John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 990

Spotswood concluded his petition with these two paragraphs,

And ____ that your petitioner not only, in his Treaty with ye said Five Nations, obtained of them to give to your Majesty their Pretensions to all ye Lands, which they claimed between the Potowmach and James Rivers, but also, by new Regulations of his own forming while he was Governor, so improved His Maty's Revenue of Quit Rents in Virginia, that from an annual income of about One Thousand Pounds, they have been augmented to Three thousand Pounds per annum.

Wherefore your Petitioner humbly Prays that in Consideration of his aforementioned just Claims of Twelve Hundred Pounds, of his obtaining a ______ ______ (Concession?) of about Three Million of acres of land to the Crown; of his improving your Maty's Revenue of Quitrents under his administration, ______ ______ _____ to promote ______; and of his endeavoring at his own cost to _____ by procuring tar burners from Finland; _______ to confirm to your petitioner of eighty-six Thousand acres of land in possession of ______ of the rights, that are demanded _____, acknowledgment, as they are most _____ of much larger tracts having been granted in America by your Royal Predecessors, upon less Motives or Considerations.

And your petitioner A. in duty bound Shall ever pray etc.
A. Spotswood (signature)

[Notice that Spotswood refers to his job in Virginia as Governor, not Lt. Governor.  He often did this.  So, if writers today refer to him as Governor, I guess they can be excused.]

[There was no immediate resolution to this petition.  Several years went by before the issues were decided.  In brief, though, Spotswood had to pay something, and I do not think that he got any reimbursements on his expenses.]
(29 Sep 00