Carter-letterbook-uva-lib_770603

10

out any foundation. I have sent you as I imagine about fourty hhd. of my own tobo. [tobacco] Cant Buchler Dover & some ships out of Potomack which according uncertainty of y. [Merch?] I may have put too great a value upon, by drawing on you for three hundred pounds payable to John Grymes Esq.; I need add nothing on this head to what has been said by the exrs. [executors] Only I can not believe you will make a difficulty of it since there is no probability of your loosing, thereby, you cannot be surpriz'd that such a Large Quantity of my tobo. [tobaccos] should go in Mr. [Carys?] ship. Consign'd to him, he has for many Years supported a heavy correspondence with me and has now a right to call on me for some method of payment. And indeed as to other ships there are frequent civility's that pass between the masters & gentlemen in the country who cannot in good nature denye them some small share of their favours.

You will herewith receive an invoice of goods signed by the exrs. [executors] to be charged to the Acct. [account] of my fathers estate I cannot pretend to be exact as to the value of them but I am pretty sure they are what I cannot well be without, except [Lais?] [cloaths?] Sword & Cain, which I am very indifferent wheather I have or no.

I thank you for the steps you have taken in recovering a small [Arrers?] due from the custom house to Col. Hills estate & shall follow the method you direct tho' I think it may occasion more trouble to each of us the then the money comes to. I have not yet been able to make the inquiry you desired but shall shortly go to the Falls of this river and shall then be as particular as I can. I believe there is little more in it than the misrepresentation of the Bristol Master, since our country courts commonly take a great deal of care in granting administration of interstate Estates, & never do it without taking security And it is no very extraordinary thing that five hundred acres of land in several parts of this country should not be worth more than fifty pounds. The German whose friends were anxious to have some acct. [account] of him is now an inhabitant in the back woods of Prince William County and has had notice of the death of his relation from Colo. Eskridge. I do not know whether I need add any thing to what I have said by Whiteside concerning Lord Fairfax's lease it is a business of great trouble and uncertainty as to the profits. If his Lordship is pleased to let me have a lease for five hundred pound per annum, with the same power of Granting unpattented lands that my Father had, I am willing to serve him, if not I have nothing to say against his making better terms with any other person.

we

11

We had a good prospect of crops in the lower part about a month agoe. Upon these plantations I never saw finer but the rain that have fallen of late has done them a great prejudice. And from other parts of the country I am informed that they are like to make very little, some [thro' drouth?], some thro' wet weather & some from storms of hail. Tobo. [tobacco] is very tender plant & from a most flourishing crop we have it often ruin'd in few days time by a heavy rain and & scorching sun after it, the first bruising the other burning it up. By some Laborship if I am able to form a judgment I can depend on, I will write my further thoughts on this subject. I am

Sir

Yours Most Obedient Humble Servant

John Carter

By the Spotswood, Copy by the Burwell.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rappahanock Aug. 12th. 1733

Mr. Alderman Perry

Sir,

This is a line to cover an invoice of some goods for our brother the secretary. We desire they may be sent in to York River by Cap. Cant & insur'd & charg'd to our Fathers Estate. We have drawn on you for thirty nine pounds three shillings & a penny half penny to Col. Nicholas Smith to discharge a debt due from our Brother Roberts estate but it must be charg'd to our Fathers account.

We sent you last year twelve or thirteen hhds of tobo. [tobacco] by one Capt. Spoors in Potomack the Ship was detained for want of freight & has not yet left the country we wish them safe to you and hope they may go off pretty well with the present short crop.

Inclos'd we send you the following bills of exg. [exchange] viz. [slavart?] on Boyd & Craig of Glasgow eight pounds then shillings Ballantine on Hunter & Ballentine & Company of air fifteen pounds twelve shillings & nine pence, Barber on Cary of London twenty five pounds, Bashford on Perry of London seventeen pound fourteen shillings, Trice on [Innis?] of Bristoe seven pounds Graham on Herr & Donlop of [Irvin?] ten pounds amounting to eighty three pounds sixteen shillings & nine pence which we desire you to negotiate & place to the credit of our Fathers Estate.

By the Spotswood Copy by the Burwell

We are Sir

Your most Humble Servants

John Carter

Charles Carter

London Carter

12

Rappahanock Aug 13th 1733

Mr. Robery Cary,

Sir,

I acknowledge with great satisfaction the receipt of your several letters and altho' the accots. [acounts] of sales of my last years crops are not quite so high as Mr. Pages, sold by Mr. Perry; yet I am under on apprehension that your greatest care was wanting in disposing of them. My son was so very ill last Octobr. general court when the mortgage ought to have been recorded that my wife could not leave him; but which means it was not then done, but if Sir John Randolph thinks it necessary I shall be ready to compleat it next court. I should be be very much pleased with paying it off since the money would be more agreeable to you & I should thereby save expence of interest, you may imagin that I have laboured long under the influence of ill [slarrs?], as to be in indebt in Virginia as well as in England: and I cannot pretend to extucate my debt from these difficulties til my Fathers accots. [accounts] can be settled, which I hope may be next year, in the mean time I believe the meathod I have taken may not be inconvenient.

