Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 47

N. the 6 foot Radius Sector under Care to be forwarded
by the Mess^rs Hanbury Merch^ts London, the Brass yard By
M^r Anderson Merch^t D^o.

[Sharpe to Egremont.]

To The Right Hofible The Earl of Egremont. Ann^s 25^th of
April 1762.
My Ld.
It is not without great Concern I now write to inform Your
Ldp that altho I have in Obedience to His Majesty's Com-
mands signified to me by Your Ldp's two Letters dated the
12^th of Dec^r last used my utmost Endeavours to prevail on
the General Assembly of this Province to levy cloath & pay a
Number of Troops for the King's Service & to raise the
Recruits which were demanded by S^r Jeffery Amherst as our
quota for the King's Regular Regiments on this Continent
my Endeavours have proved unsuccessful. Having laid those
two Letters before them together with some I had therewith
received from S^r Jeffery I pressed them to a Compliance with
His Majesty's Requisition & a few Days after the opening of
the Session a Vote passed in the Lower House for Levying
cloathing & paying during the Term of one year 400 Provin-
cials & for raising 84 Recruits for the Kings Regular Regi-
ments on this Continent, but at the same time it was Resolved
by a Majority in that House that in order to raise the Money
thought necessary for those purposes such a Bill should be
brought in as had eight times before been rejected by the
Upper House because in their opinion it was calculated to
introduce such Innovations in our Constitution as would
create the greatest Confusion & Disorder, sacrifice a Part of
the Inhabitants to the Humour of the Rest & invest the Lower
House of Assembly with executive Powers which have been
hitherto exercised by other Branches of our Legislature. The
Upper House of Assembly having as I have already hinted
several times refused their assent to such a Bill & so long ago
as the year 1758 particularized their objections to it which
together with all that passed between the two Houses there-
upon were laid more than two years ago before His Majesty's
Attorney Gen^l M^r Pratt who gave it as his opinion that no Bill
lyable to such objections ought to be passed into a Law I com-
municated his opinion to the Gentlemen of the Lower House
but they declined paying any Regard to it, saying that it was
no uncommon thing for Lawyers to differ in opinion & that as
your Ldp had not in explicit Terms, censured the Proceedings of
either the Upper or the Lower House but only in general Words
reprehended the Province for not having granted Supplies they

Letter Bk. III