of the Council of Maryland, 1778-1779. 49

[Charles Carroll to Gov. Johnson.]

Yorke 21 April 1778
Dear Sir
By a letter from Gen. Smallwood of the 17^th instant from
Wilmington we are informed of an insurrection of the Forces
at a place called Jordans Island 10 miles from Dover — Small-
wood apprehends this insurrection may become very serious
unless speedily suppressed: his letter is referred to a committee
of w^h I am one: we shall report that you be requested to call
out 300 of the militia from the adjacent counties of Mary^d &
put them under a spirited & active officer, who will receive
his instructions from a committee of Congress — I beg your
attention to this business — Smallwood writes that we have
considerable stores at Charles Town, w^h he fears may be taken
or destroyed by these Insurgents: if we have any considerable
stores at Charles Town, or at any other place near the bay
they run an equal or greater danger of being destroyed by
parties from the Enemy's shipping. You can not take too
much precaution to secure these or any other stores that may
be near the water. M^r Henry has sent you a copy of draughts
of two Bills w^h as they are of a most insidious tendency, I
make no doubt have long since been passed into Acts of
Parlia^t I wish you would employ some ingenious writer to com-
bat & expose the perfidiousness of our Enemies: they stop at
nothing, the whole british nation seems rising against us; they
will unite art & force to conquer us: I am persuaded they will
send over during the course of the summer & fall at least
14000 men, principally british.
Is it not strange that the lust of domination should force
the british nation to greater exertions, than the desire of liberty
can produce among us ?
By the Merany Packet in 7 weeks & 3 days from Falmouth
we hear that all hopes of an amicable settlem^t between the
Turkes and Russians were at an end by a courier w^h arrived
at Warsaw the middle of Dec^r there was reason to believe
hostilities had then, or were on the point of being commenced.
The elector of Bavaria is dead: his death may possibly involve
Germany in a War. If our People would but exert them,
selves this campaign we might secure our liberties forever-
Gen. Washington is weak; reinforcements come in slow: try,
for God sake & the sake of human Nature, to rouse our
countrymen from their lethargy. Gates will command a body
of men in the Highlands on Hudson's river for the security
of its navigation. The Congress do worse than ever — We
murder time, and chat it away in idle impertinent talk: how-
ever I hope the urgency of affairs will teach even that Body a

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