I have sent you fifty seven hdds. of my crop stemm'd tobo. [tobacco] by your ship Amie & have resolv'd to appropriate the produce of my wifes estate to be a sinking fund, to pay off my debt to you. Except what may be necessary, for her & her children who is so desirous of having her things from you, that she will have them bought by no other mercht. for this purpose she sends an invoice to you or yr. [your] Lady & I desire the things she has writ for may be sent.

I thank you for the care you took in providing me a groom who proves a quiet orderly fellow & a good servant. The claret you sent me was exceedingly fine and I had the pleasures of drinking your health in it, if tobo. [tobacco] should bane a good price upon the short crop now going home I will venture to indulge my self once more and in such case desire you will send me another parcel of it. But if the quantity of tobo. [tobacco] should be doubted, because your ship & a few more have had the good luck to get loaded, whilst many others will go home short, and the market should fall rather than improve I can very well content my self with [Maderet?], I chose not to send you any of my publick tobaco because I remember you did not care to be concerned with it: and I had besides occasion to have a large bill paid to Mr. Perry: I suppose Colo. Randolph & your other friends in James River have acquainted you with the prospect of the present crop. I expected to have made a very great one at this place, but the late rains coming quick [crossed out] quick upon one another, have done it a very grate damage and

13

and I am informed from some other parts of the country that the crops are almost intirely ruin'd by violent storms of rain & hail, if I can hereafter form such a judements of this matter as I can any ways depend on you shall hear further from.

Sir,

Your most Obedt. Humble Servt.

John Carter

By the Spotswood Copy By the Burwell

________________________________________________________________

Mr. Willm. Dawkins

Rappahanock Aug. 12 1733

Sir,

I thank you for your several letters and the care you have taken in disposing of the tobo. [tobacco] which I am concerned with. I hope from your letter of May that the greatest part of it was sold before the apprehensions of the excise scheme had fallen the markets & that what what remains will find an advantage from the short Crop now going home.

Do not doubt but the masters of ships will talk much of a great crop now on the ground and that may have a very ill effect, [I own?] we had the best prospect that I have seen these seven years past in this part of the country but the rains of late falling very heavy upon it and the scorching sun afterwards occasioning it to spot I must certainly loose a great deal of what I expected to have made and from other parts of the country, particularly from apart of Pages estate I am informed that the crop is almost ruin'd by violent stormes of hail & rain but this I shall be able to write more particularly by Cap. Dove.

I observe in one of your letters to my father you acquainted him that my brother Robert was in your debt. I hope it is not much, his debts here are not very considerable as he had the misfortune to dye before my father, the legacies bequeathed to him in the will cannot take effect in his family, nor can his widow have power of any lands or negroes but what were of my brothers own proper estate. However I am desirous to do all I can to performe the part of a friend & a crother, & my brother Charles is not wanting in his consent to do any thing that may be reasonably desired of him. My father sometime before his death in a discourse with Sr. John Randolph said he would settle the estate he had design'd for his son Robt. (I suppose he ment by his will) In the following manner first for the payment of his debts, then to raise a sum of money for his wife equal to that she brought him in marriage, then to raise a fortune for his daughter, & his son Robert to have the rest. To this purpose I intend at the meeting of our next Assembly,

14

assembly to propose that a settlement be made of this estate according to my fathers intentions. And I suppose there will be no difficulty in it unless it should arise from Mrs Carter who is not all satesfyed: tho' I can't see as matters stands, how a better provision can be made for her. I was appointed guardian to my nephew last general court, & as such have [y3?] management of his estate, which I Shall be as desirous to improve to his advantage, as if it were my own, six hhd. of his proper estate have been sent you in Loney & four are aboard Dove which by very bad management are all that have been made by a pretty large number of hands. There is in that part of the estate, which was my fathers, a great quantity of very fine land & about one hundred & ten working hands which if managed with prudence & success may, I hope in time pay off all these incumbrances & leave a clear estate to the young gentleman. However, I have thought proper for the present with my brothers to pay off my brother Roberts debts out of my fathers estate & must therefore draw on you for what may be necessary tho' I shall endeavor to give you as little trouble as possible You will receive by this an invoice of goods for the use of his several plantations, what Mrs Carters occasions may require shall be sent for by [yg?] Bailey

In the year 1730 my brother Robert drew a bill of exchange on young Mr. Falconar for one hundred & fifty pounds and tho' I am ready to own that it was a kindness in him to pay this bill when he had none of his effects in his hands: yet I must now think it a little hard. Mr. Falconar should be at liberty to demand this money of me as admir. to my Brother. Whilst his fathers estate is still so much indebted to mine, especially considering the part that David Barely & Phillips acted in stopping my fathers money because of a debt from Col. Page to Old Mr. Falconar, and that my brother Robert (which is a stronger case) had he lived would have been intitled to 1/3 part of my fathers personall estate of which Falconars debt was part from all which considerations I shall take time to informe my self before I pay this sum of one hundred & fifty pounds which has been demanded of me by Col. Grymes in behalf of young Mr. Falconar.

I thank you for the trouble you have had in endeavoring to recover the money of these exrs. [executors] and shall shortly send a probat[e] of my fathers will and because I fear you do not care to be concerned in a prosecution against them I shall join some gentleman of the law in the power of attorney with you. or else send it wholly to him as I shall be advis'd by Sir John Randolph who I expect in a few days from Williamsburgh. It is my thinks a hard loss at this distance that we cannot prevail with