affection to your most gracious and sacred Majesty, are so highly
sensible of the great importance of this province to the French, that we
must conceive it more than probable, if a war should happen, they will
use all endeavours to bring this country under their subjection; they
would be thereby enabled to support their sugar islands with all sorts of
provisions and lumber by an easy navigation, which to our great advantage
is not so practicable from the present French colonies, besides the
facility of gaining then to their interest most of the Indian trade on
the northern continent; they might then easily unite the Canadees and
Choctaws, with the many other nations of Indians which are now in their
interest. And the several ports and harbours of Carolina and Georgia,
which now enable your Majesty to be absolute master of the passage
through the Gulf of Florida, and to impede, at your pleasure, the
transportation home of the Spanish treasure, would then prove for many
convenient harbours for your Majesty's enemies, by their privateers or
ships of war to annoy a great part of the British trade to America, as
well as that which is carried on through the Gulf from Jamaica; besides
the loss which Great Britain must feel in so considerable a part of its
navigation, as well as the exports of masts, pitch, tar, and turpentine,
which, without any dependence on the northern parts of Europe, are from
hence plentifully supplied for the use of the British shipping.

"This is the present state and condition of your Majesty's province of
South Carolina, utterly incapable of finding funds sufficient for the
defence of this wide frontier, and so destitute of white men, that even
money itself cannot here raise a sufficient body of them.

"With all humility we therefore beg leave to lay ourselves at the feet of
your Majesty, humbly imploring your Majesty's most gracious care in the
extremities we should be reduced to on the breaking out of a war; and