Even the dignity of Kings he sacrificed to speed, and we find "His Majesty" abbreviated to "H M'y"; yet a smaller luminary known as "His Honor" fares better, losing only the last letter--"His Hono." "Ho." stands for "house" and "yt" for "that," "what," "it," and "anything else," as convenient.

Many of his letters wind up with "I am ve'y much fatig'd." We know that he must have been! It was a formidable task that confronted Dinwiddie--to possess and defend the Ohio.

Christopher Gist returned in 1751, having surveyed the valley for the Ohio Company as far as the Scioto and Miami rivers, and in the following year the survey was ratified by the Indians.
The Company's men were busy blazing trails through the territory and building fortified posts.

But the French dominated the territory.

They had built and occupied with troops Fort Le Boeuf on French Creek, a stream flowing into the Allegheny.