May it please your Grace.
I have the honour with this letter to address a Representation on the affairs of N Carolina to your Grace, I am very sensible of my disability and incapacity of writing anything worth your Grace's reading, beg leave to assure my Lord Duke that if he is pleased to direct this province to be put upon the footing humbly recommended in the said Representation, it will soon be much altered for the better, and become a Country of Trade and Reputation.
Your Grace I hope has not forgot, that I made bold to mention a suspicion I had of Coll. Bladens ill intentions to me, nor the generous answer you were pleased to give (viz) that if I faithfully performed my duty I need not fear any man; I presume to mention this because it was reported in London, I should very suddenly be turned out, the same has been constantly said here and declared particularly by Mongomery the Attorney General the first day he came
I think my self bound in duty to inform your Grace that Mr Rice the Secretary has neither attended the Councils nor his office I do all his business except receiving the fees.
The Chief Justice and Attorney General of this Province ought to be Men of understanding and Lawyers; neither of the persons your Grace bestow'd these places upon in this Government ever knew Law enough to be Clarke to a justice of the Peace That there are People will contrive Villanys in this Country and can procure others to swear them is notoriously apparent by an inquiry, I lately made by order of the Lords of Amiralty upon a complaint made by Edmund Porter to them against several Gentlemen, and Planters, for designing to murther him, this examination is sent to Mr Fury for delivery to their Lordships.
Part of my Adversarys in this Government are subtle and Artfull, others ignorant and hotheaded, the last I am certain will say, or swear anything the others direct therefore, I humbly desire your Grace not to credit the inventions, or accusations of ill designing Men against me, before I have an opertunity of justifyeing myself