In England, Col. Alex. Spotswood submitted a petition to "The King's most excellent majesty in Council, the Case and Petition of Col. Alex. Spotswood, Late Lt. Governor of Virginia". The original is filed in Public Record Office in London, under Colonial Office documents in C.O.5/1344. A microfilm of this document is available in the Colonial Records Project (a very difficult document to read) at the Virginia State Library. The apparent date is May 1726.
In the first paragraph, Spotswood emphasizes his efforts in promoting the naval stores project for making hemp and tar. In the second paragraph, he tells that he formed companies and partnerships for that purpose. The investors spent several thousand pounds in clearing and seating land and in importing materials and workmen for raising all manners of naval stores.
In the third paragraph, it is recounted that difficulties were encountered and his partners were discouraged. So Spotswood says he took their part upon himself and reimbursed his partners for their utmost penny of expenses. The result was that the first pig-iron was shipped home as was the first hemp and the first tar.
In the fourth paragraph, Spotswood claims these results were achieved at his own expense. The result has been a public good. The iron masters in England have tested the iron. The hemp is superior to the best Russian hemp.
In the next paragraph, Spotswood says it was necessary to take large tracts of land to accomplish these ends. As the partners have dropped out, he is the only claimant to the land but his title may hereafter be controverted without his Majesty's special Grace in confirming them to him.
In the sixth paragraph, Spotswood notes he has purchased the land from the partners and fully complied with the law of the Colony pertaining to improvements of the land. These lands were very remote and dangerous and he had been obliged to seat them with a formidable strength [i.e., the Germans] and run a mighty risk in maintaining possession of them. He had to obtain from the Five Nations of Indians the relinquishment of their rights to these lands. To do this, he had traveled twelve hundred miles and underwent a three-month "fatigue" at the expenditure of six hundred pounds for which he had never been reimbursed.
In the seventh paragraph, Spotswood notes he was never reimbursed for his expenses in 1713 for the treaties he obtained with the Three Nations of Indians. He had been promised his expenses would be paid. (Queen Anne was on the throne then.)
In the eighth paragraph, Spotswood notes he obtained by treaty much land from Five Nations for the benefit of your Majesty. Also he improved the collection of quit rents for his Majesty, from one thousand pounds to three thousand pounds per annum.
Summarizing, in the last paragraph, he noted that he spent more than twelve hundred pounds for which he has not been reimbursed, that he obtained a concession of three million acres from the Indians to the Crown, that he improved the collection of quit rents, and that it was at his expenses that tar burners were procured from Finland. Spotswood asks that his title to eighty-six thousand acres of land be confirmed in consideration of all that he had done for the Crown. He closes by noting that King George's predecessors had done more for others upon less considerations.
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