given him and has been on the Charity of well disposed persons for Some time And as he has done his Duty faithfully in Said Expedition and this Illness proceeds from the Distemper there Rife among the Troops he Most humbly Prays you Excelly & the Honourable the Genneral Court, to allow him something towards his subsisting himself. As in your Wisdome Shall Seem meet, and your Petitioner as in Duty bound Shall Ever Pray &ca

Portsmouth Jan' the first 1745/6

Edward Hopkins

In Council Jan1y 2d 1745-6 read & Sent Down to the Honble House Theod' Atkinson Sery

[He was allowed £7. 10. - ED.]

[Shirley to Wentworth.]

[Belknap Papers, Vol. II., p. 241.]

Boston, Jan 12, 1746.

Sir I am favour'd with yours by last Post, in answer to which, as to the attempt upon Crown Point wch your Excellency supposes to be laid aside, it will proceed, if Connecticutt and the Southern Governmts do not fail on their part. The General Assembly here is much engaged in promoting it, and earnest in their requests on me to pursue it had it not proceeded, I would have endeavoured to assist in your attempt agst St. Francois with two or three or more companies. This proceeding agst Crown Point, between meetings at the Province house to concert proper measures, preparing dispatches to go Express to Connecticutt and New York, and the variety of Business I have with the Assembly, together my dispatches for London & Annapolis, none of all wch would admit delay, necessarily occasion'd my not particularly answering your two last letters before this Post, wch I hope you will therefore excuse. The first of those letters contains an answer to mine upon the augmenting of your three hundred Troops design'd agst St. Francois, and am glad to find in it yt you agree with me thereupon in sentiments, and are determin'd to augment 'em to 500 besides Voluntiers, and it is a particular pleasure to me to find yt Col. Atkinson will go himself upon this Enterprise, wch I have also signify'd to the Governmts of Connecticutt and New York, and gave 'em hopes yt your attempt upon St. Francois would have. kept time as near as possibly might be with that agst Crown Point, wch would favour the success of both: As to your Excellency's

second letter, yet unanswer'd, the acct of our men's marching to Menis and the Deputies agreeing to furnish 'em wth three months subsistence gives me great pleasure, and it seems to promise yt all things will go right there. I think, as your Excellency observes, Capt. Mitchell's cruise was an unfortunate one, and his coming back to Portsmouth for the reasons he gives seems, I must confess, very extraordinary. But your Excellency is the best judge of that. I will endeavour to get some information from Capt. Stephens respecting the situation & distance of St. Francois from Winnepesaket Pond, and to have it sent you. It will be of great importance yt your forces should have the best of pilots that can be procur'd.

As to what your Excy mentions concerning the pay of the forces, I have made no drafts for that charge as yet; and all that I can Say at present is, yt it seems to me the several Gov's are warranted by the Duke of New Castle's letter to draw for their own Troops; and I think the best method is to dispose of the bills to the merchts, who are the most proper persons to negotiate 'em, wch is the method I have taken with respect to other charges of the Crown that have

arisen here.

Be pleas'd to excuse the haste of this scrawl and accept the Complimts of the season, and an assurance yt I am,

Sir, your Excellency's most Obedient, Humble servant

His Excy Govr Wentworth.

W. Shirley.

[Shirley to Wentworth.]

[Belknap Papers, Vol. II., p. 242.]

Boston, Jan 27, 1746.

Sir. I had the favour of your Exc's letter by the Post, and am sorry for the bad acct from Winnipisioka Pond. I have the same doubt concerning the sufficiency of the officers commissionated by his Majtys Governours for holding a Court Martial, before the arrival of his Majtys Commissions here, as you have; tho' I have not the least doubt but yt the 170 men who deserted from the rest of the Troops at the Pond, are (if duly inlisted into his Majtys service, as I doubt not but they are) as much guilty of mutiny and desertion, as if their officers had actually receiv'd the King's Commissions, and may be try'd for it as soon as there shall be a proper Court Martial erected; wch doubtless your Assembly and other Branches of the Legislature may enable your officers to hold untill the arrival of his Majtys Commissions &c. And I should think they would upon further consideration pass

such an act, wch the particular circumstances of the case and the necessity of his Majtys service plainly require. I don't otherwise see how the officers can mentain a proper command over the soldiers. I am sure the General Interest of your own and the other neighbouring Governmts wch are very deeply concern'd in having your design'd attempt agst St. Francois supported and successfully prosecuted, loudly . calls for such an one, especially as I have received advices from Gov Clinton by Express two days ago, yt he and his Govt are determined to join wth the Governmts of the Massachusetts and Connecticutt in an attempt this winter upon Crown Point, and I expect the GovTM of Connecticutt will come to a Resolution tomorrow to join too: and all three Governmts depend on your making the attempt agst St. Francois at the same time, wch seems to me likely to fail unless the Assembly will join in passing such an act as I have before mention'd, and shall propose to mine forthwith to pass, least the same case should happen among the Troops rais'd in my Govt as has happen'd with you. In the mean time, undoubtedly you may commit to Goal such of your mutineers and Deserters, as you can properly lay hold of, and secure 'em there, till there shall be a Court Martial for the Trial of 'em.

