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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Memorandum from William Dry to Josiah Martin concerning an act of the North Carolina General Assembly concerning courts
Dry, William, 1720-1781
March 25, 1774
Volume 09, Pages 979-980


New Bern March 25th 1774.

To His Excellency Josiah Martin, Esquire, Captain General, Governor, &ca,

Sir,

Your Excellency has required that I should assign the reasons which induced me to recommend to you to ratify the Acts for establishing Superior Courts, passed this session through both Houses of Assembly.

The distressful situation &c. [The same as in previous enclosures down to “Instructions that I have seen.”]

To a Member of His Majesty's Council of North Carolina, bound

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by every tye of honor and of duty to act a part in public life, not unworthy the important trust reposed in me by my Soverign, I acted from the independant Principles of rectitude and good conscience and with the fullest duty I owe the Crown, and to the happiness of the Province, I advised your Excellency to assent to the Bill. If I hath been wrong my heart hath no share in the transgression. I have the conscious satisfaction to think that I have acted to the best of my understanding, & I hope it will be thought so by the Soverign & his Ministers. I don't by any means wish to embarrass your Excellency's Administration. It is and ever has been my intention to render every support to Government in my Power.

I am with respect &c.,
Wm DRY.