Diary of Colonel Landon Carter; Wm. & Mary Qrtly., Vol. 15, No. 3 Landon Carter William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Jan., 1907), pp. 63-69. DIARY OF COLONEL LANDON CARTER. (Continued from Vol. XIV., 253). Sunday 7, January, 1776. Observations upon the marriage of his daughter Lucy to Mr. Colston: He gives her 800 L sterling as her portion, and would make a settlement upon her if Mr. Colston's entailed estate was restricted by the donor. "Certainly, then, these must be deemed the terms of my consenting to the match. Accoringly, the wed- Page 64. ding takes effect, and as soon as I saw Mr. Colston was desirous of carrying his wife home, I told him, as I had understood he wanted a few slaves to stock his plantation better, I intended, the crop after this, to give him 6 slaves, w'ch should be valued, and their value to be received as part of the L800 sterling. This he expressed a seeming desire should be done. Ac- cordingly, I offered my wench Frankey, who used to wait on my daughter, to be taken as one. Lucy said there did not seem to be any occasion; the wench was a fine work woman and would be wanted to work for me as her mother was now in a measure past it. Therefore, she only desired Frankey for a few days till she could instruct Mr. Colston's girl intended for the house. This was accordingly done, and after 7 or 8 days the wench returned. At this visit my daughter told me she must take her word back again, and desired she might have Frankey on the terms I at first offered her. I agreed to this, as I found all parties willing, and then I asked my daughter if she knew how Mr. Hornsby had given the house and land. She answered Mr. Colston's widow, in case of such an accident, was somehow provided for, but could not tell how. Yesterday I communicated this conversation to Colston, adding that I wanted to be satisfied how by Mr. Hornsby's gift of the house, &c., his widow, possibly without children, was to be provided for; and he answered she was only to be maintained out of that estate during her life. I then replied that the negroes at least I should let him have as a part of her fortune ought to be settled upon his wife; and he then actually told me, to be sure it was most reasonable they should be done so, and begged I would get such an instrument. I told him any lawyer could easily draw such an one and repeated to him the purport of it. Our coversation ended with seeming satisfaction. But in the evening I dis- covered a dulness in him, and only asked if he was unwell, and he answered he was very well. I said no more, believing his dulness was an effect of some- thing natural in him. But this morning, when alone, he told me he believed he was a little too hasty yesterday in consenting to the negroes being settled on his wife; for in such a case he said he should have no power over them Page 65. to part with them as he s hould think proper; and her whole fortune might as well have been settled upon her, which he could not have done if I had at first demanded it; because he was in debt for a tract of adjoining land w'ch he had bought. I became serious and spoke to this effect: Sr, I have treated you rather more like a gentleman that you at first did me before you had engaged my daughter's affections, but imputing this to love and bashfulness, I thought nothing about it, but did not my conversation ab't her fortune before marriage tend to know whether the donor of your estate had not restrained the law as to a widow's dower out of entailed lands; and did not that imply a settlement on my child, if you had told me then it did? How, then, now you do tell me it does, can you wish I had demanded this settlement at first, because you would not have agreed to it? Was there an equal or a greater temptation to a fortune in such a matter as your estate, then there was in other gentleman's fortunes who have married my daughters? The gift to you only saying your widow shall be maintained out of the estate given away if you died without heirs, must either leave my child in the power of others as of the law, and what would this differ from a parent's throwing his child into a river that some kind hand might save her from drowning? He then told me that his wife thought there would be no manner of occasion for such a settlement. I answsered she seemed to reason as he did in the present moment in the full shine of a honeymoon, but things of this sort should extend, and could be only meant after his death, when, perhaps, the moons of others might never shine on his widow. However, said I, don't disturb yourself. Your wife, out of weakness, might, seeing your uneasiness, tell you so; but no prudent parent ought to do so. But if you want to be at liberty to leave her a beggar, should you chose it, for God's sake do it. He offered then to leave the fortune in my hands. I replied, No, Sr, no one shall ever have an opportunity to declaring any thing with a face so interested as that must appear. I will let you have the 6 negroes the next crop, as I promised, and Frankey shall go now agreeable to yr desire. He then asked me at what value? I began then to see, & replied to be sure a very Page 66. healthy wench and a fine workwoman must be of much more value than an out- worker. And so our conversation ended. It may be something, at this time, a little inconsiderate in this gentleman, but I cannot help crowding myself with some doubts only to be trusted to myself, but I will be honest and prudent to booh. I can't but still condemn Lucy's too easy confidence in others; at the same time she seems to suspect her father, but before the God whom I now write, I mean nothing but a real parental care. They went home this day. I think I every day see stronger reasons for my great caution in this world. 