My Lords [of the Board of Trade]
Being informed that the Right Honourable The Lords of the Committee of Council have referred to your Lordships consideration the following points vizt First, what shares or proportion may be proper to be reserved to the Crown, out of any Reegal or other Mines that may happen to be discovered, within the Land. We have humbly prayed a Grant of in the Province of North Carolina. And Secondly to consider any new Proposals that we had to offer touching the manner and respective times of our making the settlement proposed.
We therefore take leave to acquaint your Lordships that as to the first point, we are willing, and ready to submitt to a Reservation of one fifth part of all Gold and Silver Ore, and to one tenth of the Ore of all other Mines, and minerals whatsoever that shall be found within the Lands we have petitioned for, and as to the other point, we humbly conceive that
we have allready laid before your Lordships the manner and nature of the settlement which we propose to make, we take leave to assure your Lordships that we cannot think of any other manner in which we can possibly undertake the same, as to the respective times, within which we are to compleat it. If by that is meant the number of people which we are to transport thither every year we must inform your Lordships that it is utterly out of our power to ascertain that number from the many accidents that may occur and therefore cannot pretend to tye ourselves down to any certain number, otherways than in the Gross to transport thither Six Thousand people within the space of ten years.The difficulty in settling the First and Second Embarcation will be very great and perhaps much more so than the settling all the rest but if we could declare ourselves more particularly upon this head We apprehend it can be of no service in the Crown and may prove very prejudicial to us espetially if it was to be made a condition in the order for our Grant for as we must be obliged to show the same to the Persons whom we are to carry thither to evince them of the Title we have to the lands they would by that means perceive of what consequence they were to us and this might occasion their raising their Terms against us and so put it out of our power to carry on this undertaking with advantage to ourselves.
As a proof that our Intention is to settle the whole of the Lands prayed for, we do not desire to make the least benefit of any part thereof, till the whole is surveyed and marked out and as that will be attended with an Expence of about Five Thousand Pounds we hope it will be looked upon as a security for our compleating the settlement.
We have nothing further to offer to your Lordships upon this point save only to observe that as it is our interest to compleat this settlement so it is not to be doubted but we shall carry it on with all Expedition possible.
Which is most humbly submitted to your Lordships by