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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Daniel Earl to Philip Bearcroft
Earl, Daniel, d. 1790
May 05, 1760
Volume 06, Pages 240-241

[From North Carolina Letter Book. S. P. G.]
From Mr. Earl to the Secretary

North Carolina Edenton 5 May 1760

Revd Sir,

Since my letter to you of April 25. I have received the Box sent me by the Society, containing my instructions and the Books &c to be distributed among the Parishioners which shall be faithfully done; and am steadfastly resolved with the assistance of Gods grace to ev'ry article of my instructions.

In my former letter to you I could not send an exact account of the number of persons I baptized & of the number of communicants, as I did not keep any account of them, having no certainty of my being taken into the laudible service of the Society: but compute the number of persons I baptized within these 12 months in this & the neighbouring parishes, not to be less than 300, and that the number of communicants amounts to 100. I have since my former letter to you, administered the sacrament in this Town, & have the pleasure to acquaint you that the number of communicants has increased, Since the time I administered it here before from 6 to 20 persons & hope they will proportionally increase in all other parts of the Parish; as I take great pains to inculcate that important duty

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upon my parishioners, against which they seem to be greatly prejudiced. I shall beg leave to mention to you, the want of schools in this province, and as the depressed and mean circumstances of the inhabitants render them incapable of educating their children, & as the good education of the youth of the country would be a great means of impressing upon their minds the principles of Religion & virtue which the Revd & Honble Society earnestly endeavour to promote in these his Majestys colonys: I hope therefore that this poor & illiterate Province will feel the effect of their benign & pious institution in this, as it has, in many other instances; as I believe there is no other part of this continent, that calls louder for it than this government. If the society would be pleased to grant any assistance for this purpose, I should with the greatest alacrity, exert myself to establish a School in this Parish and should always (as far as my Parochial duties would permit me) superintend the same & inspect into the conduct of the teacher—I am Revd Sir &c

DANl EARL