Brunswick

29. Septr. 1762.

Sir,

I am sorry I am obliged to report and apply against a Reptile Capt. J. Dalrymple, who brags he is the greatest of the Scotch Nobility, tho' he in his Person and Behaviour is the very refuse of his Family; I shall not enter into his moral Character as being Detestable through pride self-Sufficiency Avarice and want of Veracity, that nothing can be safe under his Command, having been guilty of such base and atrocious Crimes as if they had been prosecuted wou'd have brought him to a miserable End: He was originally put upon General Braddock, who to get him out of the way at his Importunity made him Captain and Commander of Fort Johnston Cape Fear, a provincial Fort built and then rebuilt and maintained by this province, without any Appointment, with a Recommendatory Letter to me to assist him to recruit in this Province, upon which I advanced him £100 for which I took his Bond, and at his Request to give him Rank and Credit of Lieut. Colonel made him Adjutant General of the Militia. He squandered away the Money having 3 or 4 Servants to serve him in the fort without enlisting one Man for the Service, and applied to me to get an order to superintend the rebuilding of the Fort, upon which I wrote to Genl. Braddock by my Son to acquaint him of my ^his^ Behaviour, and whether I shod. entrust him further, who desired him to inform me he was imposed upon him, who gave the Commission as insignificant to get him out of the way, that he wod. not trust him with building a Hog sty, and that the best thing I cou'd do, wod. be to hang him upon the first Tree I cou'd find—He soon after took upon him to take upon him, the Command of the Provincial Troops intrusted by The General Assembly for the Defense of the Fort, and Stores His Majesty sent over, and absolutely refused to obey my Command as Captain General of the Province saying he was not under my Power, and challenged but durst not fight a young Officer who had the Command, and soon after in the year 1758 deserted his Command, with out of the Province without Leave, & expresly contrary to my orders, upon which I suspended him, and he went to New York and gave in a Memorial against me, which you slighted, and advised him to return, and then proceeded to England, but never applied to take off his Suspension. Upon his Majesty's Accession he applied for a Renewal of his Commission, and thus by Surprize got a new Commission antidated as others were of the 27. Octor. 1760. He has been ever since selling Fiddle Strings and old Italian Musick Books through all our American Islands, and about a fortnight ago returned here from New york, and produced his Commission demanding to be put into Possession of the Fort; Upon his Appearance I put him under an Arrest upon Account of his former Desertion and Breach of orders, and also upon Account of his long Absence from his new Command without Leave during a dangerous French & Spanish War, upon which he desired it might be in the fort, to which I agreed—He no sooner was there and confined to his room but he broke his Arrest, walked about the Fort and out of it without Leave demanding the Honours &c of the Fort, upon which I ordered him to be confined to his room with a Centry, unless he under his hand owned his fault and Breach of the Articles of War which he refuses to do, so I am under a Necessity to preserve the Rank of my Station under His Majesty to report the facts to your Excellency, and leave the Determination to you or to a Court Martial; and indeed if he was out of his Arrest and shod. have the Command of the Fort, I can't answer but he wou'd Betray his Trust, imbezzle the Stores, and in his Intervals of a Species of Madness and self Sufficiency wou'd be guilty of some flagrant Crimes.

This I leave to you, and am with great Regard

Sir,

Your Excellency's

most obedient

humble Servt.

Arthur Dobbs.

Governor Dobbs.
Brunswick, 29th Sep 1762.
Recd. 22d. Ditto
Ansd. 15th. Novr.