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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from William Tryon to Wills Hill, Marquis of Downshire
Tryon, William, 1729-1788
March 30, 1770
Volume 08, Pages 185-186

[From Tryon's Letter Book.]
Letter from Governor Tryon to Lord Hillsborough

Brunswick the 30th March 1770

It was not before the 17th of this month that I was honored with your Lordships letter No 26 bearing date the 14th July 1769, together with his Majestys instruction to me that I do not give my assent to any Act for raising money by the institution of any public or private lotteries. This I shall strictly obey. But as a difficulty arises to me in what manner I can check the practice in this province, tho' not very frequent, of selling of property by private lotteries without

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the parties troubling themselves about the form necessary to procure the sanction of the Legislature, I must desire your Lordship will inform my judgment in this point that I may know how to regulate my conduct in these instances. I should be desirous to know if any Act of Parliament reaches this case, there being no law in this province that prevents such practices, and I have not the least hope that such a one can be obtained here.