Robert Carter writes to Edmund Jenings, Jr., March 8, 1721, who has been acting for his father who had held the lease of the Northern Neck proprietary prior to Carter's assumption of it. Carter disagrees with Jenings about the handling of the lease, especially in their approach to escheats, and in the issuance of deeds. He chides Jenings about the handling of the records, and concludes that he will not fight "a paper controversie with You" but if Jenings will do him justice, he will not pursue the questions he has. He deleted from the draft a sentence about erasures in the records of the dates on which deeds were issued.

     Yors. by Captn. Turbervile I have and find Yor. notions &
mine very much differ abt. Justice in the business of the Escheat
which I shall always Study to do to every body but must be allowd
to make my own reason the measure of my actions & not another
mans, The right of Escheats arises to the Proprietors no doubt from
the time of the dying Seizd without heirs, but the right in the Propri=
=etors to the Composition commences from the passing the deed
& I must strangely alter ⁱⁿ my notion ^opinion before I shall be brot. to be ^perswaded to
believe tis right ^Just for me so to do ^otherways. Yor. distinction that I must pass
the Deeds as I am Agent for the Proprietors & not in their ^{my own} name
there's no weight in It that I can see, I believe no person
concern'd in their affairs will pass any deed in their own
names so I shall Still lay the Justice of the poor man's case
at Yor. Door, lett the right of Escheats fall where they will

     I do not well remember wt. I said to You about the deeds
that remain in the office unpaid for but if I did Demand
them It was upon the Expectation that they never would be paid
for and than I am sure tis highly reasonable that the Proprie=
=tors should be made acquainted with It, & . . . that
they may fall upon a right method to come at their rents &
that must be by cancelling & regranting, as for the Consideration
if it is to be had is Collo. Jennings' right I make no question
about, but if not I think in Generous Justice he ought to return
the Deeds to the office and I believe he will be of the Same
opinion, but what say You to the last Rent Rolls, be=
=lieve You'l hardly Scruple owning they belong to the office and nor
the platts neither as many as there was, Indeed I always
thot. the Surveys belong'd to the owners of the Lands, ^{& we are gon that way is well enough} I can give
You convinceing reasons there was no probability, the office
Should remain where it was, but that in Its proper time
You are the only fitt person to make a list of the Deeds that
You have passed since the 29th of Sepr. 1719, ^{& of all other things that . . . to . . . in my head}
I cannot Expect a
right Information from any Mortal living beside considering
how many rasures there appear to be in the book in the
very place where the Deeds are Dated, how far Yor. Clerk
may have bin Concernd in this I cant pretend to know & to give me sattisfaction
in all other things, that seem to want an Interpretation
Do me fair and open Justice and I Shall be easy and not desirous
to meddle in Collo. Jennings's time, as I dont take You to be
Infallable So I am farr from pretending to be so my Self.
when I entered upon the office, I had a very dark pattern to
follow. I preceeded You and I hope You will allow me to
say ^{without offence} that I Should be very sorry if my ^record books had bin kept
in that Dark mysterious ^Immethodical manner as You have made
the method of Yors. is, I shall not further enter into a
paper controversie with You, if amicable ways won't
do; It's none of my fault, The Proprietors right & mine
too must be come at some way or other, I wish You a cheap-
er bargain in plank than I can afford You, & am Sir