been done by the Enemy Indians upon the Oneida Carrying Place; and upon my pressing him to do it, he tells in his Letter of the 10th May last, "that he wish'd the Companies "of Rangers, I had mentioned to him in a former Letter were ready to go upon Duty, when he hoped to be able to join "Indians with them, and that unless that Method takes place, "he despair'd of the Communication to Oswego being secur'd." This is the State of the Northern Indians.

As to the State and Disposition of the Southern Indians, with regard to the English; By the Accounts, I have received from the Governor of Virginia it appears, that in the beginning of the Spring he had hopes of engaging 1000 of the Cherokee Indians to assist the English against the French, upon the Terms of building them a Fort in their own Country for the protection of their old Men, Wives, and Children against the Enemy; which Fort is I am Informed now building; and that he had fitted out an Expedition against one of the Towns of the Shawanese Indians, which hath miscarried; Since this the Colony of Virginia hath been so much Infested with Incursions of the Indians, that the Governor apprehended the Town of Winchester to be in such danger from them, that he determined to draft the Militia of ten Counties and send 4000 of them to oppose their Progress; But in his Letter of the 24th May he gives me the following Account Vizt., "that the Enemy had marched over the Alleghenney "Mountains for Fort Du Quesne, whether to return with "Stronger Force is uncertain, but that he think's it's proper "to be prepared for them."

By the Accounts I had from the Governor of Pensilvania, it appears that in last Summer the Susquehanah, Shawanese, and Delaware Indians, broke out into Hostilities against that Colony and lay'd many of their Settlements waste; that they have rais'd in the whole 1500 Men as was before observed, for the defence of their Frontier; and have built a Line of Forts on the West Side of the Kittatenny Mountains extending from New Jersey to Maryland; that on the [sic] the Governor with the advice of the Council, 1 The date is not given by Shirley.

declared Warr against the Delaware Indians, and was upon the point of making an Attempt with 300 Men against one of the Shawanese Towns; But upon Sir William Johnson's representing to me that he had made up the Quarrell of those Indians against Pensilvania through the Interposition of the Six Nations; and that in Consequence of that, there was to be a Meeting of several of the Delaware and Susquehanah Indians with those of the Six Nations at the Castle of the Onondagoes, in order to make a final Settlement of that matter, and on his pressing me, in his Letter of the 24th of April, to interfere in the matter, and prevent the Commission of Hostilities on the part of the Pensilvanians until the Result of the Council at Onondago should be known; I did it; and the Governor and Council thereupon declared a Cessation of Hostilities for thirty days, and lay'd aside their intended Expedition against the Shawanese for the present.

Sir William Johnson is now gone up to the Council at Onondago; and what the Result of that will be is not yet known. About two Months ago I received 10,000 Stand of Arms, with a proportion of military Stores from the Board of Ord-. nance with his Majesty's directions to issue them in such proportions to the Colonies, as I should judge most for his Service; and inclosed is an Account of those Issued and those remaining in his Majesty's Magazine at Boston from the Comptroller of the Ordnance there.

If any other Points should occur to you, in which you think I may give further light into the State of his Majesty's Service under your care, I shall be glad to receive your Commands upon them.

I have the Honour to be with the greatest Regard and Esteem,

Sir,

Your most Humble, and
most Obedient Servant

Major General Abercromby

a true Copy

WM. ALEXANDER, Secy.

W. SHIRLEY.

Endorsed:

Copy

Letter from General

Shirley to General Abercromby

dated Albany June 27th 1756.

in Maj. Genl. Shirley's of July 4th 1756.

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO HENRY FOX1

New York July 4th 1756.

SIR,

I have the Honour to acquaint you that I am just now arriv'd here, after a passage of four Days and a half from Albany, where Major General Abercromby arriv'd the 25th of June in the Evening and Colonel Webb the next Morning, with a great part of Otway's Regiment; And the Remainder of it with all the Highland Regiment were disembark'd in good Health before I left that place: Upon the General's Arrival I receiv'd a Letter by him from Commodore Holmes dated the 20th of June, letting me know that he design'd to sail that Night from New York for Halifax, from whence he would order one of his Majesty's Frigates for carrying me to England; but does not say whether he intended to send it to this port or Boston; But I suppose to the latter; It will be necessary for me to go there, as the Sterling Castle, which brings the Money granted by Parliament to the four Colonies of New England, and the Provinces of New York and New Jerseys is, I hear, to make that her first port, and I am desirous of seeing the £30,000, £10,000, and £3,000 Sterling, which I lent the Provinces of New York and New Hampshire and Colony of Connecticutt, in order to raise Men, and make preparations for this Campaigne paid out of their respective Quotas of that Grant, before I leave North America.2

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46. Transcripts are in the Library of Congress and in the Parkman Papers in the Mass. Hist. Society.

