Chowan County, NC - Earl of Granville Instructions to Mr. Corbin, 1744 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Colonial Court Records Miscellaneous Papers 1677-1775 C.C.R. 192 Instructions for Mr. Corbin going to North Carolina Arlington Street 14th Novr 1744 1. With this Mr. Corbin will receive His Majesty's original Grant [bearing date 17th Septr 1744], under the Great Seal, for setting off to me in Severalty my Eighth Part of the Carolinas; & an Office Copy under the City Seal of my Surrender and Conveyance to His Majesty, of the other Seven Eighths, & one hundred printed Exemplaries of each of those Deeds; and a Packet from the Duke of Newcastle to the Governor of South Carolina, with a Letter from His Grace, notifying to him this Transaction by His Majesty's Command; and another Packet to the Governor of North Carolina, with a like Letter from his Grace, on the said Transaction, and containing withal His Majesty's Commands to the said Governor to appoint proper Persons on His Majesty's part to carry on, in conjunction with proper Persons on mine, the Division Line, which has been begun, for setting off my Eight Part of the Carolinas in Severalty. 2. As the Man of War, on board of which Mr. Corbin is to take his Passage, is to Sail directly to South Carolina, Mr. Corbin will have an opportunity to deliver to Governor Glenn the Duke of Newcastle's Packet above mentioned, & my Letter to the Said Governor, & will then proceed to North Carolina. 3. There Mr. Corbin is to address himself to Mr. Moseley, putting into his hands the Letter I have written to him, & communicating to him these Instructions, & the Copy of my Letter to the Governor of North Carolina, which Letter, as well as the above mentioned one from the Duke of Newcastle, (the Copy of which Mr. Corbin will also communicate to Mr. Moseley), I would have Mr. Moseley & Mr. Corbin to wait on the Governor with, acquainting him that I have sent the Deeds to be enroll'd, & desiring his assistance & advice, as to what remains to be done, & that he will give orders, pursuant to the King's pleasure signified to him by the Duke of Newcastle, for continuing and carrying on the Division Line. 4. Printed Exemplaries of the Deeds are to be distributed among the principal People, & given in particular to the Clerk of the Several Precincts or Counties in my Division, & Some of them may be transmitted to Virginia & other Parts of the Continent, where it shall be thought adviseable. 5. Mr. Corbin will acquaint Mr. Moseley that my chief view and desire at this time is, that a Regulation be established, whereby the People in my District being made easy, & quieted in their Possessions, I may have my Rents duely & regularly paid. When that Point has been adjusted, other matters about Settling Protestant Families may be thought of. 6. Mr. Corbin will communicate to Mr. Moseley, Mr. Abercromby's Paper, which will be deliver'd to him with this; And as to the principal matter, therein mentioned, upon the Subject of a Quit-Rent Law, if Something of that nature must be done, I would have That pursued, which shall be thought by the Governor, Mr. Moseley & Mr. Corbin to answer best the ascertaining the payment & recovery of the Quit-Rents in Specie. And as my Estate in the Carolinas, instead of being an undivided Eighth Part of every Acre in the two Provinces, now lyes within a small Compass in one of them, which must greatly facilitate the coming at an exact & full Rent-Roll, wherein I find, by Mr. Moseley's Letters, some progress has already been made; I, in particular manner, recommend it to him & Mr. Corbin, that what remains to be done on that head my be perfected the Soonest that maybe. 7. I would have Mr. Moseley transmit to me, by the first convenient opportunity, the Form in which he shall advise new Grants of land to be hereafter made by me. 8. As to such Parts (falling in within my Division) of those great Tracts of Lands, which are mentioned in Mr. Abercromby's Paper, for which no Quit-Rents have hitherto been paid, I would have Mr. Moseley & Mr. Corbin acquaint the Governor that, for so much as the Said Governor is or may be interested therein, my intention is to oblige & favour him. But as to others, it is not to be expected, if the Grantees do not comply with the Conditions of their Grants, that they should hold on such Tracts of good Land without paying Rent for them, or be allowed to withhold them from those that would. 9. Being informed that people in Virginia want Lands contiguous to theirs, I would have notice to be given to them, that I shall be for accomodating them, as occasion shall offer, at a reasonable Rate, concerning which Rate I desire to have Mr. Moseley's advice. 10. Mr. Moseley having acquainted me, it was necessary to have the Division Line between His Majesty's Land & mine to be carried on & His Majesty's Orders going now to the Governor of North Carolina on that head, I desire Mr. Moseley will set that matter forward, which he is empower'd to do on my part by my Commission of the 25th May 1743. 11. Mr. Moseley & Mr. Corbin will in my Name return thanks to the Several Gentlemen, who have been employed in making out the Division between His Majesty & me, for their dispatch therein. 12. Mr. Corbin, who is sent with These to Mr. Moseley, is one I have a value for, whom I recommend to Mr. Moseley. He will be assistant to & act in concert with him in my affairs, & when some progress shall have been made therein, He is to return home, & by him Mr. Moseley will fully inform me of all matters, & I hope be able to transmit to me a compleat Rent-Roll. What money Mr. Corbin shall want, for the time he shall remain in North Carolina, & on his return home, I have desired Mr. Moseley to supply him with from time to time, taking His Receipts, to the amount of Two Hundred Pounds Ster., charging the same to my Account. 13. Mr. Corbin will avoid concerning himself in any disputes among the Gentlemen in North Carolina, by whom I desire to be look'd upon as a Gentleman, who having a considerable Estate in that Country, is desirous to be a good & an useful Neighbor to them. Granville Mr. Corbin will not fail to correspond with me from time to time. Endorsed: Instructions for Mr. Corbin going to No. Carolina 14th Novr. 1744 D.S. 6 Pages Original in Office of the Clerk of the Court, Edenton, NC ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ___________________________________________________________________