I received yesterday the favour of yr Excelly's Letter of the 10th. Inst. I hope that my two Letters of the 10th & 15th. are arrived in Time to prevent the Embarkation of your Troops. I shoud be sorry if they had miscarry'd, chiefly after Y E has been pleased to acquaint me that your Men are only listed for 6 Months. I beg leave to observe that such a Term is too short, & that the Service that can be had of these Troops will never be equal to the Expence of raising and cloathing them.

The Provinces of Pensilvania, Virginia and South Carolina had formerly the same method, but having found the Inconveniences of it, they inlist now for the whole War. And for my part I woud rather have no Troops, than to be at the Trouble & expence to form them, & when the could begin to be able to perform their Duty, be oblig'd to disband them. 

By the Situation of N. Carolina, I see no appearance that any Troops will be employed there. But as the Case may happen I leave it to your Excellency's Consideration if it wou'd not be a proper precaution to make such Laws and Regulations as shou'd be necessary to carry on the Service, & answer the same purposes of the Act of Parliament, which being not calculated for this Continent, cannot be applyd without some Alterations. 

The Difficulties which occur every day to me in this Province for want of such Regulations, makes me sensible of their Necessity, and I expect that the new Assembly will provide for it. 

In Case Y. E woud disband your two Companys actually so after the Six Months they have agreed to serve, I shoud take it as a particular favour, if our Recruiting Officers were allowed to enlist those of them, who would enter in the Americas. It is not in my power to change the Conditions, and I can enlist no Man for less than four Years. 

I am concern'd by the bad success of the different partys. I had sent out, that it very near impossible to get Recruits in those Parts, but they are very necessary to fill up the continental Losses we suffer by Death & Desertion. It would be useless to spend more money about it, & I have order'd Lieuts Hay & Jenkins to come back, as soon as they see no appearance of better Success. 

Since the last bad News from the Northward relating to the Loss of F[ort] W. Henry, and the arrival of his Ld. Ship at N. York, we have heard Nothing from those parts or Europe. 

Our Troops here are very sickly; The Highland Battalion having over five hundred Sick.