Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

By the Virginia [fleet] which put to Sea about 6
weeks ago I sent you a whole packet of letters, which
if they are come to hand will give you a parti-
cular account of what I am doing here. Since that
time my patience has bin sufficiently exercised, for our
College business (as indeed all business whatsoever) has bin
at a stand, the King being so wholly taken up with
the thoughts of the war and the transportation of the
household and the Army that for a long time he
allowed not the Lords of the Treasury to lay any
other business before him till all affairs of that kind
were dispatched. There was another reason too why my
business was delayed, and that was y^t my Lord Archbi-
shop of Canterbury, who is the person I depend upon
for managing of it with the King & Queen, was for
five weeks frozen up at Lambeth, so y^t he could
neither get to Court nor Parliament but by coming
round by the bridge, which he found to be so long and
so bad a way y^t he choosed for the most part to stay at
home. But to make up this loss of time, there happened
two Accidents in it, by which I believe I shall get 500
pound to our College, of which I should not have had
one farthing if I had bin out of the way. M^r Boyle
died in^about the beginning of the last month, and left a
considerable Legacy for pious uses, which when I under-
stood I made my interest with his Exers by means of the
Bishop of Salisbury, and I am promised 200 pound of
it for our College. The other is, y^t David and his
partners having bin long kept in suspense about that money
which Captain Rod feifed in Virginia, and their friends being quite tyred interceding [for us ] and no money was
like to come, at last I undertook [blot] their money, pro-
vided they would give a consider[able] [blot] of it to our Vir-
ginia College. They engaged to give [blot] pound, and I present-
ly employed the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of Lon-
don, who have so managed it with [the] Council. y^t the Council
is very glad of the Expedient, and I am assured it will
take effect. This day their position was read before a Comitty
for plantations, and I subscribed it signifying y^t the Petitioners
had devoted 300 pound of the money towards the
carrying on the design of a College in Virginia if they might
have an order for the rest; and the thing would have past
but that the Lords thought they offered too little money, so I
am desired to try if I can bring that up to 500 pound. So y^t
tho my main business is not yet finished, yet I make use of
my time for something else than mere waiting. But I confess
the trouble of managing the affair is so vastly great beyond
expectation, that I doubt, could I have foreseen it, I
should never have had the courage to have undertaken it.

The Chief news here, since the Virginia fleet sailed, is
the disgrace of my Lord Marlborough. The reasons of it
are not divulged, but it is said he is suspected by the King to
have made his peace with France. His place of Lieut General
of the English & Scotsch forces is bestowed upon Coll. Talmash:
his troop of guards upon my Lord Colchester; his Regiment
of Fusileers upon L^d George Hamiltoun one of Duke Hamiltouns
Sons, and his place of the bedchamber for ought I
know is still void. My Lady Marlborough was likewise forbid
the Court, and the Princess Anne was desired by the Queen
to dismiss her from her Service, which the Princess took
so ill that she has left the Cockpit upon it, and gone out
to live at Sion house. But the news which concerns
your honour most nearly to be informed in is that my Lord
Effingham has suddenly laid down the government of Virginia,
which was immediately conferred upon Sir Edmund Andros, who is to sail [for home] w^t an expedition along
w^t Coll. Fletcher Governour of New York. Mr. Blathwayt
is a going for Flanders [as] the King Secretary of War. On
Wednesday last the parliament was adjourned till the 12^th
of April, and it is expected that it will be adjourned from
time to time till the King returns. I received yours of
Nov. 19. and shall be careful of the contents. My Lord Bishop
of St. Asaph has not yet bin in town, but is now
shortly expected being to preach at the chappel on Easter
day. I give my Service to all my mastors of the Council
and House of Burgesses, and hope to give you shortly
a good account of my proceedings in the affair wherewith
I am entrusted. This with my prayers for your honours
health & prosperity being all at present from

To The Hon^ble
Francis Nicholson Esqr
Lieut Govornour of their
Maties plantation of
Virginia