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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Edmund Jenings to the Board of Trade of Great Britain [Extract]
Jenings, Edmund, 1659-1727
November 27, 1708
Volume 01, Page 692

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[B. P. R. O. B. T. Virginia. Vol. 13. O. 24.—Extracts.]
COLONEL JENINGS, PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA TO LORDS OF TRADE.

Virginia November ye 27th 1708

May it please yor Lordships

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As to the number of Inhabitants of this Her Majesty's Colony, according to the list of Tithables taken this year (wch is the best way to Judge of their number) I have computed the labouring Tithable persons to be about thirty thousand, whereof about twelve thousand Negros, the rest being almost all Free men; for the number of white servants is so inconsiderable, that they scarce deserve notice, so few having been imported since the beginning of this War. So that by comparing the present List with those of former years, the number of Tithable persons (among which are included all masters of familys and their male children above the age of sixteen) have increased within these three years about three thousand, partly by the Natives coming of age, but chiefly by the importation of Negros. It is possible that when yor Lordships shall compare this Estimate with the List of Negros imported of late (wch in obedience to your Lordships commands I have sent in another Letter) yor Lordships may be induced to expect a far greater encrease to our number, but to satisfy your Lordships therein I beg leave to acquaint yor Lordships, that besides the distempers usual among new Negros wch carry off not a few of them, many of our poorer sort of Inhabitants daily remove into our neighboring Colonies, especially to North Carolina which is the reason that the number of our Inhabitants doth not increase proportionally to what might be expected.

My Lords
Your Lordps most obedient Servt
E. JENINGS