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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Philip Yorke, Earl of Hardwicke to Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle
Hardwicke, Philip Yorke, Earl of, 1690-1764
August 03, 1728
Volume 02, Pages 769-770

[B. P. R. O. America & W. Ind. No. 592.]
THE ATTORNEY GENl TO THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

Lincoln's Inn 3d Augt 1728.

My Lord

I had the honour of your Lordship's Com̄ands by your letter of ye 30th past to hasten the dispatch of the Conveyance of the Province of Carolina to his Majesty; in answer to which I begg your Lordships would permit me to represent in what state that affair now stands before Mr Sollicitor & me.

On ye 13th of July Mr Paxton laid before us Copies of the several Petitions of the Proprietors to the Lords of the Com̄ittee of Council & of their Reports thereupon, with directions from the Lords of the Treary

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to prepare the necessary Instruments. Upon that we imediately acquainted the Agent of the Proprietors that their respective Titles ought forthwith to be laid before us, in order to form a Judgment whether a good Title could be made to his Majesty in what manner the Conveyance ought to be fram'd, & what parties were necessary to join therein. We likewise directed Mr Paxton to quicken them in bringing these matters before us. But from that day to this not one Deed or paper relating to the Title has been produced till this Evening, when Abstracts were left at my Chambers, of the Titles of Mr James Bertie, Mr Hen: Bertie & Mr Hutcheson, but without any of the original Deeds, & as to the other Proprietors we have hitherto received no Information concerning their Titles. By this your Lordship will perceive that, if this matter has received any delay, it hath arisen merely from the Proprietors & their Agents, for it is impossible for us as his Majesty's Councill to advise the acceptance of a Conveyance, or so much as prepare the form of it, without being truely inform'd of the State of the Title, which in some of the Proprietorships may require particular Consideration, there having been several subsequent conveyances since the first Grant, & some thereof litigated.

I thought it my Duty to acquaint your Lordship with these Circumstances, & to assure you that as soon as the necessary Materiales are laid before us, this Affair shall receive all the Dispatch which the nature of it will admit. I am always with the greatest truth & respect.

My Lord
Yr Lordship's most obedient &
most faithfull humble Servt
P: YORKE.