Wilmington

30 Aprl.1762.

Sir,

It is with the greatest Concern I must inform you that our Assembly was over yesterday by a Dissolution from their Obstinacy in refusing to give any Aid to His Majesty upon the strenuous and urgent Letters from Lord Egremont and your Excellency by His Majesty's Commands, not even agreeing to raise the Recruits required for to compleat, the Regulars—In order therefore to shew the Efforts I made upon their Refusal by two short Prorogations, to allow them time to reconsider and comply with His Majesty's Commands, I have enclosed to Lord Egremont, which I have left open for your perusal, and then to seal them and send by the Packet to his Lordships, all my Speeches, the Addresses and Answers, & only Resolution they wod. come into, to grant a pitiful Number of Troops to garrison our 2 forts on the Sea Coast with such Limitations and scanty Allowance to raise and subsist them as must render them of no use, as the Reasons for my dissolving the Assembly will be apparent to you from the inclosed Papers; I shall only add that I this day called a Council upon it, and by their Advice shall add to the Men and Officers so as to make up a Company of 65 Men including non Commission Officers, 40 for Fort Johnston on this River, where we have a Magazine and 30 Guns 18 & 12 pounders besides swivels, and the other 25 for Fort Granville. I have also out of my own Money advanced a sufficient sum to raise the 134 Recruits demanded as the Quota of this Province, and have sent off Majr. Bailie to raise them, who is both liked by the Men he commanded before, and expect he will have them compleated in 6 weeks at the farthest, and have them here ready for Embarkation when you send an Officer to receive them. I have also given all possible Encouragement to Major Rogers to raise his Recruits in this Province, as South Carolina has but few Men to enlist.

I have to answer these purposes taken upon me to draw Bills upon our Agents in London, who have the Money granted to this Province in Compensation for our former Supplies, altho' both Council and Assembly shod. have impowered me to draw for the Money, and as it is so manifestly for His Majesty's Service, and the Safety of this and all the American Colonies, I don't doubt of my Bills being accepted and paid, in Case they shod. not, I hope for your Excellency's Approbation in what I have done, and representing it to Lord Egremont, to whom also I shall write upon it with the inclosed papers.

I am greatly concerned that I cou'd do no more for His Majesty's Service, and the good of the Common Cause of Religion and Liberty; but as Providence is so remarkably in our favour, I make no doubt that all will be accomplished without our Mite thrown into the Seale.

I have this Moment by a returned Express from Charles Town received a Letter from Govr. Boone with one inclosed to you sent to him by Capt. Arbuthnot, which he desired me to forward with Dispatch to Govr. Fauquier to be sent by Express to you, which has come seasonably to go by the Express I was sending to Govr. Fauquier.

I am with due Regard

Sir,

your Excellency's

most obedient

humble Servant

Arthur Dobbs

Governor Dobbs—
Wilmington, 30th. April 1762.
Recd. 22d. May—
Ansd. 23d. Ditto.