Robert Carter writes to Thomas, Lord Fairfax, June 24, 1729, to inform the proprietor of the Northern Neck that he does wish to renew the lease of the proprietary, of the attacks being made on it by John Grymes and others in the colony, and to send him documents (not present) concerning the bounds of the holdings. He requests explicit instructions as to Fairfax's wishes as to the actions he should take in resisting the attacks. He reports the interest in iron and copper mining within the proprietary.

     I receiv'd a letter from Alderman Perry of Dec: date acqua=
inting me that your Lordship hath been with him to let him know how you should
want your rent which now intirely belongs to yourself Colo Cages time being expired
In the month after and that he should accordingly pay it and he further tells me
your lordship wanted to know whether I should be willing to [. . .] ing [the] leas after the
old one was Expired In answer I Acquainted him the leas would be out in Sep 1731
that I was grown old and infirm and that we were fallen into such wretched times
by the Poor Price of Tobo in which your Lordships rents are always Paid when that
Commodity is worth little that I did not know what to say to it However in regard I had
so long thro so great a Part of my life servd in your Affairs both in your Ancestors
and in your Own time I adventured to give him instructions to take a new leas out from
yr Lordship and that so soon as your lordship shall pleas to Transact it of this
I suppose you have been Acquainted by this time

     I also told him it was some questions with me whether it would
be Proper for me to have a new Power from yr lordship only and whether it is
necessary I alter the stile of the grants of your lands for Hitherto I have gran
ted them in the names of your Lordship and Colo Cage as devisee in trust of my
lady Fairfax's Will that it was my thoughts however not withstanding your
Lordship had the Intire right to the profits of the Estate yet the trust in Colo
Cage is still subscribing and that the Grant should go on In the same stile but in
this I must submit to better judgements

     I also Acquainted Alderman Perry that upon the Crowns
having granted several Pattents for land According to the best information
I can get within the Plain boundaries of the Grant and Several more Pattents
are daily labouring after I had Entered a Caveat against the Passing any
more Pattents within these bounds desiring Mr. Alderman to give your Lordship
a full Accot of this matter as I doubt not he hath already or will soon do

     Since which we have had a hearing before the Govr &
Council and here with I send yr Lordship copys of all the Papers relating thereto
as also Copys of some transactions in former Governours times relating to yr
Lordships Grant

     These Papers by a serious Perusal will fully inform
your Lordship of the yeason [sic ] I go upon in Opposing these
Pattents this little Fork as it is Called where several Pattents

     Indeed all our Governours in the time of my Agency h [as]
treated the Grant and me too with a great deal of Civility and Calm respe [ct]
Particularly our Present Governour whose business it chiefly is to take [. . . ]
of Asserting the kings boundary to his lands whose Calm and tempera [te]
carriadges both in this and all other matters hath been very Exemplar [y]

     I must Confess if the Receivr General can by the strength of
his interest compass bringing your Lordships grant Again into the
hands of the Crown he will gain a Considerable Perquisite to the [pro]
fits of his Place (As it will be to Mr Auditor Blair's the Commiss [ary's]
kinsman) If he can but keep himself fixed in that also He holds [the]
Place by the favour of Mr Horace Wallpool and has his commission
[. . .] Upon this bottom I fancy he builds his hopes of [. . .]
[. . .]

      [. . .] As for these lands in the little Fork and [. . .]
                                                             Chenan [doah]

     Thus my lord I have laid these matter fully before your
Lordship and have though it my duty under the trust I am not to let
your Lordships Estate be taken Away without any Opposition And I
shall begg yr lordship to be very Plain in your directions to me whether
I shall persist in Prosecuting this Affair to settlement of your Lordships
boundarys or if your lordship is pleased to be satisfyed in being confin'd
to Chenandoah to the Westward and to loos the little Fork to the Southward
as well as the great fork which the Crown hath already taken Possession of
altho I never yet could see any reason for it Be pleas'd to let me have your instru
ctions upon this whole matter to be my guide for the future

     In the late controversy I had with Colo Drysdale our then govr
it Appear'd that both your lordship and Colo Cage relyed Chiefly Upon Alder-
man Perry to Personate that Affair for you before their Lordships the bo=
ard of Trade therefore I have thought it Proper to send him Copys of All the
Papers that I now send to your lordship that he may be fully Apprized of this
Controversy relating to the boundarys and may be Prepared to make Appli-
cation where he shall think it necessary for your lordships Service and interest
beleiving your Lordship will still think it necessary to disire his Assistance

     There is one thing more I shall take the liberty to mention to your
Lordship In these late years since the Backwoods have come to be seated thick
with inhabitants abundance of Peoples are making daily searches after mines
in the mountainous barren Lands tis the Current Opinion that there are very
rich Ores in some of these mountains if any could be so lucky to find them out
There are now within your lordships grant Two Iron furnaces Erected that
are brought to Pretty good Perfections and there is Plenty of Iron Ore I believe
as good as in the world the two Furnaces belong the one to Bristol the other to
London There are two Places in the back woods also that have some [veins?]
of Copper ore that are at a great distance from water Carriadge and will be
Attended with very great charges to do any thing with them There is a Compa^[ny]
of Bristol Merchts that have sent in men skilld in those Affairs to search
into the bowels of the Earth after this Copper Ore but some of them make hea:
vy Complaints to me that the terms of your Lordships Grants your lands [ . . . ]
are too hard and discouraging having An Exception of All royal mines
and a full third of All lead Copper Tin Coals Iron &c: I tell these go [ . . . ]
men I follow the steps of my Predecessors they made the limit a [ . . . ] be [fore]
my time I dare not make any Alteration without Particular [. . .]

     I never yet Could find any directions from the Proprietors [of]
the termes respecting the Ores the Grants should be made upon Upon [sic ] the p [rior?]
Exerting of the Northern Neck Grant People were very Careless what was writ [ten]
they were Underrespecting mines having in those times very little or no Exp [ecta]
tion of finding What these Adventurers will do a deal of time and a g [reat]
deal of Charge must be spent before the Event will be seen

     I find in Colo Ludwells book of grants the Exceptions to m [ines]
were much more favourable to the takers up of Land then they were made [by?]
Colo Fitshughs & Capt Brent who succeeded to Colo Ludwell in the Agency th [e]
limitations I have followed Ever since and never till of late took notice [of]
the difference betwen Ludwells grants And Fitzhugh's

     Herein I send yr lordship the terms of Colo Ludwells Gran [t]
how this difference came to be made between these Grants Agents I can [not]
tell I can hardly think Fitzhugh had any new instructions from the P [roprs]
now whether your lordship will think fit to Encourage the taking up of y [our]
Barren mountainous lands which have little or no temptation on the Surf [ace]
of them to give me orders to make a relaxation in respect to the benefit of fron [tier?]
mines and ores I shall submit to yr determination I cannot but think Colo
Ludwell who was the first that Entered on the Proprietors business set out w [ith]
full and plain instruction from the Proprietors and strictly Borrowed them i [n]
the forming his grants however this Alteration came to be made afterward

     So many various Subjects to be spoken Clearly to hath necessaril [y]
drawn this letter into An Uncommon length for which I hope yr Lordships
Pardon