to your Honour for one of the Vacancy's in the Virginia regiment; this I do with more assurance of succedding, as Mr. Wright's Character for good Sense and Sobriety will render him worthy the favour you may please to confer and I dare venture to say, he will endeavour to deserve.

66

Yesterday Mr. Peyroney set off from this; who I hope will also meet with your Honour's approbation and indulgence, as his behaviour has merited a reward from his Country (such he looks upon this to be). Mr. Campbell arriv'd Yesterday, after appointing the Musters for the Northern Neck. I was not a little surpris'd to hear him say he was to have Half of my Salary, especially when he at the same time gave me to understand he expected it was the half of the 70 [], exclusive of the 30 [£] which he has for his two County's which is near a third of what I get for the whole 11 Countys; a great disporportion this. I hope your Honour gave Mr. Campbell no room to expect this, for I think it exceedingly hard that I shou'd give so much more for a deputy than others, especially when the duty is much easier. For the Middle district which has 10 Countys; Muse gives but 40; Colo. Thorton" gives yet less for his while I, by Mr. Campbell's account is to give 65£, or at any rate 50. I hope, if your Honour is kind enough to continue me in that office, you will not oblige me to give such an exhorbitant allowance to a Person who, by all acc't knows nothing of the duty he has undertaken. I can get a Person whom I have taken great pains myself to teach, and who is perfectly acquainted with every part of the Service, to do the duty of the whole for the same that others give, and I shou'd be very glad for the sake of having the Countys kept in tolerably discipline, and for the favour of obliging me, your Honour wou'd indulge me in this, as I will engage it shall turn more to the Publick advantage,

'Colin Campbell, deputy adjutant of the Northern Neck. Washington's cash account for 1754 shows that he paid Campbell £25 for the last half of that year. 07 Col. John Thornton, of Spotsylvania.

whose Interest I am certain from well founded Reasons, you espouse, preferable to that of private. I am with all due regard, and imaginable respect, your Honour's, etc.

I must again mention Mr. Frazier as a person we shall much need if Mr. Peyroney is promoted, as I hope he will [be].

*To THOMAS LEE 68

[V.H.S.]

August, 1754.

Sir: Your desire, added to my own curiosity engaged me the last time I was in Frederick to return down by Water to discover the Navigation of Potomack; the following are the observations I made thereupon in that Trip. From the mouth of Paterson's Creek to the begg. of Shannondoah Falls there is no other obstacle than the shallowness of the Water to prevent Craft from passing. The first of those Falls is also even and shallow but swift and continues so with interruptions of Rocks to what is known by the Spout wch. is a mile and half; from this their is Rocky swift and very uneven water for near 6 Miles, in which distance there are 4 Falls, the first of which is tolerably clear of Rocks but shallow yet may be much amended by digging a Channel on the Maryland side abt. 2 Miles from this, and 1⁄2 Mile below the Mouth of Shannondoah is what they call the Spout, which is the great (and indd. almost the only) difficulty of the whole it has a considerable Fall the water being confined shoots with great Rapidity and what adds much to the difficulty is the bottom being exceeding

Thomas Lee, at one time president of the Virginia council and holder of two shares in the original Ohio Company of 1748. John Hanbury & Co., of London, of whom Washington later purchased Mount Vernon supplies, was a shareholder, as was also Governor Dinwiddie and Augustine and Lawrence Washington. The original of this letter is in the archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society and is a draft in Washington's writing, drawn up from notes which he made at the time and transscribed alongside of a sketch of the Potomac in that location. The letter is practically a duplication of these notes, which are also in the Wisconsin archives.

