Though I had read it before, I checked out the book, " The Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood, 1710-1722 ", from the University of New Mexico (USA). This was printed in 1882 from a manuscript in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society. The earlier history of this manuscript is murky, but it seems to have been based on the original Letter Book of Spotswood, in which copies of the letters he wrote were entered. The book is not based on the documents in the archives of such institutions as the Public Record Office in London. Nor is the present work complete; it does not have all of the letters and reports of Spotswood during his term as Lt. Governor, and it omits some very important material that he wrote after he left office. In all, the book contains 354 pages, showing that the man was a prolific writer. I thought that I would copy a few selections that might be of special interest to Germanna descendants, though it may take several notes.
On 24 October 1710 [four months after his arrival in Virginia] he wrote to the Commissioners of Trade:
“There is a project intended to be handed to this next Assembly for improvement of the Iron Mines lately discovered in this Country, which upon Tryal have been found to be extraordinary rich and good. It is proposed that the work be carried on at the Publick Charge; That the Assembly raise a Fund for that purpose and have the disposal of the profits thereof when it comes to perfection, for answering the publick expenses of the Government, if the Assembly should proceed so far therein this Session as to prepare an Act for the encouragement of this Work, I hope I may give my Assent to it without infringing her Majesty's Instructions, which restrains me from passing Acts of an extraordinary Nature; since I do not at present apprehend any Disadvantage which this may occasion to her Majesty's Service or the Trade of Great Britain, because the Nation is obliged to import great quantitys of Iron from foreign parts, which if this succeeds may be supplied from hence, at least if it should be found prejudicial, the Act may be repealed by her Majesty long before it can take any effect here, since they can enter in no part of the Work till they have their Workmen and Materials from England, and here I take occasion to beg Your Lordships' favourable interpretation of the earnest endeavors I shall always use in these parts to promote the interest of her Majesty and that of my Mother County. So that when it may happen that I yield to the instances of the People and pass a Law of this nature (which if it be not acceptable to her Majesty, can be nulled ere it become in force), I hope Your Lordships' will conclude that such a complyance on my part may sometimes be necessary, in order to preserve a good Correspondence with them, and thereby compass some other advantage for her Majesty's Service.”
In copying this, I attempted to maintain spelling and capitalization but not the abbreviations.
(01 Sep 04)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.