immediate patronage and Support; which enabled me to execute them. And your Grace had then so favourable an Opinion of them as to Honour me with the highest Expressions of your Goodness and Regard for me. Some successfull Services have been done by me this War; and I am not conscious of having done any thing to forfeit his Majesty's Royal favour. As to the Suggestions, my Lord, transmitted against me by my Successor, they are unsupported by proofs; and I hope, upon the Common presumption in favour of every Officer's having done his Duty, 'till the Contrary is prov'd, and the Credit of having faithfully done it in other well known Instances, I am intitl'd to be believ'd when I assert to your Grace, that they are intirely groundless and malig 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32874, 276. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. 2 See Petitions of Shirley to the Crown with accompanying Representation, post, pp. 588 and 590. nant; which I am ready to prove upon an Opportunity's being given me. My present situation, my Lord, is thus; After spending many years of my life in faithfull Services to the Crown, most of them National, and successfull; in which I have acquired no private Fortune, and have had the unhappiness to lose my two Eldest Sons in one Campaign, I am now divested of my late Government and Regiment; both which marks of H. My's Royal favour your Grace procur'd for me, and am at present left without means of Support. And as I am not conscious, My Lord, of having fail'd in any one point of Duty, Gratitude or Attachment to your Grace or done anything to forfeit your Grace's favour and protection, I hope I shall be honour'd with them upon this Occasion, in the Support of my petition to his Majesty. I am with the deepest sense of my Obligations to your Grace, and the most dutifull Respect, My Lord, To the King's most Excellent Majesty in Council. The Petition of Major General William Shirley. Most Humbly Sheweth, That your Majesty's Petitioner hath, by Virtue of divers 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32874, 280. Inclosed in Shirley to Newcastle of Sept. 24. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. This is apparently the first draft of the petition. The final copy is on p. 590. |