Gunston-Hall Janry. 13th. 1772.
I last night received your Favour of the 9th. Instant by Express; the Subject of which is of such Importance to the Ohio Company that I think a Meeting of the Company absolutely necessary; and have therefore appointed one at Stafford Court House on Teusday the 11th. of Febry next; which is as soon as the Members in Virginia & Maryland can have Notice of it by the public Papers; at which Time, & Place I hope to have the Pleasure of seeing you; & must beg the Favour of you to bring with you the Ohio Company's Order Book; which was left many Years ago in the Hands of your Father, & has never been in my Possession since. I shou'd have attended the Meeting last Month advertized by you; but did not see the Advertisement, or know any thing of the Matter, until the Night before the Day you had appointed; altho' any thing that cou'd have been done then, wou'd have been too late for the Determination of the new Company's Grant; which you say was fixed to the 25th. of October last.
If Colo. Mercer has Cause to complain of the Ohio Company's Neglect or Silence, it is not my Fault. I imediatly ordered such Money to be paid as the Company directed; and your Father was, I think upon the Terms proposed by himself, appointed to correspond with Mr. Palmer & Colo. Mercer. Since your Father's Death, I have not received any Letter[s] from Colo. Mercer, till last Winter; when I received two or three; some of them was a year after their Dates, and all of them some Time after Colo. Mercer had assured me he shou'd take Ship for Virginia; otherwise I shou'd imediately have answer'd them; and that I have not done it since, is oweing to the same Cause—Colo. Mercer being constantly expected here. The last Time I saw you (I think in February last at Colchester, since which I have not had a Line from Colo. Mercer) you told me he had been detain'd only on a particular Occasion, & was expected here early in the Spring; and you wrote me from the last General Court, that he had taken his Passage in Capt. Anderson, & his Arrival expected every Day.
The Sentiments of the Ohio Company in general upon the Subject of your Letter, I am not acquainted with; but as you desire to know the Opinion of each particular Member imediatly, whilst the Success or Fate of the Grand Company (as it is called) is still unknown to us; I think myself obliged to give you mine, in the most explicit &candid Manner, as well on Account of my Interest in the Ohio Company, as on the Score of private Friendship. I can by no Means approve the Bargain Colo. Mercer has made with the Grand Cormpany; nor do I think his Instructions or Power from the Ohio Company authorized him to make such a One: and making all due Allowances for the superior Interest of the Grand Company, I had much rather have trusted to the Faith of Government, upon his late Majesty's Instructions, than have withdrawn our Caveat against the Grand Company's Grant, upon the Terms Colo. Mercer did. It appears to me, from what Colo. Mercer wrote, that he might have had our first 200,000 Acres guaranteed to us, upon the Terms of the royal Instructions, to Sir William Gooch—that is in as many Surveys and within what Limits we chose; this wou'd have been ten thousand Acres to each of us, and cou'd we have been permitted Entrys & Deeds for that Quantity paying the usual Quit-Rents of Virginia, with the Indulgence of ten Years Exemption, without any further Charge or Trouble, I shou'd have prefer'd it infinitely to what is now done: altho' we shou'd then have lost more than one half the Land we had a Right to expect from the Royal Promise; upon the Faith of which we had expended so large a Sum of Money. One thirty sixth Part of the Grand Company's Grant may be an Object of Consequence to one or two Men; but that divided again into twenty Parts, wou'd reduce each of our Shares to a seven hundred & twentieth Part of the said Grant, & render it so trifling as not to be worth our Regard; at least I can not think it worth mine: and rather than advance the Sum of one hundred & fifty Pounds Sterling (the Quota now required by Colo. Mercer from each Member) or even half of it, upon so distant, and (to me) inconsiderable a Prospect, I wou'd submit to lose every Shilling I have already advanced. In such a Case, I shou'd think (with the old Proverb) the first Loss the best, and avoid involving my Family in a Scheme, which might give them much Trouble & Vexation, & even if it succeeded, cou'd never product them much Profit. These Sir are my real Sentiments, upon the most mature Deliberation I am capable of; and I am sure you will pardon the Freedom with which I have given them.
What Expences the Ohio Company may have incurr'd in England I know not; having never seen any Acct. of them; except Mr. Charlton Palmer's Bill for about fifty Guineas; but as nothing has been obtain'd from Government for us, I can have no Idea of their being very considerable.
As you will have a speedier & safer Conveyance to Wmsburg, than I can have from hence, I take the Liberty of inclosing you two advertizements, for Rind's & Purdie's & Dixon's Papers; which please to order them to insert imediatly; having no small Money just now bye me, I must beg the Favour of you to pay the Printers for publishing the Advertisements, &charge the same to me; I will repay you the first Time I see you. I have also troubled you with a Letter to Mr. Waller, desiring him to transmit me, under Cover directed to your Care, a Copy of Mr. Hanbury's Acct. as setled by Colo. Mercer in London; that it may be laid before the Company; who, I hope will take proper Measures to discharge it: when you receive it, you will be so kind to forward it to me by some safe Hand. I must also intreat you to bring with you to the Meeting a Copy of your Father's Acct. with the Ohio Company; for as it is so very difficult to procure a Meeting of the Company; whenever there is one, these things shou'd be finally setled. I am Dr Sir Your affecte. Kinsman & Hble Sert
P. S.
Upon looking into the Virginia Gazette, I find the Assembly is to meet on the 6th. of February; which wou'd prevent a Meeting of the Ohio Company at the Time proposed: I have therefore altered it, & fixed the Meeting of the Company on Monday the 30th. of March; and as I shall have Time enough to send the advertisements myself, I have not troubled you with them.