Robert Carter writes to London merchants Micajah Perry and his grandson of the same name, January 17,1721, conerning his recent acquisition of the lease of the Virginia agency for the Northern Neck proprietary, the financial hardship he anticipates from it, and the poor condition of the records he has received from the agent of Edmund Jenings, the former holder of the lease. He asks the Perrys to persuade Lord Fairfax and Colonel Cage to enter a correspondence with him regarding the affairs of the propriety, and to attempt to have these men bring influence on the Crown to direct the governor of Virginia to be friendly to the proprietary's affairs. He needs a much stronger "power" concerning the granting of lands from the proprietary, and directs the Perrys to obtain one for him similar to the one he had had from Lady Fairfax when he had been agent before.

     I have already advisd You of the receipt of the Northern
Neck Lease & gave You my Thanks for Your diligence in that affair
& tht. You had not in any respect Exceeded my orders, however that
now upon the fall of the Tobacco it was like to prove a very hard
bargain to me, & indeed So It appears every day more & more
I fear I shall be a Considerable loser by It, & all my
labor & Trouble which I do assure You is not a little, will be lost
into the bargain= but I am bound & must go through.

      It is but a few days ago Since I have gotten the Deeds and
papers from Colonel Jennings's Agent whatever they have done
with all their gains is in a great measure a Secret but they
have taken care to leave the office in as much darkness &
Confusion as possible, So that their Methods are not to be
Traced out, It will be very well if in a twelve months time
after my Lease is proved, If I can bring things to a tolerable
Clearness, I desire You will Spirit up the Lord Fairfax & Colonel
Cage , to Enter into a Correspondence with Me by frequent Lett [ers]
for I Shall have a great many things to Say to them tha [t]

     One great perquisite of this Estate for my own and is the granting
away the lands that are untaken up of which there is a very larg [e]
quantity & I doubt not they intended me the power of doing
this & I shall proceed accordingly me however power of doing I must Entreat
You not to let them rest until You have obtained from them
a fuller power for all purposes, Such a one as I had from my
Lady Fairfax in 1710. a Copy of which I now send You which
will be a good form to draw another by with Suitable
alterations according to the Circumstances of the Case Estate as It
now Stands.

     I might Say abundance to You of the difficulties
that are upon me by the management of Colonel Jenings's Agent
& I'm afraid there will be a necessity for me to go into a Lawsuit
with him but that must be the last remedy, as You ha [ve] been the
Instrument in reviving upon me [ . . . ]
I hope You will be in negotiating that part of It which is to
be managed in England.