Rocky occasions a Rippling so prodigious that none but boats or large Canoes can pass. The canoe I was in wh'ch was not small had near sunk having received much water on both sides and at the hd. Their may be a passage also got round this also upon the Maryland shoar that Vessels may be hald up after removing some Rocks which a moderate expence may accomplish. One of the other two Falls is swift and ugly not much unlike the Spout but when the River is higher than ordinary a passage may be had round a small Island on the Other side which passage may be greatly improved. abt. 8 miles below this there is another Fall which is very easy and passable and abt. 2 Miles from that is a cluster of small Islands with many Rocks and swift water which renders the passage somewhat precarious. From this to the Seneca Fall the Water is as smooth and even as can be desir'd, with scarcely any perceptable Fall. The Seneca Fall is easily pass'd in two places and Canoes may continue within two Miles of the Gt. Falls but further it is not possible therefore the trouble and expence of going up Seneca Falls will not be adiquite to the expence and trouble [and] will not answer the Charges as all Carriages for the benefits of a good Road are oblig'd to pass Difficult Bridge from whence it is but 8 Miles to the Landing place at the Sugarland Island and is 5 Miles to the Lowest landing that can be h'd below the afores'd Falls of Seneca. Thus Sir as far as I was capable, have I given you an acct. of the Conveniences and inconveniences that attend the Navigation of Potomack fr'm the Fall up, which I doubt but you will readily concur with me in judging it more convenient least expensive and I may further say by much the most expeditious way to the Country. There is but one objection that can obviate this Carriage and that is the Scarcity of water in the best season of the year this kind of conveyance.

for

[W.H.S.]

TO ROBERT DINWIDDIE

[September.]

Hon'ble Sir: As I wrote so lately and fully to you, by Mr. Polson," on the subject of the Orders I had received, I have little to add now, only to acquaint your Honour, that as far as it is in my power, I shall endeavour to comply with them: what Men we can, we do enlist; but to send Officers into different parts for that purpose, would be unavailing, as they neither have money, nor can get any. I have given Maj. Carlyle memorandums of several Questions to ask your Honour, to which I beg your answers, that I may be governed thereby. I have also sent some of the soldiers' accounts, in hope of getting the money for them, as they are uneasy on that head. There are others of them that are rendered useless by their late wounds; therefore I hope you will recommend it to the consideration of the Assembly, that some provision may be made to keep them from want.

I have also desired Maj. Carlyle to mention to your Honour the great necessity there is for regulation in the Soldiers' pay; and that a certain part may be deducted and appropriated for clothing: unless this be done, we shall ever be in the distressed condition we are in at present, of which Maj. Carlyle can fully inform you, and to whom I shall refer your Honour for many particulars, especially the consequences of going as high as Will's Creek, if we cannot march farther; as, for the reasons which have been alledged, I fear we cannot, were we attempt it; and, at that place, for want of proper conveniences, we could not remain. I have the honor to be, &c."

ΤΟ

William Polson.

70

When the assembly met in October it granted £20,000 for the public exigencies, and the governor received from England £10,000 sterling in specie, with the promise of £10,000 more, and 2,000 firearms. Thereupon he resolved to enlarge the army to 10 companies, of 100 men each, and to reduce them all to independent companies, by which there would be no officer in the Virginia Regiment above the rank

TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

OF BURGESSES

Williamsburg, October 23, 1754

Sir: Nothing could have given me, and the Officers under my command, greater satisfaction, than to have received the thanks of the House of Burgesses, in so particular and honour able a manner, for our Behaviour in the late unsuccessful Engagement with the French at the Great Meadows; and we unanimously hope, that our future Conduct in the Service of our Country may entitle us to a continuance of its approbation. I assure you, Sir, I shall always look upon it as my indispensable duty, to endeavour to deserve it.

I was desired, by the Officers of the Virginia Regiment, to offer their grateful thanks for the Honour which has been confered upon them; and hope the enclosed will be indulgently received, and answer their, and the intended purpose of, Sir, Your most etc.

TO THE SPEAKER, AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES

We, the Officers of the Virginia Regiment, are highly sensible of the particular Mark of Distinction, with which you have honoured Us, in returning your Thanks for our Behaviour in the late Action; and can not help testifying our grateful

of captain. This expedient, he supposed, would remedy the difficulties about command. Washington accordingly resigned, as he would not accept a lower commission than the one he had held.-Sparks.

The plan of military operations agreed upon in a conference at Williamsburg between Governors Dinwiddie, Dobbs, of North Carolina, and Sharpe, of Maryland, is printed in the Dinwiddie Papers, vol. 1, p. 351. It appears to be Dinwiddie's plan, and specifically includes the independent companies, which, of course, was the cause of the rank controversy and Washington's resignation.