[Continuing the letter of Richard Beresford.]
"There is in three of the frontier counties of Virginia a company of twelve Rangers who make it their business upon the Governor's order to range and make discoveries. One of these companies has made a discovery of a passage through the mountains between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers [which] is very easy for horses [note that Swift Run Gap does not lie between these two rivers]. The pass being of easy ascent and falls very easy to the westward. They report they went about 40 miles to the westward of the mountains from whence divers runs and brooks of water made into small rivers. They saw some new cabins and much sign of Indians being near; they did not perfect their discovery being so few in number.
"Upon this discovery, it is said the Governor will order the three companies of Rangers consisting of 36 men and some number more with a few goods to perfect the discovery very shortly. They expect in Virginia 'tis not far from thence to the Cherokees and some other great nations of Indians for they say that the Sinnagars make war that way on great nations of Indians. They named some of the towns to me but they have slipped my memory except those called the Connawas. By viewing your list of the Cherokee towns you will easily perceive whether there be any of such like name.
"It is probably that those runs and brooks make into the head of the Potomac which it is said runs much further through the mountains than any other river. Col. Moore assures me that there is no probability of a passage to the Cherokees that way which I heartily wish may be true for should there be any expectations of their being furnished with goods from Virginia it might prove of ill consequence to your government.
"These things cause many speculations in Virginia and some here [as] that governor is certainly a very political and ingenious gentleman and looks as far as any body. Some imagine this only an amusement [in which], under the notion of discovering this pass, they make a more profitable discovery of a mine: For near thereabouts a parcel of Palatines are settled in a town called Germanna, some of which are miners. Given some hopes of mines that way, and Col. Mitchell [Michel] your engineer has given in some propositions to the Treasury in England relating to mines which have been communicated to the governor of Virginia."
[Alexander Spotswood heard of the mines in Virginia from Graffenried, a partner of Michel. It is true that Michel had filed reports and maps with the officials in England, and these people may have informed Spotswood, but more likely it was Graffenried that inflamed Spotswood with the thought of silver mines.]
(21 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.