(especially those of the Massachusetts and Connecticut,) have been laboring to carry ever since the first of the war; and if this spirit be duly cherished and properly managed and directed, it may, by the blessing of God, prove of unspeakable benefit for the safety of these colonies.

I refer Your Honour to an extract from Col. Stoddard's letter to me, for a more particular account of this affair; only I would observe, that Col. Johnson and Mr. Lydius, whose influence on the Indians has brought about this great event, are under such engagements, as they are not able to fulfill without proper supplies from these governments; and if for want of that, the Indians should suffer any disappointment, it is more than probable that they will be disgusted at their being left in the lurch by us, and will fall entirely into the interests of the French, which will be more fatal to these colonies than any thing that has yet befallen

us.

Now, as there is no General Court in being in this Province, we can do nothing, at present, for the furnishing these gentlemen; though our General Court has entrusted Mr. Lydius with this affair, and have undertaken to supply him with a considerable sum for this service, and he has made his drafts for the payment, which will be done; but the parties of Indians come so fast upon him and Mr. Johnson, to be fitted out for this service, that what they will receive at present from this government, will be a very inconsiderable part of what they are under engagements for; and the gentlemen seem to apprehend that there is great danger of their being ruined, and the common cause suffering the greatest damage that we can conceive of, unless they be relieved from these governments.

I doubt not, sir, but your General Court, will, in this critical conjuncture, readily make proper supplies for the encouragement of the Indians of the Six Nations, for prosecuting this war, and for keeping these gentlemen in heart till an agreement may be made between the governments to apportion the charge that has arisen or may arise in this important affair, among themselves; and I shall lay this 385

VOL. I-2 C

matter before our General Court, at their first meeting, and am fully persuaded they will cheerfully fall into all the measures necessary for promoting this important interest.

You will please to lay these matters before your Assembly as soon as possible, and let me know their resolutions on this affair.

I am, with great regard, Sir,

Your most Obedient humble Servant,

His Majesty has been pleased to direct me to signify to you his pleasure that you should immediately appoint a meeting with Commodore Knowles, at such place as shall be agreed upon, and consider with him the present state of Nova Scotia and Louisbourg, and take the proper measures for the defence of those places.

It is His Majesty's pleasure you should endeavor to complete from out of the Americans, who are now raised for His Majesty's service, Sir William Pepperell's Regiment and your own.

Lieut. Gen. Phillips's Regiment, is, I am afraid, very weak. I will, however, send His Majesty's orders to send what recruits can be got from hence; and you will als endeavor to have his Regiment completed out of the Americans.

As it is His Majesty's intention that the Americans should be immediately discharged, except only such few as are mentioned above, the manner of discharging them, the satisfaction of their time, &c., must be left to Commodore Knowles and yourself; the King, however, is perswaded you will do it as cheap as possible.

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 901, p. 178.

It is also His Majesty's pleasure, that Mr. Knowles and you should consider what number of Americans will be really wanted for the service above mentioned; and the King would have you retain as many as may be absolutely necessary for that service, and no more; and the King hopes that a small number of Americans, with His Majesty's forces, which you have, may be sufficient for that purpose, as the expense of these Americans is very great; and as to the Americans in general, except only such as may be wanted for the service above mentioned, it is His Majesty's pleasure, that you, in conjunction with Commodore Knowles, should thank them in such manner as you think proper, and immediately discharge them upon the best and cheapest foot you can, and in order thereto you will consult with the respective Governours upon the manner of closing it; and you shall transmit to His Majesty an immediate account of what you shall do therein.

And as these American Troops have done little or no service hitherto, it is to be hoped they will not expect to be paid in the manner they would have been, had they actually been employed on service; and it seems highly reasonable that such of these Troops as have remained in the Provinces, where they were enlisted, should be contented with less pay than such of them as may have marched into other Provinces.

When you and Mr. Knowles shall have met and fully considered the service to be undertaken, in the manner above directed, and shall have agreed what number of Americans it will be necessary to keep in pay for that purpose, it is His Majesty's pleasure that you should procure an account of the whole expense incurred on account of the American troops from the time of their being levied, to the time of their discharge; and when the same shall be fully adjusted and liquidated, you will transmit it to me, with the proper vouchers, from the several Governours, that it may be laid before Parliament, to the end that provision may be made for the payment; and in the mean time, in order to prevent any complaint amongst the men that have been enlisted, (as

well those that shall be discharged, as those that shall continue in service,) for want of immediate pay, you will recommend it to the Governours of the Provinces, where these levies have been made, to procure credit from their respective Assemblies for that purpose, which His Majesty hopes may be done without difficulty.

1

I am &ca

HOLLES NEWCASTLE.

1 As you and Mr Warren have represented, That an Opinion prevailed amongst the Inhabitants of Nova Scotia, That It was intended to remove Them from their Settlements and Habitations in that Province; And as that Report may probably have been artfully spread amongst Them in order to induce Them to withdraw Themselves from their Allegiance to His Majesty, and to take Part with the Enemy; His Majesty thinks it necessary, that proper measures should be taken, to remove any such ill-grounded Suggestions; and, for that Purpose, it is the King's Pleasure, that you should declare in some publick and Authentick manner to His Majesty's subjects, Inhabitants of that Province, that there is not the least Foundation for any Apprehension of that nature; But that, on the contrary, It is His Majesty's Resolution to protect, and maintain, all such of them as shall continue in their Duty, and Allegiance to His Majesty, in the quiet and peaceable Possession of their respective

1 The remainder of the text consists of the opening paragraphs of a signed postscript to another letter from Newcastle to Shirley of the same date as the preceding. This letter is in P. R. O., C. O. 5, 45, p. 268. The earlier part of the manuscript states that Admiral Sir Peter Warren is in England on leave of absence, that the expedition of General St. Clair is not to go to North America at the time expected, and that consequently any such conquests of Canada as had been planned must be considered as impracticable for the present. Consideration is then given to the state of Nova Scotia for the defense of which Shirley had been directed to plan.

Habitations, and Settlements and that they shall continue to enjoy the free Exercise of their Religion.

His Majesty did propose to have signed a Proclamation to the purport above mentioned and to have transmitted it to you to have been published in Nova Scotia; But as the Advices, that have been received here, of a Body of the New England Troops, which were advanced to Menis having been surprised by a Party of the French Canadeans and their Indians, and having been either cut off, or taken Prisoners, And the great Probability there is, That this Misfortune could not have happened to that Body of Troops, without the Assistance or, at least, the Connivance of the Inhabitants of Nova Scotia, make it very difficult to fix the Terms of the intended Proclamation; His Majesty thinks it more adviseable to leave it to you to make such a Declaration in His Name, as you shall be of Opinion, the present Circumstances of the Province may require.

NEWCASTLE.

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE SELECTMEN OF

GENTLEMEN,

BOSTON 1

Boston, June 23d, 1747.

I send you the inclos'd Extract from Govr. Knowles's Letter, that you may Communicate it to the Town in such manner as you shall think proper, And as I have reason to apprehend from accounts I have received, that the Fuel already bespoke in some Country Places for the supply of this Town in the present Year, will be raised before the Winter is over to a most excessive Price, unless it is prevented by the importing a considerable quantity of wood from the Eastern Parts which may be very ruinous to the Poor of this Town in particular, I would recommend it to you to Consider of some Method for the Encouragement of 1 Original, Mass. Archives, Col. Ser. 53, 252.