2 On June 30, Great Britain had transmitted to the American Colonies copies of the Commissions and Instructions respecting

The inclos'd Copy of my Letter to General Abercromby, with the Minute of the Council of War held at Albany the 25th of May last, of which I some Days ago transmitted you a Copy, will shew you, Sir, the general State of his Majesty's Service with regard to the preparations in North America for this year's Campaigne, and the Situation of Indian Affairs there: It seems certain that in all this Week at furthest 7000 provincials will be ready to march from Lake George for Ticonderoge and Crown point; and Magazines of provisions are lay'd in at Sarahtoga for the British Troops, which by the Opinion of the Council of War at Albany were design'd to march to Fort Edward and Fort William Henry upon the provincials quitting them, in order to protect that and the adjacent Country in their Absence, and to be ready at hand to support them in their Attempt against Ticonderoge etc., if there should be occasion.

And I can't but hope, from the forwardness of the preparations made for the Campaigne at Oswego likewise, that it may be practicable with the Forces, which his Majesty now hath between Lake George and the Lake Ontario to make some Attempt against the French from that place this Year, as well as against their Forts at Ticonderoge and Crown point; provided Otway's and the Highland Regiments shall be ready to move in time; which will depend upon the Arrival of their Tents and Camp Utensils from England, or being immediately provided with others here, if that is possible.

I have the pleasure, Sir, to acquaint you, that the Provincials are in high Spirits, and perswaded of Success, which I flatter myself there is a good prospect of if they enter upon Action in time; And I had the Satisfaction to find at a Consultation between myself, General Abercromby, Colonel Webb, General Winslow, and the Commanding Officer of the provincial Artillery 1 held the Day I left Albany, at the the issuance of Letters of Marque, so that from the date of their arrival in America the war with France was fully authorized, after having been carried on over a year. For the order mentioned, see i Penna. Arch. 2, 684. 1 Richard Gridley.

desire of General Abercromby, that there is a very fair prospect of a Right Understanding, good Agreement and Harmony's being maintain'd between the Regulars and Provincials, upon which much will depend; as also that General Abercromby and Colonel Webb seem'd, so far as we then enter'd into the propos'd Measures for carrying the Attempt against Crown point into Execution, to approve of them.

As I find all final Determinations are to wait for the Arrival of Lord Loudoun and both General Abercromby and Colonel Webb, with whom I have had a very free Communication, have press'd me more than once in the Strongest Terms to stay at New York, 'till my Lord Loudoun arrives there, as they are perswaded that my acquainting his Lordship in a personal Conference with my Sentiments of what may be the most adviseable plan of Operations for his Majesty's Service this Year, in the most explicit manner, would be a great Satisfaction to his Lordship, and may promote the Service,1 I shall stay here a very few Days for that purpose, and hope I shall have an Opportunity of seeing his Lordship, as he hath been hourly expected here above this fortnight.

Four or five Days before I left Albany I had Intelligence sent me that the French have lately abandon'd their most advanc'd Post on Lake George, and seem to muster their whole Strength at Ticonderoge, except a small party of Troops, which they have at Crown point, at the first of which places it is judg'd they have three thousand Men, and eighteen Cannon of different Natures, with some Mortars. I have the honour to be with the Highest Respect,

Sir,

Your most Humble and
most Obedient Servant,

W. SHIRLEY.

1 In like manner, Governor Dinwiddie wrote Shirley on July 1, relative to Lord Loudoun taking up the campaign against Fort Duquesne: "if he send proper officers and artillery it may be conducted to advantage," but he added that the Indians were on the point of making war. (Dinwiddie Papers, 2, 451.) Shirley's influence with Loudoun seems to have been overestimated.