1836] 



F A R M E R S' REGISTER. 



523 



not yet taken up, lying within half a mile of any part 

 of it, to the petitioners herealier named ; and the 

 better to encoLiraire them to umlergo the heavy 

 charge ol" draining it, 'tis larther ])roposed, that 

 the gaid petitioners may liave such grant, free 

 from rights, and be also exempt irom paj'ing any 

 quit-rent, (i)r the space of 50 years, except one 

 pound of liemp yearly, on St. George's day. 



It is also propo.sed, that all the persons employ- 

 ed in draming the said Dismal shall he excused 

 from paying any levys for the space of ten years 

 after the date of the said grant. 



Nor can it fairly be objected, that such exemp- 

 tion fi-om rights and quit-rents will be an}' loss to 

 the crown, because nobody will ever take up any 

 land in the Dismal, but with intent to drain it — 

 and the expence of that will be too great to under- 

 take it without this encouragement at least. 

 Wherefore, since the king can ijet iiothing for it 

 as it now is, it woud be more to his majesty's in- 

 terest to grant it on the prospect of afi.iture advan- 

 tage, than to let it \ye wast, and continue a nu- 

 sance to perpetuity. Nor woud the country be a 

 looser by indulginir the undertakers of this great 

 work with a freedom fiom levys, because of the 

 advantages that woud happen to it from their in- 

 dustry — and because most of the hands employed 

 therein, will be imported on purpose to carry on 

 this laudable design, and consequently woud ne- 

 ver pay any lev3-s without it. 



And to remove all suspicion of fraud, it is Ijke- 

 wise proposed that a condition he inserted in the 

 royal grant, that .in case the petitioners shall not 

 drain the said Dismal in the space of ten years, 

 they shall then be obliged to pay ail arrears of 

 quit- rent fi-om the date of the said grant, together 

 ■with the full value of the rights which ought 

 otherwise to have been payed down in the begin- 

 ning, proportiunably to tlie quantity of land so 

 granted. The petitioners humbly relying on his 

 majesty's goodness, to indulge them a longer time 

 in case unforeseen difliculty shoud require it.* 



Proposals for Draining the Dismal. 



If this great undertakeing he managed prudent- 

 ly, it may be completed in the forementioned time 

 often years, for the summ ol four thouT^and pound 

 sterling, and perhaps for a great deal less. 



It is therefore j)roposed, that this summ be di- 

 vided into 20 shares, and they to be subscrii)d by 

 as few persons as possible. That the Earl of Ork- 

 ney, Sir Charles Wager, Sir Jacob Acworth, and 

 Col. Bladen be invited to encourage this subscrip- 

 tion, being well wishers to these colonys, as well 

 as to the propagateing of hemp in his majesty's 

 plantations, and the rather because their credit 

 may be necessary in obtaining the royal grant. 

 So soon as such grant shall be obtaind, the first 

 step ought to be to procure a man that perfectly 

 understands draining of land, at a moderate sala- 

 ry, and while that is transacting in lilngland, the 

 whole tract should be exactly surveyd here, and 

 the levil of it tryd. After that, a proper piece of 

 land shoud be chosen on the skirls of ihe Dismal, 

 whereon to make the first settlement. Sufficient 

 land may be found out there that may be laid dry 

 by a trench only, and with that improvement 



*This paragrapfi, in the manuscript, is marked 

 across, by a single stroke of the pen. — Ed. 



done, produce hemp and rice, as well as Indian 

 corn. 



The next advance must be to build convenient 

 houses to receive the people necessary to l)e em- 

 ployd in the begitming, and to provide the proper 

 lools, l)edding, cloafhs, and provisions lor them. 

 When these are <'dl ready, let 10 seasoned negros 

 be purchased, of both sexes, that their breed may 

 supply the loss. Let these be employd in clearing 

 and in trenching ihe ground, in makeing of corn 

 and other requisite improvements. 



In the mean time, a moderate stock of cattle 

 should be provided, which will winter on the edges 

 of the Dismal with very little dry feeding. 



It may be proper to teach two or more of your 

 negro men to saw, make shinirles, burn tar, draw 

 clap-boards, and set up tight casks, that so all the 

 timber cut down to clear the ground, may be turnd 

 to the best advantage. And the mony to be 

 raisd from all these, improvements will help to 

 defray theexpences of the first settlement, and in 

 some measure enable the work fo carry on itself; 

 that so the mony remaining in bank may be re- 

 servd for the purchase of negros, as fast as room 

 can be made inr them, and your work shall need 

 a greater number of hand.^- to carry it on with vi- 

 gour. 



When you have thus got a firm footing, a near 

 compulation may be made what increase of 

 strength will be wanting the second year — re- 

 membering fo purchase no more negros than you 

 have made provision for, and there is no doubt in 

 the world, but by the time the whole mony is ex- 

 pended, the Dismal will he made as good land as 

 as any in the country, with at least 300 negros 

 working upon it, and stoekt with an incredible 

 number of cattle. From all which we may safe- 

 ly conclude, that each share will then be worth 

 more than ten times the value of the original sub- 

 scription, besides ihe unspeakable benefit it will 

 prove to the publick. 



j^n Estimate of the First Expence. 



To the building a quarter, barn, and 



house lor an overseer, £ 60 09 



To the purchase of 10 seasond ne- 

 gros, half men, half women, 300 00 



To cloaths, beddin^j fools, and pro- 

 visions for the first year, 40 00 



To 20 cows and calves, 9 steers, one 



bull, and a horse, 60 00 



To the wages of an overseer, and his 



provisions, 25 00 



To accidents and charges unforeseen, 25 00 



To soliciting the grant in England, 50 00 



To surveying the Dismal, and the ex- 

 pence of ihe patent here, 



To 20 negros the 2d year, 

 To 25 negros the 3d year, 

 To 25 negros the 4tfi year, 

 To 25 negros the 5th year, 

 To 25 negros the 6th year. 

 To 25 negros the 7th year. 

 To 25 negros the 8th year, 



50 00 



£600 00 

 400 00 

 500 00 

 500 00 

 500 00 

 500 00 

 500 00 

 500 00 



£4000 00 



The foregoing account shows only how many 



