To Govr. Shirley you

you

Whereas there will be wanting a considerable Number of Men to make up the designed Complement of the said Four Regiments, It is His Majty's. Pleasure, That You should be taking the previous Steps, towards contributing, as far as you Can, to have about 3000 Men in Readiness to be enlisted; And It is His Majty's. Intention, That a General Officer, of Rank, & Capacity, to be appointed to command in Chief all the King's Forces in No. America, a Deputy Quarter Master General, & a Commissary of the Musters, shall set out, as soon as conveniently may be, in order to prepare Every Thing for the Arrival of the Forces abovementioned from Europe, & for the Raising of the Others in America.

You will receive from That General, & the other Officers just mentioned, a full & exact Account of the Arms, Cloathing, & other Necessaries, to be sent, upon this important Occasion, as likewise of the Ordnance Stores, & of the Officers, and Attendants, belonging thereto. All which being ordered for this Service, are such Proofs of His Majty's. Regard for the Security, & Welfare of His Subjects in those Parts, as cannot fail to excite you to exert yourself, & Those under your Care, to take the most vigorous Steps to repel your common Danger; & to shew, That the King's Orders, which were sent you last year, by the Earl of Holdernesse, & were renewed to you, in my Letter of the 5th July, have, at last, rouzed that Emulation, & Spirit, which Every Man owes, at this Time, to His Majty., the Publick, & Himself: The King will not, therefore, imagine, That Either you, or the Rest of His Governors, will suffer the least Neglect, or Delay, in the Performance of the present Service, now strongly recommended to you; particularly, with regard to the following Points; vizt, That you should carefully provide a sufficient Quantity of fresh Victuals, at the Expence of your Government, to be ready for the Use of the Troops at their Arrival.

That you should, likewise, furnish the Officers, who may have Occasion to go from Place to Place, with all Necessaries for Travelling by Land, in Case there are no Means of going by Sea. And,

That you should use your utmost Diligence, & Authority, in procuring an exact Observance of such Orders, as shall be issued, from Time to Time, by the Commander in Chief, for Quartering the Troops, Impressing Carriages, & Providing all Necessaries for such Forces, as shall arrive, or be raised, within your Government.

As the Articles abovementioned are of a Local & peculiar Nature, & Arising entirely within your Government, It is almost needless for Me to acquaint you, That His Majty. will expect, That the Charge thereof be defrayed by His Subjects belonging to the Same. But, with regard to such other Articles, which are of a more general Concern, It is the King's Pleasure, That the same should be supplied by a Common Fund, to be established for the Benefit of All the Colonies, Collectively in No. America; For which purpose, you will use your utmost Endeavours to induce the Assembly of your Province, to raise, forthwith, as large a Sum, as can be afforded, as their Contribution to this Common Fund, to be employed, provisionally, for the general Service of North America, (particularly for paying the Charge of Levying the Troops, to make up the Complements of the Regiments abovementioned) until such Time, as a Plan of general Union of His Majty's. Northern Colonies, for their Common Defence, can be perfected.

(omitted to Govr. Shirley.)

You will carefully confer, or correspond, as you shall have Opportunities, upon Every Thing, relative to the present Service, with the said General, Sir William Pepperell, & Govr. Shirley, or Either of Them; &, as It is the King's Intention to give all proper Encouragement to such Persons, who shall engage to serve upon this Occasion, you will acquaint all such Persons, in the King's Name, that They will receive Arms, & Cloathing from hence, & That They shall be sent back (If desired) to their respective Habitations, when the Service in America shall be over.

As the several Governors, in all the King's Provinces, & Colonies in No. America, will receive, by this Conveyance, a Letter to the same Effect with This, which I now send you, They will be prepared, at the same Time, to obey His Majty's. Commands: And I am to direct you, to correspond with All, or Either of Them, occasionally, as you shall find it expedient for the General Service.