Robert Carter writes to Benjamin Grayson, manager of the Frying Pan copper mine, July 27, 1731, expressing his pleasure at the stories he has heard of the discovery of a rich vein of ore, urging diligence in pursuing the vein, and giving Grayson information about money and supplies that will be sent by the schooner. His sons Robert and Charles will visit the mine, and he expects to do so in September.

     By William Manuel I gave you all the necessary
directions for the Government of self in relation to the Miners s according
to the circumstances of their Case as it then stood, & I hope you have fol=
lowed my orders exactly since which yours of the 14th. Instant by Pockely
came to the hands of my son Robert & from him to me it brought the
most promising hopes that ever we have yet had the samples you sent
are very rich not inferior to the best of Skilers Ore since that my son
Charles met with a random story that the vein grew larger rather than
less & now from Warner in a letter dated the 23d. Instant he tells me that
on the Wednesday before at Prince William Court Shaw told him of a fine
vein you had discovered that in the week before you had mined three Tons
of this Ore that it Yields above half Copper, that he would give

     This comes by the Schooner & brings you a supply to your
Wants an Invoice of the things sent is here enclosed every thing
comes that you sent for except the Corn which I could not now
send without hindering the Schooner three or four days at least which
I was very unwilling to do & there is no reason to doubt of your
wanting of it soon & my son Robert assures me there is thirty or
forty barrls. of Corn to spare at his bull run Quarter which
you may have recourse to in Case of necessity but that is impos=
sible to be your Case before we can send you a supply from hence

     Surely you are very brisk in Spawling & barreling of this
ore & that your Team is daily employd in Carting it down to the
Landing It would be very pleasing to us to have the Schooner turn
back with a full Load & I have orderd her if you think It proper to
to [sic ] stop her to lie at Occoquan Eight or ten days, I have sent you
two thousand twenty penny nails which Is all that I can possibly
spare at present & with these you may lay down the floors
& have enough to spare for the other business there is no necessity for
for [sic ] your thorough nailing of it at present, that may be done
when you have a fresh supply of nails

     My son Robert is now with me he carrys up with him £12:
Currt money which you are to dispose of as our head miners I
mean Nicholas Honey & Whitford earns it & are urgent
with you for it, You are to hold an Account with them they
will be so honest as to tell you what money we advanced to
them before they came out of England & you know what they
owe for Rum, This Money My son will deliver to our skip=
per Evans we do not care to venture more at once every
three & twenty Current is twenty shillings sterling My son Charles
when he come up is to bring more money with him &
when I come it will hardly be with empty Pockets, You
may assure the three fore named Miners if their be=
havior is suitable shall have their wages paid to them
with all imaginable punctuality as fast as it become due
& if they want any goods we will let them have them as
reasonable as they can buy them any where & will take
care to have a supply of such goods as they shall let us
know will be most suitable for them

     In one of your letters you say you had stuff for a hundred
Barrels I hope you will remember my orders to have these Barrels made
So Large that none of them should contain less but rather More than 400 lbs
of ore besides the tare 5 Barrels should contain 21 lbs of Neat ore
which they always reckon a Ton.

     I have sent you 12 Pistoles they Weigh thirteen
pounds & five pence Currt money the cask of Rum I now send you
holds thirty one Gallons Exactly you must by al [l] means send me down
the Rum Cask you had before and what rundlets you have empty
and likewise powder Barrels we are mighty Put to it to find
things to send liquors and powder to you must also send me down the
Molasses cask that You have had