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
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.