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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from William Blount to Richard Caswell
Blount, William, 1749-1800
May 20, 1787
Volume 20, Pages 701-702

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HONBLE. WILLIAM BLOUNT TO GOVERNOR CASWELL.
(From Executive Letter Book.)

New York, May 20th, 1787.

Sir:

By the enclosed papers your Excellency will be informed that some part of the debt due from Bryan Ward of Georgia, to the State of North Carolina, for the goods by me sold him has been by him paid to Mr. George Ogg, in Deerskins, which have been Shipped to this place & sold by my order on account of the State, by Mr. John Ramsey at three months Credit. You will also be informed that I have caused nearly the whole of the money, or more truly the Note of hand of the Purchasers at the three Months Credit, arising from the sales of the Skins to be laid out in good Hyson Tea & in what manner I have directed it to be disposed of. My wish was that Tea should have been Shipped to the full amount of the Sales of the Skins but as the Shippers would not Break a Box they could not Ship to the exact amount, and upon reflection that I had made this Shipment without order from the State and being no stranger to the liberties many people would indulge themselves in if it should be lost, I have caused it to be insured, which will nearly Balance the Account. Your Excellency will, I have no doubt, recollect that I had given Orders to Mr. Ogg to ship these Skins to Stewart and Barr of Philadelphia, but last winter while the Delaware was closed with Ice I thought it would be most beneficial to the State to order them to this place, which I accordingly did. A Desire to render every Public Act of mine as beneficial as possible to the State has induced Me to order the Money arising from the Sales of the Skins to be laid out in the aforesaid Teas, a motive that I hope will justify the Act be the loss or gain what it may, tho’ Loss there cannot be unless the Ship is lost and the insurers fail. I have endeavoured to place the whole of this transaction in so clear a point of View that I hope the Tongue even of Malevolence itself will be compelled to confess that I have no other Interest in it than that of a Citizen in General. This remark I should have thought unnecessary if my Conduct as an Agent for the State, at the Treaties at Hopewell on Keowee, with the Indians, had been treated with the Candor it deserved.

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And if this Transaction should meet the approbation of your Excell’y it will be particularly pleasing to, Sir,

Your Most Obedt. Servt.,
WM. BLOUNT.