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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Richard Everard to Edmund Gibson
Everard, Richard, Sir, 1683-1733
January 25, 1726
Volume 02, Pages 604-605

[From North Carolina Letter Book of S. P. G.]
SIR R. EVERARD TO THE BISHOP OF LONDON.

Edenton No. Carolina Jan. 25. 1725(6)

My Lord

We have one Thos. Bailey who calls himself a Missionary, he formerly was in Philadelphia, and turned out there for a scandalous druken Man. came into Virginia & turned there likewise out for his Vile actions, then came into my Province where if he could get credit or money would be continually drunk & breaking windows or be fighting, this Bailey lately came into Edenton, where I reside & for 2 days kept himself much disordered in liquor, on the next day being on a Saturday, he spoke to my son, to desire him to procure my leave for him to preach which I positively denied him, at which he was very uneasy & by the instigation of Burington the late Govr he came to me on Sunday about 12o clock & demanded the Key of the Court house. which I also refused, on which he told me, if the Court house door was not opened for him, it shall be broke open & immediately went to the Door & broke it open. in this court house are kept all records, & the journals of the assemblies, on which the chief justice, bound him over to our general court. Mr. Burington is his bail. he is I am informed in a distant part of this country. call'd Pasquotank a preaching up rebellion. & begg your Lordship, If I prosecute him according to our laws here for his enormous crimes & his acting out of his sphere. Your Lordship will pardon me. I'm well assured Mr. Baileys life & character is parallell if not superlative to Mr. Nathaniel Gentry on whom your Lordship executed the greatest justice. I'm greatly obliged to your Lordship for obliging me with my request & admitting the Revd Mr. Blacknell to come with me to Carolina. he is a Gentm that's a very good Preacher. a Gentm perfectly sober, belov'd by all but Mr. Burington's Party. He has made about 160 Christians since

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he has been here & I don't in the least doubt, but he'll double that number before he has been here a twelve month. I beg your Lordship will oblige us with three other Missionaries. one for Bartie, another for Bath & a 3rd for Pasquatank, we are a most heathenish part of America & have no sect amongst us but Quakers who daily increase. I thought it proper to acquaint your Lordship of this, that the Society may favor us, with sober & pious men, if not having such a man as Mr. Bailey, he will be despised & ridiculed, I must beg your Lordships pardon in writing in so great a hurry not knowing of this opportunity till within this 2 days & my secretary so sick he cant put pen to paper I am forced to write all my dispatches myself therefore beg you'll excuse all interlineation & errors in, My Lord

Your Lordships most faithful humble Servant
RICHd EVERARD