Gentlemen of his Majestys Council Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly—

The Reason of my Meeting you so late has been occasioned, by his Majesty’s Command to me to meet the Several Southern Nations of Indians, along with the Southern Governors upon this Continent at a Congress in order to fix all the Indian Nations which were in the Neighbourhood of the French and Spaniards in Louisiana and Florida in the british Interest, as Friends and Allies upon so glorious a Peace as has secured to us so great an Empire in North America; in which Congress I have now the Pleasure to inform you that we have had the desired Success, by having made a Treaty of perpetual Peace and Alliance with the Chickesaw, Choctaw upper and lower Creek, Cherokee, and Catawba Indians, and Settled all their Claims and Boundaries, with Virginia North and South Carolinas and Georgia to their Satisfaction, which I hope will make the peace with them permanent; so that the Inhabitants of these southern Colonies may be safe from any Indian Depredations for the Future

Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly, As I have Received no Command from his Majesty to require any aid from you, I shall only recommend to you the Keeping the same Number of Men in Fort Johnston to take Care of the fort and Stores, and to Secure fort Granville, untill such Time as his Majesty shall give orders how these forts shall be Garisoned by the Regular Troops; and hope you'll think it for the public good of this Province to give Premiums upon the Exportation of Hemp and Flax to Great Britain and Ireland—

As the Fund for Contingences will soon Expire, it will be necessary for the public Service to continue a further aid for that Purpose and I Shall concur with you and the Council in drawing for the Money lying in the Agents hands in London, to pay the Debts and Claims not yet provided for, and to apply the Surpluss to Sink the Paper Bills now Standing out—

As many Counterfiet Bills are now passing, and as many paper Bills are worn out and scarce passable, I must recommend it to you to call in all the Bills so worn out in order to be burnt, and to issue out new Bills to be exchanged for such torn and defaced Bills—

Gentlemen of his Majestys Council Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly

There are several Bills necessary to be reanacted and amended, particularly the Suprior Court Law, the Vestry Law the Inspection and Militia Laws:

It is with great Concern that I must take Notice, that notwithstanding there is a provision made for the Maintanance of an orthodox Parochial Clergy; there is not at present more than Six established Clergymen in the Province to officiate in near thirty Parishes, and that there are not above three or four Churches finished in the Province fit for divine Service; which is the Reason why so many Sectaries abound, and gross immoralities prevail, for want of properly instructing and Educating the rising Generation: I therefore Recommend it to you as a wise Measure, to Enact a Law, that all such Parishes as have no Churches Erected or Clergymen Established, shall be obliged to raise the Sum annually allowed by the Law, untill Clergymen are fixed in such Parishes, in Order to Erect Churches and Glebe Houses in each Parish as an incouragement for Pious and learned Clergymen to come and Reside in this Colony. And also to raise a fund to Encourage Schools in each Parish that at least the appearance of Religion may be Kept up in this Province.

As the Law for appointing Public Treasurers is now Expired with the Tax which was then raised for which they were appointed as I have no Instructions from his Majesty how to have them appointed for the future, I can only concur in continuing or appointing Treasurers for a Short Time until his Majestys Pleasure is Known—

As I have nothing more at Heart than to promote the Practice of Morality and our Holy Religion, and to Secure the Peace and Prosperity of this Province by incouraging Industry and Commerce and preserving his Majestys Prerogative and the Rights and Liberties we enjoy by our happy Constitution in Church & State. I shall heartily concur in all salutary Laws for that Purpose in Order to promote the general Good of the Province

North Carolina.
Copy of Govr. Dobbs's Speech to the Council and Assembly of North Carolina.

In Governor Dobbs's Letter of 29 March 1764.

Read June 26th 1764.

E.79.