It will be of great Consequence that I hear speedily from you for the Encouragement of our friends at Cape Breton. I am Sir, Your Honour's obedient humble Servant W. SHIRLEY. P.S. I hope your honour will exert your self upon this Occasion; it is the very Crisis of the fate of the Colonies of New England. I must press you in the Strongest manner to augment the number of your recruits; and to imbark those already raised as soon as possible, as I shall begin to do throut this Province. The Disappointment from the Transports not being sent by the General, as he propos'd is unforeseen & unavoidable: pray don't let that be any obstacle in the case. The Quantity of ammunition I must now send down is exceeding great but we regard not Expence. The honourable Jonathan Law Esqr. SR, JONATHAN LAW TO WILLIAM SHIRLEY 1 Saturday night was Sennit a Justice of peace on our western Borders informed me of one who Contrived to Expose young Boyce and others to be taken in the Very act of using the Counterfeit plates in a Certain Swamp in the oblong on tuesday following but it being out of this Govermt I sent the Justice directly to Govr Clinton to Inform of the Stratagem thinking nothing was wanting but an authority & assistance Sufficient would readily be had of our people within ten miles of the Spot, he Shewed me two rhoad island xxs bills one with Divers mistakes in it the other with those errors in the plate rectified taken of the day before, and the Justice returned with a Letter the Govr Signifying that the 1 Cont. copy, Conn. Hist. Soc., Law Papers, 1, 332. Printed: ibid. Coll. 11, 312. See Shirley to Law, Apr. 27, ante, p. 211. Council were of opinion that there was no foundation for a warrant, the Justice being able to Sware only to heresays but the undertaker had found the plates a 20s Rh and an half a Crown Plate & a N. Y. plate of 20s not perfectly Compleated, Press cloths and other implements &c: Sends them over the Line, Decoys Boyce & one Hurlburt a partner into the Edge of this Govmt Seizeth them & they are in N. Haven Gaol Hurlburt Confesseth himself Guilty and accuseth 22 persons as Confederate with them Boyces father & Scions were transported through this Govrmt to you Some time Since. So far as I can Learn our troops have been Enlisted a Considerable time since when the transports are Likely to be here shall Exspect Speedy Information. In hast ask your Excellencys pardon for this trouble & Conclude as your Humble Servant To Govr Shirley J. LAW. Endorsed: Copy of a Letter to Govr Shirley June 19 1745 SIR, WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO GIDEON WANTON1 The Siege of Louisbourg having quite exhausted all our Magazines of powder except a necessary Store for Castle William, and it being uncertain what further demand of powder there may be for His Majesty's Service at that place & when any further Supplies of it may be brought in here, I must desire your Honour to lay an Embargo upon all the powder now lying in your Stores or Magazines (as I have done for several months past in this Province) so as to secure it for some time for the Service of the present Expedition against Cape Breton at the market price in case it should be wanted. I am Sir Your Honours most Obedient, Humble Servt To His Honour, Governor Wanton. 1 Printed: R. I. Col. Rec. 5, 137. WILLIAM PEPPERRELL TO WILLIAM SHIRLEY 1 MAY IT PLEASE your ExcelleNCY, My last was by the Hector, man of war, Capt Cornwall, who said for Boston 30th ulto, duplicate of which I now inclose to your Excellency, also copies of my letters to the Duke of Newcastle and Lords of the Admiralty, and a list of the artillery & warlike stores here, and of Mr Bastide's estimate of the repairs necessary, likewise duplicate of the advice of the Council of War relating to sd repairs and copy of their further advice thereon wch hope will be acceptable to your Excellency. By the last you'll find it is propos'd that bills be drawn by Commodore Warren & myself on his Majesty's Treasury for payment of sd repairs, which he is very confident will be honoured, which bills are to be dispos'd of for sterling money in order to pay off the workmen weekly, the better to encourage them therein; and the Council have made choice of two treasurers jointly to receive and pay sd money, one of which was nominated by me and the other by Commodore Warren, and the repairs are to be carried on as fast as possible under the direction of Mr Bastide, but all kinds of materials therefor are wanted, of which he has given in a list, copy of which also have herewith inclos'd, and pray your Excellency would be