Robert Carter writes to Thomas, Lord Fairfax, proprietor of the Northern Neck, May 21, 1730, concerning a lease Fairfax has given Bristol merchants, noting that he had encouraged them but told them it would be some time before Fairfax would receive any profits from their venture. He turns to the attempt he and his family are mking to exploit signs of copper, but notes their discouragement. He understands that Fairfax will consult with Michajah Perry about defending the boundaries of the proprietary, and a new lease of it for Carter. The reports of iron mining are not to be relied upon because the cost of transporting the ore is very high. He turns to attacks in the colony upon the proprietary, noting that there may be action when the Assembly meets soon since there have already been attempts to change the boundaries.
The honour you did me in a letter of the 9th of November
last did not reach my hands until the 9th of March. in it you are
pleased to acquaint me with the Lease you had transacted with some
Bristol Merchants and to desire me to permit them to work unmolested from
whence I conjecture they had given your Lordship information of some
disturbance I had threatened them with if they have said any thing of
this nature to your Lordship it is a very wrong charge I was so far
from discouraging that I encouraged them all I could in their design. One
of their partners here Offered to compound with me for your Lordship ['s]
share to whom I answered their Adventures would be carried on to so
little purpose in my time that I should not concern myself about it any
further than to wish them a great deal of success and when I saw your
Lordships lease which was shown to me by Colonel Tayloe
one of their part=
ners I told him I was glad that your Lordship had made such a
favourable step to their design but I believe it will be a great While before
any benefit by this lease will arise to your Lordship the Undertakers
have made very little progress yet and have not sent [sic
]
sent in [in]
this Shipp
[i]
ng any people skilled in the Affair to carry on their business and as
I am told are under a great deal of discouragements and have sent for
home their chief Workman whom they sent in on purpose for this design
to give them an Accot of his discoveries which have turned to very little
yet.
In my letter to your Lordship of the 24th of June
last among many other things I gave you an Account of this place
where the Bristol men are upon and also of another that had some
shows of Copper this other place lies high up Potomac and far from
water some others of my family
with myself have been at considerable
charge already to find out what this place will yield but to little purpose
hitherto in our first searches we met with some veins of ore amounting to
some few tons which we are now Sending, for
-- --
England
In the latter part of your Lordship's letter you Acquaint
me that When Mr. Perry
returned to London you should pursue such
Measures in relation to your boundaries as Should Appear most prope [r]
Mr Perry writes to me to the same purpose and as to the renewing of my
lease you had promised to do it after his return from the Bath
from whence
I have reason to Conclude these matters are effected before this time
Your Lordship tells me you expected some proposals abo [u]
t
the Iron Works I cannot see how any Advantage can be made to
your Lordship from them Works the ore lies near the Surface of the earth
they buy it for little or nothing from the Owners of the Land I have been
Several times at the place my self they raise it with very little trouble
or Charge their great chuarge is in Carting it down about 9 miles to
a landing and from thence Water bearing it about 40 more to their
furnace now what advantage it will be to your Lordship or anybody
under you to demand apart [sic
]
of this ore where it is dug I can't con=
jecture
I am now to acquaint your Lordship of a fresh Attack
is lately made against
I shall not take upon me to Say but there are now grievances sent
from the inhabitants of most of the Counties within your grant com
plaining of the hardships they are under by it and desiring that the
King may be addressed either to purchase or reassume the Grant that
they may be under the same circumstances that the rest of the Country
-- are
What these complaints may be Worked up to in our Assembly which sits
down to day I can't pretend to tell I have already told your Lordship what
potent enemies our revenue gentlemen
were against the boundaries
&ca. and there's no Doubt to be made but their utmost strength will be
employed in Carrying this Complaint to the highest Pitch their
fingers itch to have this grant added to their places and I have rea=
son to think that these disturbances have much encouraged the inha
bitants to be very backward in paying in their rents although I am forced
to take them in tobacco and that not to be sold now for 3 Shillings per hundred
for I never had so few of the rents receiv'd at this time of year before
Since I have been in the business
For my own part in my justification I can say
I have made no Alteration in anything relating to the Execution
of the Grant nor is anything done but What is Very justififiable under
it I observe the same measures in all my demands as I have done
ever since I was concerned and as the rest of the agents before me did
I remember about the year 1695. (as I think) such
a [hole in leaf]
Struggle was made by greivances to an Assembly [ag=]
ainst the grant and the then house of Burgesses joined in a [n]
Address to the king, to purchase or reassume, it was carried to the
Council where it was Stopped and went no further Sir Edmund Andros
was then our governour. I have thought it necessary to lay these things
befor [e]
your Lordship that your Lordship may be 'fore Apprised and enter
upon such measures your Lordship may think most proper for your secu=
rity to Extricate yourself and those that are employed under you here out
of the said difficulties I am