to the Board of Trade by Alexander Spotswood, 15 May 1712:
“. . . This Excursion of people into North Carolina, as well as into Lands of the other Neighboring proprietors, will be very much furthered by a general Opinion lately revived that there are gold and silver mines in these parts towards the Mountains, And because in the grants to the Proprietors the share of the Crown in Royal Mines is ascertained, and no such declaration made for those found in the Lands held incidentally of her Majesty, people propose to themselves a greater advantage by seeking after them in the former. For this reason, I am told, some persons who formerly had, or fancyed they had made such discoverys here, were discouraged to prosecute them and died with the secret; but now that the same opinion is revived and the humour of making discoverys become universal I humbly offer Your Lordships' consideration whether so great a profitt as may redound from the discovery and working of such mines ought to be lost for want of a Declaration what share her Majesty expects out of them.”
[Notice that these comments come almost immediately after the arrival of Graffenried in Virginia. Graffenried makes no secret of the fact that he thought there were silver mines and some circumstances that he writes about sound like the stories that Spotswood is passing along.]
to the Council of Trade, 26 July 1712, by Spotswood:
“I have, since the return of the Baron de Graffenried from Potomack [a short distance above the Falls], discoursed him concerning the probability of Mines these parts, he says, though he has no doubts of finding such from the accounts he received from one Mr. Mitchell [Michel], a Swiss Gentlemen who went on the like discoverys some years ago, Yet he finds himself much discouraged from prosecuting his first intentions, not only because of the uncertainty of the property of the Soil [i.e., who owns the rights to it], whether belonging to the Queen or the proprietors, but because the share which the Crown may claim in those Mines is also uncertain, and that after all his trouble in the discovery he may chance to have only his labour for his pains. Whereas he would gladly imploy his utmost diligence in making such discoverys if it were once declared what share her Majesty would expect out of the produce of the Mines, or if her Majesty would be pleased to take the Mines into her own hands, promising him a suitable Reward for his discovery, and granting him the superintending of the works with a handsome Sallary, he says it is a matter not new to him, there having been Mines of the like nature found on his father's lands in Switzerland, which were at first wrought for the benefitt of the State, but turning to small account were afterwards Yielded to the proprietors of the soil upon paying a share out of the produce thereof; that he has some relations now concerned therein, and by their interest can procure skilfull workmen out of Germany for carrying on the works . . .”
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.