Documenting the American South Logo
Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from the Lords Proprietors of Carolina to Thomas Modyford and Peter Colleton
Carolina. Lords Proprietors.
September 09, 1663
Volume 01, Pages 55-57

[B. P. R. O. Col: Ent: Book. No. 20. P. 13.]

September this 9th 1663.

Sir,

We have of late sent you two Letters with the Coppy of our Charter for Carrolina and our declaration and proposealls touching the setlement thereof, by which letters we desired you to imploy your indeavours and

-------------------- page 56 --------------------
Interests to persuade such persons of your Island that have inclynations to plant in any of those parts to be sattisfied with the Meth-hood we have proposed from the substance whereof we cannot receade.

Since those our Letters above mentioned we have received yours of the 12th August with the proposalls and desires of severall Gentlemen of Barbados, whoe seeme to have thought of setling some parts of Carrolina to which desires of theirs, wee inclosed send you our answer upon which and our declaration you may please to treate with them and make some agreement if you cann keeping still to the substance of our proposealls; but if other words or other wayes of frameing the Government will please them better without lesning those powers and the rent we have reserved, or giveing away the royaltyes and Fellows goods which is by the Kinge in our Charter granted to us, you may close with them; and if they shall desire 7. yeares time, for haveing the proportions of lands mentioned in our Declaration you may grant it; and if the grattifieing of some of the Cheefe with one, two or 300 Acres of land a man exterordynary will forward the worke you may promise it, and it shalbe given them: but let that be as remote as you cann from the river they setle upon whereby the strenkth of the Collony may be keept togeather according to the Meth-hood, in our instructions for the lyeing out of each mans land; if you conclude with the undertakers, you may please to make choyse of a Surveyor and Secrytary in our behalfs which Officers wee choose for noe other end but that wee may from them have an account of what passeth there and that Justice may be done betweene the planter and ourselves: we intend they shalbe subject to the Government and upon just complaynt to us be removed and by the Government be suspended if there be cause untill we have heard the matter.

We further desire you to give us notice whoe wilbe the fittest man for the Government and whoe to be of his Councill, and if it shalbe thought fitt that the first Governor shalbe continewed five yeares you may consent to it; for his mayntenance the people are to find some way, wee have a Setlement begann upon the river Chowan in the lattitude of 35 or thereabouts to which place we have ordered a governor to be sent from Virginia, and have proposed for his support the fur trade or such a parte of it as may be sufficient; untill the people shalbe able to provide other ways for him if some such thing may be found out where your people intend to sit downe, it may incurrage, we wish the place may be neare porte Royall; If any argument shalbe made by the undertakers concerneing the charge of discovery it wilbe answered with what we have done in order thereunto from Virginia before we did know that they were

-------------------- page 57 --------------------
about any such thing; we hope by the next to send the Kinges letter to the Governors for the promotion of this setlement.

We conceave that the planting of Carrolina wilbe of greate advantage to the Kinge and his people particularly to the planters in Barbadoes and the Carribbia Islands in regard it will divert the further rayseing of sugar workes planting ginger cotton, indicoe and Tobacco of which commodyties enough are already made to supply all markets and more will in probabillity impoverish the planters of them, by lowring the prices to a rate by which they will not be able to subsist.

2dly in regard the land in Carrolina will produce wines of all sorts silks, reasons of all sorts, currants figs, ollives, oyle, capers and tobacco as good as that of Virrgines as we are informed, all which commodyties are much easier (especially in poynt of charge) produced then Sugar and are commodyties that are not yet planted in the King's Dominions but when they shalbe considerably it will give a great imployment to our navigation and keepe and increase the welth of his Majestie and subjects in his dominions; there motives we hope will incurrage by the helpe of your care and judgment in the well management of this affaire, by which you will oblige,