Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

On y^e 25.^th of April last I was favour'd w^th Yours of the Novem^r before,
together w^th y^e two Books of your own publishing, whereby I understand you
chiefly pass your time in studys that may be of benefit to your Country;
& I perceive too that you do not forget to be usefull in your Generation
& to keep up y^e Family by an honourable Marriage, w^ch I heartily con-
gratulate you upon, together with y^e Birth of your son & Heir.
As for my part, I am still a Batchelour, & never to this day offer'd
at being otherwise: w^ch has proceeded , not from any Aversion I had
to Matrimony or Inclination to a loose Life, nor from any Distrust
I had either of my own Humour or Ability to content a Wife; but
partly from a Consideration of y^e inconveniencys y^t attend a Married
Soldier, & partly from a caution of encreasing y^e Family with such
as might be more likely to Discredit than Honour it by y^e Meaness
of their Condition: Yet now y^e Case is altered as to y^e first point,
by my quitting y^e Military life; & as to y^e other, a little time will
I hope discover whether I may venture. And for a while I must forbear
giving you any positive answer to what you propose concerning
the purchase of the Barony of Dersey, tho' with abundance of
Thanks I now acknowledge your Favour & Kindness to me therein,
as likewise for y^e manner of Entailing your estate, which I do
assure you is but conformable to my last Will & Testament in
relation to your Self & your Heirs.

As to y^e young Man you mention to have been bred a Surgeon Apothecary,
I can really give him no great Encouragement to quit any tolerable business
in Scotland to come & settle in Virginia; for y^e ill treatment that this Country
has heretofore met with from Pretenders in Physick, has accustom'd the
Chief Inhabitants to send to Gr. Britain for their Druggs, & in all slight
Cases to practice Physick themselves both in their own Familys & among
their Neighbours.

I brought along with me an ingenious experienced Graduate Physician
(the only one now in the Country) who upon the account of his extraordi-
nary Success, w^th y^e reputation of being the Governour's Doctor, has got
into all y^e chief Business, w^ch was before divided among a great many
little Practitioners; yet he scarce makes 200 Pounds p annum, tho' he
takes y^e pains to ride at least 80 Miles p Week for it.

I am sorry y^e other young Man, y^e Cabinet-Maker, whom you recommended
to me 'ere I left London, did not come over; for such like Trades-men
need never want for Work here & with it good Wages.

To
M^r John Spotiswood of
that Ilk Advocate to be left w^th M^r
Valenge Bookseller at
Edinburgh

Coll Spotswood Governour
of Virginia. Aug. 1-
RX Sep.^tr 22. 1712
Answer'd. Oc.^tr 4.
& [illegible] answer sent [dely] to M^r
And. Thomson. a churchman[illegible]
to Virginia.