I have, &c., ED. CORNWALLIS. (From the Duplicate.) This Frenchman will be there in three or four days--'tis 25 leagues from hence to Minas, and the French have made a path for driving their cattle over here. * * * * * _Governor Cornwallis to Duke of Bedford._[107] CHEBUCTO, JULY 23rd, 1749. MY LORD,-- My last to Your Grace was of June 22nd, a duplicate of which is enclosed,--the 27th, the transports appeared off the harbor and in a few days most of them got in. As their passage had been extremely good and none of them had in the least suffered, I found they would be ready to sail the moment the settlers should be put ashore. I despatched a sloop to Boston to countermand the order I had given, and sent to Mr. Hopson to let him know I would send in a few days transports to bring away his garrison. Mr. Hopson had wrote me that he had agreed with Desherbier, the French Commissary, to make use of the French transports upon condition that in case the English ships should arrive before they were all on board he should be at liberty to disembark them. I sent him one the 1st of July and four more, the largest of the fleet, the 5th. I own I was much disappointed in finding Mr. Hopson unprovided with transports as I never had the least intimation that he was to wait for the ships that should bring the settlers. I have an account from Boston of July 3rd that my second order got there soon enough to prevent all but one from sailing, but as they were all hired this will cause some expense; they write me it will not be much. [Footnote 107: John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, was appointed Secretary of State in 1747-8 and resigned the office in 1751. He was afterwards Minister Plenipotentiary to France. He died 1771.--_Collins' Peerage._]