[The last note had extracts of a response by Alexander Spotswood to a set of questions asked by a spokesman for a group in the Assembly. This querest, as Spotswood called him, was anonymous. The group that he represented were very unhappy with Spotswood and they were trying to embarrass him. They sent a set of fifteen questions to the Board of Trade who asked Spotswood for his answer to these charges. What we have been reading is a small portion of a rather long response. The last note here was not complete and the following is a continuation of his response.]
- - - - But here I must acknowledge myself indebted to the Querest's Modesty in that he has taxed me with oppression in not giving up the property of my Land to the Germans, yet he has not taken upon him to charge me directly with exacting an exorbitant Rent, for he might have ascertained that at some extravagant Rate, with the same truth as he has increased twelve hundred acres to Twelve Thousand. And since, in this point, he is forced to be silent in the only thing which could give ground for his charge of oppressing those People, I hope your Lordships will be of Opinion that my taking up Land and building houses for people who were not able to take it up or build for themselves; my advancing Money for their Transportation and subsistence, when they must have been sold (according to the Custom of this Country,) into servitude or have famished, and at last my allowing them to Live at such easy Rents, is far from what the Querist would here charge me with. If he has a mind to extend his Charity to those poor Strangers beyond what I have done, or believes I reap any great advantage by this tract of Land, I shall very readily yield him the Property thereof, together with all the profits I have made by those People; provided, he barely reimburse what I can fairly make appear to have been expended on that Account. [Thus ended his answer to the fifteen questions that had been raised.]
[I believe that this is the last time that Spotswood mentions the Germans in his letters while he was Lt. Gov of Virginia which ended in 1722. There are several other documents, other than the letters in the book, Spotswood Letters, which either he wrote or influenced. Some of the other material was not in the form of a letter or was written after he left office. I will look at some of these in the following notes.]
[As implied, the attempt of the group to unseat Spotswood was not successful.]
[If others have spotted any omissions in the general theme here, please speak up]
(07 Dec 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.