cellency's letter of 12th September, and I shall pay the strictest attention to your commands contained in it; nothing in my power shall be neglected to forward the interests of Government and your Excellency's views.

Since writing my last letter, by Colonel Kirkland, I have received, by the way of Savannah, a copy of a talk from the Cherokees, to Mr. Cameron, which I now enclose. It shows their disposition, which I shall, by all means, cultivate; for which purpose my brother is preparing to set off for the Creek, and afterwards for the Cherokee nation.

It occurs to me that it will no longer be good policy to foment the difference between the Choctaws and Creeks; for while they continue at war it will be difficult or even impossible to get the Creeks to act in His Majesty's service, by which they must expose their women and children to the attacks of their enemies. I shall impatiently wait for your Excellency's ideas upon this subject, which I humbly submit. In the mean time I shall send the necessary instructions throughout the District.

I shall immediately take steps to get some Indians here, which will be an acquisition to this place, in its present weak state; and I have been for some time past using all possible means of supplying myself with necessaries for engaging the Indians firmly in His Majesty's interest. 1 am apprehensive I shall find difficulty in getting a supply of provisions.

I have the honour of being, with the utmost respect, sir, your Excellency's most obedient and most humble servant,

JOHN STUART.

JOHN STUART TO GENERAL GAGE.

October 3, 1775.

SIR: Colonel Kirkland will acquaint your Excellency that a great majority of the frontier and back inhabitants of Carolina are attached to and inclined to support Government. In such circumstances I conceive that an indiscriminate attack by Indians would be contrary to your Excellency's idea, and might do much harm; but I shall dispose them to join in executing any concerted plan, and to act with and assist their well-disposed neighbours. The Allatchaway Indians are now here; and I now look with impatience for answers to my despatches to the different nations, which I have reason to expect every hour.

I have the honour of being, most respectfully, sir, your Excellency's most obedient and most humble servant,

JOHN STUART.

JOHN STUART TO MAJOR SMALL.

St. Augustine, October 2, 1775.

DEAR SIR: I was extremely glad to learn, by our old friend, Captain Barker, of the 16th, who arrived here yesterday, that you was well when he left Boston. I congratulate you upon a very narrow escape, where so many fell. The St. Lawrence, armed schooner, is safe moored in this harbour; she sailed in, at half flood, without touching. This I mention because I understand that it was apprehended her coming in would be attended with much difficulty; on the contrary, there was not one thing taken out of her, and she did not want the assistance of a boat. I have again been disappointed in a supply of ammunition. I had twenty-five hundred pounds of powder on board a ship bound from London to Georgia; about fourteen days ago she arrived, and the Rebels seized her powder, as they had before that in Captain Maitland's ship. However, I borrowed from the ordnance stores about four thousand pounds; which, with some I have purchased, will be a supply.

This will be delivered by an unfortunate gentleman named Cameron, who has been obliged to leave his country on account of an affair of honour, in which his antagonist fell; he is desirous of becoming a volunteer, and begged of me to mention him to some officer in the army. I have, therefore, taken the liberty of troubling you upon the occasion, to beg your good offices, so far as you can with conveniency; and you must blame yourself for this, for if you had not made your own character remarkable by benevolent and good-natured actions, I should not now have applied to you, as I do with hopes of being pardoned by you for taking a liberty which nothing else could warrant. I have no particular news of any sort. Our communication with all parts of America is difficult, and dangerous to any person residing in any of the disaffected Colonies. Our Carolina neighbours have threatened to pay us a visit; however, I doubt much of their putting their threats in execution. By the detachments sent from the Fourteenth Regiment this garrison is much weakened. Before the arrival of the St. Lawrence, the second detachment of troops to Virginia embarked, and left only thirty-five men 6t for duty. I shall bring down some of my friends to stay with us here also. I shall find it extremely difficult to find provisions.

I most sincerely wish you success and safety in all your enterprises; and am, with sincere regard, dear sir, your most obedient humble servant,

JOHN STUART.

DANIEL CHAMIER, JUN., TO DANIEL CHAMIER.

St. Augustine, September 18, 1775.

MY DEAR SIR: I embraced an opportunity some time ago, which I hope has proved, a safe one, of writing to you from this place, so shall not repeat the cause of changing my situation.

This climate, though almost constantly refreshed with sea-breezes, is still very hot, and subject (especially this year) to a violent and dangerous fever, which I, among others, have had the misfortune to be afflicted with. It has weakened me much; but I am recovering by degrees. This is the third fever I have had in these hot climates; and what is worst of all, they render me the more incapable of returning to colder ones.

Another detachment is now ordered from this garrison, which may shortly be the cause of my being obliged at last, however against my will, to retire to England. Jecrois que vous entendez bien ce qve je voudrais dire. I am now at the end of the continent, and no possibility of a conveyance to the West-Indies. This may, however, not be the case hereafter, if by exchange or otherwise I should be entitled to seek a passage there, or were I ever furnished with proper credentials for my abode there, which I am not. I beg you just to hint this to your brother, to prepare him for it, although nothing but absolute necessity shall induce me to surprise him with a visit.

It is very hard that I should be in this situation, when we had such strong assurances that all our losses, by the removal of the custom-house, were to be made good. By a very moderate calculation I have just now made, on the 5th day of January next, I shall have at least two hundred pounds sterling due to me, exclusive of what I am to allow my deputy, but of which sum I shall not dare to draw for a larger portion than thirty pounds, being now to pay my deputy, out of my salary of one hundred pounds, the sum of seventy pounds for doing nothing, which must have been the case for a long time past. I am also driven from those friends in Charlestown, who generously advanced me what money I wanted, though I trust I shall not be without resources here until I can hear from you.

I write this also by way of Virginia; and should the remainder of this regiment be hereafter ordered away, you will of course know of it, and may take that opportunity of letting me hear from you, which I am very anxious to do after so long a silence, and seeing no other prospects, for we look upon the Southern Colonies as entirely deserted by the Admiral, which has been of infinite prejudice to His Majesty's service in many respects.

I am not very disagreeably situated in this place, although I have been more obliged to some friends, on my first coming, than I ought. Nevertheless, if we are thus forsaken, and our troops drawn away from us, we must, like other Provinces, suffer some distress; and this alone may oblige me to leave it in my present state of health. The last fevers that I have had, and a somewhat freer way of living sometime ago in Charlestown, have shown me very evidently, that I have a strong scorbutick taint in my blood, and this was Doctor Matys's opinion, which your brother was so kind as to procure for me two years ago, upon a state of my case drawn up by myself; and though my temperance may have hitherto repressed any violent symptoms, yet such a disposition lurking in the blood may well be one cause of retarding my cure, and I have lately made such alterations in my diet as this case would require. Sure I am, it is either that, or a worse disorder, that has manifested itself lately, but I think the symptoms too mild for the latter; and yet, considering my youth, I