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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Gabriel Johnston to the Board of Trade of Great Britain
Johnston, Gabriel, ca. 1698-1752
May 10, 1749
Volume 04, Pages 935-936

[B. P. R. O. North Carolina. B. T. Vol. 11. B. 91.]

My Lords, [of the Board of Trade]

I must inform your Lordships that Robert Halton Esqre a Member of his Majesty's Council departed this life at this Place on the 15th of last month, the remaining Members are Nath: Rice, Eleazer Allen, Mathew Rowan, Edward Moseley, Roger Moore, Cullen Pollock, and William Forbes, Esqrs Mr. Pollock is sickly & has not attended for these two years past, James Murray another Member has been absent for these four years past I know not whether dead or alive.

It is with equal surprise & concern that I am informed by my Friends at Home that my Enemies have represented me at all the offices as a Jacobite. I thought my character had been too well known for any of them to dare to fix so vile an imputation upon it, they might with the same justice accuse me of murder or Felony, for the last seven years before I came abroad I lived almost constantly with the late Lord President Wilmington, and have the honour to be known for many years by the Earl of Bath, Lord Anson the Bishop of Worcester and a great many other Persons of Distinction. In short I have not one Friend, relation or Acquaintance in the world who are not firmly attached to the present Royal Family, what can there be in this wild barbarous Country that could possibly tempt me to abandon all the friends I have in the World & embrace so desperate & profligate a Cause, tho' I have made enquiry, since this malicious Report reached me, I cannot hear of the Person concerned in the late Rebellion who has come into this Province, and as for turning out the Palatins from their Lands to make room for

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Rebels, if they can prove that I ever turned out any one Person whatsoever from his Lands or deprived one Man of a shilling of his Property from my first coming into the Government to this Day I will allow the truth of all the rest of their spitefull Accusations. I hope I need say no more on this Article in my Vindication, the Very suggestion of which has given me so much Chagreen.

I am Your Lordships most, &c.,
GAB: JOHNSTON.

Edenton May 10th 1749.