4*^ His Excellency considering the Fort at Oswego as a Post of the greatest importance for facilitating the proposed attack of Niagara, and securing the retreat of the Troops to be employed in that service, and having been informed of Its present Defenceless condition & of the weakness of its Garrison acquainted the Council that he should order it to be reinforced by the two Independent Companies of New York and two Companies of Sir Williaih Pepperels Regiment, and desired to have their opinion whether it would not be proper to build one or more Vessels upon the Lake Ontario for asserting his Majesty's right to that Lake as well as for a Security to the Forces to be employed in the attack of Niagara, and of what burthen or Force the said Vessels should be.

The Members of the Council having taken into Consideration these several matters in the order proposed by the General. The Gt)vernors present acquainted his Excellency that they had severally made appHcation to their respective Assemblies for the e&tablishment of the common fxmd proposed, but had not been able to prevail upon 'em to agree to it, and gave it as their unanimous opinion that such a Fund can never be established in the Colonies without the aid of Parliament. They likewise declared that having found it impracticable to obtain in their respective governments their proportions expected by his Majesty towards defraying the expense of his service in North America, that they were unanimously of opinion that it should be proposed to his Majesty's Ministers to find out some method of compelling