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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Petition from William Porter concerning the establishment of a weapons factory
Porter, William
Volume 22, Pages 895-896

PETITION AND MEMORIAL OF WILLIAM PORTER.

To the Honorable the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina:

The petition and memorial of William Porter, of Rutherford county, most humbly sheweth:

That your petitioner has an intention to erect a small forge for the purpose of making iron to support him in manufacturing guns, swords and pistols. He has a good situation and ore convenient, but being unable to bring his intentions into execution without some assistance, he thinks that one thousand dollars would enable him to carry the above scheme into execution, to the interest of the public and considerable advantage to himself, as arms are hard to procure in this part of the State, the militia are but indifferently armed at this time. If a manufactory of that kind was erected and carried on with steadiness there would be an opportunity of getting arms upon better terms than what can be gotten at this time, and it is certain that a well-armed militia is a necessary means to secure our independence as a nation, and your petitioner has a view to the

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public good as well as his private interest in undertaking a matter of so much consequence.

Your petitioner therefore prays that you would take his petition into your wise consideration and grant him authority to raise the sum of one thousand dollars by way of lottery. And your petitioner will, as in duty bound, ever pray.

WM. PORTER.