pleas'd to give such orders as your wisdom shall think best, there being but a very small quantity of any of these species here at present. I find many in the army are very impatient to return home, and plead your Excellency's proclamation; they are also very desirous that some suitable person should go to England that their services in this expedition may be justly and fully represented, and the Council have requested & urged me to go in Rous, & to take with me a gent. from the Connectt. and N. Hampshire regiments, but as I imagine that I ought not to leave my station here 'till your Excellency's mind is known thereon I have declin'd it, but as your presence here 1 Printed: 6 Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll. 10, 310. is earnestly requested & expected, I shall impatiently wait for that favour in order to your Excellency's giving the necessary directions relating to this place and army, and that I may obtain leave to return to my family. In the mean time shall permit none of the troops to return but such persons as the committee appointed for that purpose shall advise to. Capt Rous has brought from Annapolis two mortars and sundry stores which it is thought adviseable should be retain'd here at present; those sent from Boston I propose to return by first opportunity. Commodore Warren has aken 10obbs more of powder out of the Annapolis storeship, to be replaced with the other 5obbs in Boston, wch I promised to recommend to your Excellency. The principal French officers wth their families & several of the inhabitants are at last, not without difficulty, embarked on board the Lanceston, and several transports are saild for Rochfort in France yesterday, being about 1200. Monsieur Duchambon at going off insisted on a ratification of the capitulation which was accordingly made, copy of which have now also inclosed to your Excellency. I am much concern'd for a seasonable supply of provisions. There being many necessaries on board some of the prizes here. which the army are in great want of, it was thought adviseable that proper officers should be appointed for the legal tryal & condemnation of them, and I have joind with Commodore Warren in erecting a Court of Admiralty for that purpose for the present exigency. Capt Rous is to sail for Engd wth his dispatches to-morrow. Capt Becket is arrived here from the Gut of Canso, and informs that the Rhode Island sloop wth Donahew and himself met wth four vessells full of French & Indns in the Bay of Verte, suppos'd to be those from Annapolis, wth whom they had a skirmish, but that they retreated to the head of the Bay and escaped. Your Excellency will please to observe that in the letter to the Duke of Newcastle we mention our thoughts of a treaty with the Indians, and we imagine it might be of good consequence, if the Indians taken by Capt Donahew should be sent here. Since the above, I have your Excellency's favour pr Giddins, and observe wth the greatest gratitude the kind concern & care of your Excellency & our country in the supplies sent, wch are not unseasonable tho' we are so happy as to be within the city. The army is yet in great want of shoes, hose, and cloathing of all kinds. I shall pay all regard to your Excellency's recommendations, & have delivered your messages to the Brigadiers & Colo Bradstreet. Was it not for the reason before mentioned, and that I am afraid it would make an uneasiness in the army, I should take the first opportunity to repair to N. Engd. I am, wth all duty & respect, Your Excellency's most obedt and most humb. servt. Louisbourg, July 4th, 1745. His Excellency Govr Shirley, &c., &c., &c. W. P. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO WILLIAM PEPPERRELL1 Boston, July 7, 1745. SIR, I have the pleasure of receiving by Capt Bennet your account of the reduction of Cape Breton with its dependencies to the obedience of his Majesty, upon which I congratulate you and the other officers and the whole army under your command, who by their late bravery and unparallell'd services before Louisbourg have lay'd a most lasting foundation for the wealth, peace, and prosperity of this country, and acquir'd an honour to themselves and glory to the New England arms which must make a shining part of the English history to the latest posterity. I approve of the terms of the capitulation which you and Commodore Warren granted to the enemy; for had Louisbourg been carried by storm the conquest must in all human 1 Printed: 6 Mass. Hist. Soc. 10, 320. 2 See Pepperrell to Shirley, July 4, and the terms of the capitulation, June 16, 1745, on p. 239. |