Subject: Tax Burden and Recruiting Indians, 18 March 1758
Resent-Date: Sun, 22 Mar 1998 23:45:30 -0800 (PST)
Resent-From: SCROOTS-L@rootsweb.com
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 02:47:54 -0500
From: Steve Coker 
Organization: gamecock@yours.com
To: "SCROOTS-L@rootsweb.com" 

The Colonial Records of South Carolina
The Journal of the Commons House of Assembly
Published by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 51-62239
ISBN: 1-880067-28-5

Saturday the 18th of March 1758.

"... Capt. Taylor reported from the Committee to whom his Excellency[s] Messages
of Yesterday's date was referred That The Committee had Considered the Matter of
the said Message & had directed him to report their Opinion thereupon to the
House. And he read the Report in his Place & afterwards deliver'd it in at the
Clerks Table w[h]ere the same was read & is as followeth, Viz.

That the People of this Province are already Burthened with Taxes heavier than
they can well bear not only from the great Reduction in the Prices of the
several Commodities produced in this Province, but from the Large Grants made to
his Majesty For the following Services, Viz., For the Generall Service of North
America, For the Fortifications in this Province, for Building & Maintaining
Fort Loudoun, for Raising a Regiment, For Building Barracks and other Necessarys
for his Majestys Forces, For maintaining the Accadians & Prisoners of warr & For
Indians Expences.

The Committee however upon Considering that the Design of this Province in
Granting a Large Sum of Money for Raising a Regiment was That 500 Men of the
said Regiment shoud be for the Benefit of the General Cause and Subject to the
Earl of Loudoun's Orders, and as it has been found Impracticable in this
Province to raise the Forces proposed. And as my Lord Loudoun is so earnest and
thinks it so Essential and Necessary to the Success of the Operations now on
foot, That a Party of Indians Shoud be sent to Virginia.

The Committee are of Opinion that if a Sum Not Exceeding £20,000 were taken out
of the Monies provided to pay the said Regiment and Applyd for Encouraging and
fitting out a Party of Indians for his Assistance and Defraying all Charges
incident thereto, the design and Intentions of this in Passing the said Law
would be better Answered and a greater Advantage accrue to his Majestys Service.

The Said Report being read a Second time was agreed to by the House.

Ordered That an Answer be prepared to his Excellency[s] said Message.

And Accordingly the following One was drawn, Viz.

May it please your Excellency,

As the People of this Province are already burthen'd with Taxes heavier than
they can well bear under their present Circumstances not only from the Great
Reduction in the Prices of the severall Commodities produced in this Province,
but from the Large Grants made to His Majesty for the several Extraordinary
Services following, Viz., For the General Service of North America, For
fortifying this Province, For building and Supporting Fort Loudoun, For raising
a Regiment, For building Barracks and other Necessarys for His Majestys Forces,
For maintaining the Acadians & Prisoners of War & for Indian Expences; we Cannot
provide for Raising the Sum mention'd in Your Excellency's Message of Yesterday
to Engage a Large Number of the Cherokee Indians to Join the Forces under the
Command of his Excellency the Earl of Loudoun. However as the Design of the
Legislature of this Province in Granting a Large Sum of Money to raise a
Regiment was that 500 of them Shoud Act in the General Cause and be Subject to
Lord Loudoun's Command & as the raising of a Regiment in this Province has been
found Impracticable, And as His Lordship is so Earnest & thinks it so Essential
& necessary to the Success of the Opperations of the Ensuing Campaign, that a
Party of the said Indians shou'd be Sent to Virginia, we are willing That a Sum
not Exceeding £20,000, be taken out of the Monies provided to Raise the said
Regiment & applied for Encouraging & fitting out a Party of the said Indians to
Join his Majesty's Forces & for Defraying all Charges that may be incedent
thereto; In doeing which, in our Opinion, the Intentions of the Legislature in
raising the said Regiment may be better answ'd & a Greater Advantage Accrue to
his Majestys Service.

And we Intreat your Excellency That Nothing may be promis'd to be Given the said
Indians upon their return from War, as they have not hitherto been used to be
paid for the time they were absent from Home, & which wou'd not only inhance the
Expence, but may Establish a bad Precedent among all our Indian Allies.

Ordered that the said Answer be presented to his Excellency by Mr. Laurens...."

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