9, Tuesday. A most blustering morning indeed. Last night Coll John Lee, of Essex, and Mr. Phil Smith, of Westmoreland, came here. This morning, cold and blowing as it was, as Colo. Tayloe was just returned from Chantilly, we went to hear the news from Richd Henry Lee, saw a paper from Philadelphia & one from Maryland chiefly filled with the Virginia accots of Dunmore's sometime past, & also the Proceedings of the Congress too formal & particular to be easily remembered. Mr. Smith remembered to have seen a Dunlop paper which had given an acco't. of the spittal field weavers exercising under arms to assist America, but forgot the date. Dr. Jones had also written from town to the Colo., but only dated it on a Saturday, and speaks of a false alarm, but does not mention what it was, and tells of two topsail vessels, valuable prozes, sent up by Capt. Barron, taken by his armed pilot-boat with only two swivels and some armed men. Much was advanced about the honesty of Posey who brought the news of Norfolk being burnt by Lt Dunmore & the men-of-war, tho' Jones does not say a syllable about it. 12. Friday. Wrote to Robin & Dr Jones by Col. R. H. Lee. 18. Thursday. On Sunday last I sent my wench Frankey to my daughter Colston, but as I was alarmed about Hornsby's gift to her husband in w'ch it was represented to me she was, if his widow, only to be maintained out of it, I could only tell her I did not give up my rights in her. On this, when the boat came back, which was not till Wednesday morning, with a pretence of getting 9 bushels of very indifferent oysters, I rec'd Page 67. a letter from my daughter very simple evidence only for the sake of some filial ill usage. At the same time Hornsby's will was sent, in w'ch it is mentioned the widow of the person dying in possession of the estate shall enjoy the house and be suitably maintained out of the estate, and the children educated out of it; as this word "suitably" well means with serv'ts also I shall give or sell my rights in the slaves I let Colston have. My grandson, in his ramblings about, met H. Muse, and heard from him that Banks, the agent, had bro't to Essex Court: the convention was to break up this week; that Dunmore, in the exchange of prisoners proposed, only offer'd a cake boy that was with Hutchings for Lieut. Battut (?), wch so affronted him and the rest of the grenadiers that, as they were so kindly treated by the Virginians, as soon as they were well of their wounds they would enter in the service of America. This Banks also bro't news of three large top-sail vessels being in the bay, imagined by some to be the northern vessels of war wch were expected to attack Dunmore & the men-of-war here, but nobody knew, and they might as well be other vessels of war come to prevent that, for this intended step was known to the northward before it got here. Colo. R. H. Lee, in his way to town from Frazer's, sent newspapers with nothing more in them than what Banks had told, that Gosport, the whole town, Tucker's Mills and all And Sprowle's houses were burnt by our people as his Excellency had burned down Norfolk. All the men-of-war kept a vast firing to prevent it, but without any effect. 2. Friday, February, 1776. Remarks on his sheep and their "yeanning" so late: I do know that for many years I used to eat house lamb by the 12 of the month." Different since he had Messenger, the old Wiltshire farmer, to whom Colonel Carter does not give a good character. "My son attempted to make saltpetre out of his tobacco-house and cellar earths, but for want of knowledge of separating the common salt and saltpetre he left off. 2. Saturday, February, 1776. Issues a warrant to stop Garland, the surveyor, & Charles Barber, his instigator, from again Page 68. surveying Mr. Carter's Totuskey land by the illegal warrant, issuing from the proprietor's office. "They take advantage of the present months, when all civil courts are shut up, to disturb people in their long quiet possessions, because by these surveys they get pattents, then a possession, and as there are no courts open to remove them the quiet possessors dispossessed." Mr. Carter, in consequence of this, ordered his overseer first to stop them, which he did, but by their proceedings he was obliged to direct vigorous means to tend to preserve his property. "This coming to my knowledge, as a magistrate sworn to preserve the peace, I took up mr surveyor & the instigator, having first twice advised them of the illegality of such warrants, and upon their refusing to give bond, committed them to the custody of the sheriff till next court. I wrote to Mr. Parker, as a lawyer and friend to Mr. Carter, & Mr. Power to come & be ready to defend the service of the warrant, if it comes to a hearing next Monday, on court- day. In the contest for the captaincy, 1st lieutenant, 2d do, & ensigncy for this new company regulars raised in Lancaster district, the candidates being equal in the committee, Mitchel and Fauntleroy went to the Committee of Safety. Ball was declared captain, Fauntleroy 1st lieut., Towles 2d lieut, & Bob Beale ensign. When Fauntleroy arrived he brot an express that Genl Montgomery was killed with 100 men at Quebec & 200 taken prisoners, and says it came from the Congress. I don't dispute the thing but that Congress may have been deceived, for they had wrote before that Quebec was taken by Arnold, and may be as much deceived now for what is as yet said. And if it is true, was not Warren slain at the battle of Bunker Hill & full as many men; and yet not a province has lost spirit. 3, Saturday, Feburary, 1776. It is really so cold this day near 12 that with a cloak wrapped round me I could not walk about 1/4 mile in my piazza. Indeed, there seems to be no warmth within the sun, and, as to my clock, except when the chaffing dish is kept under it, it hardly goes. Another last year's latter lamb dead & another dying with the cold. I wish the association had not prevented the eating them. Find it impossible to keep the latter lambs falling about July or August through the suc- Page 69. ceeding winter. I have had great experience this year, for 8 of this sort of lambs fell to my lot, and, though housed every night, fed with meal and littered with clean rice straw, three already dead and the rest in a way of death. However, there is this to be observed: Such palates are so depraved that to give leave to kill even the latter only will be a means of indulgence to kill fine lambs. Upon the whole, then, it may be better to let the poor lambs run the chance of death, however certain, than run a certain chance of having fine lambs devoted to the knife. 4, Sunday, February, 1776. A steady cold day, with a clear sky, even till 10 o'clock. 6, Tuesday, February, 1776. I have heard Colo. Andrew Lewis refused to receive a command from his country, because they have so contriv'd it that he should be under the command of those whom he had in the war actually com- manded. It is a great pity that those thus advanced should not submit to so approved and experienced an officer; but yet I do hope that as it in his country that calls him he may endeavor to wave such a slur. It will then show him superior to himself. (To be continued.)