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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from John Urmston to William Taylor
Urmston, John
September 22, 1714
Volume 02, Pages 143-144

[From N. C. Letter Book of S. P. G.]
Mr URMSTONE TO THE SECRETARY

North Carolina Sept 22nd 1714

Sir

Since my last my hopes are blasted: We were then going to have an Assembly from whom thro' the Governors assistance I expected some redress of the many grievances I've formerly laid before the Society the loss of Bath county if not the whole Government is threatened, to prevent which our honest Governor was wholly bent but after near a fort-nights time spent to no purpose he was forced to send them home—We

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daily hear of families cut off & destroyed 'tis difficult to raise men to secure the frontiers but more difficult to find provisions to subsist them, the Northern Indians Senecas I think they call them, are designed speedily to join our Enemies which if true will complete the ruin of this wretched Country—Our confederate Indians seeing we are not able to vanquish such a handful daily desert us to join them & by the unwillingness of the rest to go out with us against them according to capitulations we may too justly fear they'l break peace with us & having experienced the cowardice of our Quakers & there adherents who like other sectarists never care to fight except it be against the Church & Crown the Indians will not dally nor trifle with us as they did at first.

We expect to hear that famous city of Bath consisting of 9 houses or rather cottages once stiled the Metropolis & seat of Government will be totally deserted & yet I cannot find means to secure that admirable collection of Books sent in by the Revd Dr Bray for the use of the Ministry of this Province but it will in all probability serve for a Bonfire to the Indians—these Indians who do us all this mischief were at first but a handful about 30 in number the remains of 3 small nations who were cut off & taken by the forces from South Carolina who meeting with little or no opposition increased daily so that now we are forced to sue to them for peace but fear we shall not obtain it—These are from

Sir &c
JNO URMSTONE Missionry