The Inclosed papers will show your Excellency my method of Enlisting. I should think some proclamation warning the men to return to their duty by such a day under pains of being prosecuted as Deserters with the utmost severity, would not be amiss.

Excuse this hasty scrawl from

Sir, your Excellencys most Obedient, Humble servant.

His Excy Govt Wentworth.

W. Shirley.

[3-158] [Petition of Timothy Clement, of Concord, 1746.]

To Mr Stephens Speaker of ye House

Sur this is to inform you that Sum Time in Januwary and febewary 1744/5 I went To winepesocky with Capt Chandler and I Caryed a Set of Survaying Instrements with me & Took a True plan of the pond according to a Mathematicall Rule and was at Considrable Cost to my Chain men and allso to the Indon Cristo and when I Got home It took me Several Days to Draw the Plan and to make the Remark of Caring places and the Lik and I never Recived but about 35 10 a Day old tennor: and I Sent the plan To His Excelency Supposing that It might be of Great Sarvice to the Goverment and I was in Hops that His Excelency or ye Honrable Cort would in their wisdom

and Charity a Low me Sumthing for the same and if they would I Should be thankfull for it in as much as I am a poor man and Have a Great familey To maintain and if you would Move it to ye Honrable Cort and they would alow me any thing and would Send it by Capt Goss I Shall be your Sarvant at all Times Redy and willing To Sarve the Goverment as much as in me Lyes from

Rumford febew ye 6th 1745/6

Timth Clement

[For roll of the company, see Vol. V., p. 754. — Ed.]

[3-159]

[Petition from Mary Welch, of Portsmouth, Soldier's Wife.]

To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Gover' & Commander in Chief in & over his Majestys Province of New Hampsh1 the Honble His Majestys Council & House of Representatives for Said Province in Gen' Assembly Convend Febry 19th 1745

The Humbly Petition of Mary Welsh of Portsmouth in Said Province Shews

That your Petitioners Husband John Welsh listed under Capt George Meserve when Recruiting for Louisbourg & went with him to that place & Still Continues a Soldier there-That he has Receivd only his Months pay & the bounty Money on which his family has Subsisted Ever Since — But Your Petitioner having three Small Children cannot any Longer Support her Self & them without help Wherefore She Prays that she may be Allow'd to take up the wages due for his Service & that payment thereof may bee orderd Accordingly & Your Petitioner as in Duty Bound shall ever Pray &c

In Council May 7th 1746 read & Sent Down

mary welch Theod' Atkinson Sery

[Endorsed] Dismis'd having been answered.

[3-160]

[Joseph Sleeper's Statement relative to the Trouble between Colonel Richmond and Captain Ladd at Louisbourg.]

Kingston in the Province of new Hampshire Feb 15 1745-6

To His Excellency the Governour and commander in chief in and over his Majesties Province of new Hamps' and to the Hon' Court and Assembly thereof

The humble Petition of Joseph Sleeper is that as Capt Daniel Lad refused to order or Command his men any more by reason of a disgust he met with from Collonel Richmond May 18th on Saturday Capt Lad was in the Trench with the biggest Part of his Company and going out of the Trench on Saturday morning he passed by Colonel Richmond and gave no Account to him how many men he brought out of the Trench the Collonel Sent after him and brought him and his men back and Sent him with his men to a Guard House near the Trench and then Capt Lad was offended with Colonel Richmond and Said he never would order his men any more nor have anything to do with them any more and So did not order them any more till the 14th day of June we were ordered by the Colonel to go on Board the Man of Warr then the Colonel asked him if he would go on Board the Man of War he told the Col. he did not know he was not very well but he consented to go with his men again July 27th Capt Lad was ordered into the Court Marshall I was Sent for into the Court to give Account why I did not come into Court when I was Summoned I told their Hon's I was not Summoned, So when they looked they found my Name was not in the Summons then having asked me what my Name was they Summoned me to appear in Court the next Thursday at 9 a Clock to give Account what I knew concerning Capt Lad and Brigadeer Waldo told me Capt Lad was confined to his House not to go out any distance on any Account and I must Command and lead the Company into the City on Monday next at 9 of the Clock and must order them from time to time and must obey Such orders as came to me from my Superior Officers. Now when the General told Capt Lad that his men must unload a Sloop of Wood, he replyed that his men did not chuse to work except they ware payed for it; then they Shall have none to burn Says the General We will burn Coal Says Capt Lad, the Coal Says the General is for the Smiths, my men Says Capt Lad cannot work they are So faint they can't get their Allowance of Rum; they must have no more Rum they must have Molasses then Says Capt Lad they must go to brewing Beer So he would not Send any men. The Colonel Sent a Warrant to him to Send fourteen men and an Officer with them to guard a Sloop to Saint Peters to bring Wood but he refused to Send men and burnt the Warrant - Now I beg that the Honle Court would be pleased to consider me in this Matter as I have been forced to do this Service I think it is my undoubted Right to ask Some Satisfaction for it I don't remember that ever Lieut Dudly was in the Trench more than twice I was forced to be most constantly with the men in the