(Continued) (from Baron DeGRAFFENRIED's Autobiography) We concluded that these people should put their money together, taking account of the same proportionally and that one of the above mentioned merchants should procure the remainder necesary for the transportation and maintenance for the miners, and that the Governor of Virginia should rceive, and care for them on their arrival at Williamsburg, and pay the captain of the vessel, who in turn should return to the merchants of London the money advanced by them. On this subject I wrote a long letter to Gov. Spottswood, to whom I represented as best I could both affairs, saying that if the miners did not turn out as desired, these good people should be sent as a colony to the land which we conjointly own in VA, situated not far from the place where we found raw materials (by which we presumed we had silver mines there) where they would be able to locate through the good offices and care of the Governor, but in case there was not sufficient indications to show silver mines, to look elsewhere. And since there are no iron or copper forges in VA, although there are quantities of these minerals, one will be able to trade in these, for which no royal patents are needed, as in the case of those of silver. In the hope that this will succeed, I recommended these people to the Almighty, wishing them also a happy voyage, Thus they departed in the beginning of the year 1714." (End of Baron's autobio) It seems there is a manuscript almost identical with the above in the public library of Yverdon, Switzerland. It has been translated, and is to be found in the Colonial Records of N.C. (Vol. I, page 973) There are several differences in the 2 manuscripts. Just before the last sentence, the NC ms. has "Note by the author. They are actually settled on the Governor's land where they have started a small colony." After the last sentence this appears: "A whole year has elapsed, without my receiving any news from the Governor or from them and I feel very anxious." In the first sentence of the NC translation after the word "miner" the name "T. Tusties Albrecht" appears, and it reads 70 not "40 other miners." The writer has the original French of the first sentence of this Yverdon ms. It was carelessly copied for the NC Records. The name is J. Justus Albrecht, and is 40 not 70. This is important, as will later be seen. It is not easy to account for the name of the head miner being given in the Yverdon ms and not in the one at Berne. And what became of him? A man with the name J. JUSTUS ALBRECHT could not hide himself under a bushel, especially as he is referred to as the head man in the colony. Had he reached America we surely would have heard of him. After diligent search the writer could not hear of such a family in VA. It will later be seen he was not among those to whom land was assigned at Germantown, nor was he one of those who made affidavits to obtain land warrants. It is practically certain that he did not come to America. Perhaps he became discouraged over the hard times the colonists had in London and the prospect before him; perhaps he found good employment in London and remained there; or had good prospects in Germany and returned to Siegne; or possibly he may have died on the long and perilous journey to the New World, as thousands of emigrants did in those days. Diligent but unsuccessful effort has been made to find just where the colony spent the winter in England, for if this could be determined it is likely that records could there be discovered of the 8 marriages which the writer thinks took place in England, among the members of this colony. This would give the family names of the wives of these men, and would perhaps solve the mystery of the number of persons of which this colony was composed. A possible clew (Sic) has quite recently come to light. When JOHN RECTOR, the eldest son of one of the emigrants, moved to Upper Fauquier County, he laid out a town which was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, under the name of "Maidstone." This would be a very unusual name to be given a town in VA by a German, for Maidstone is the County Town of Kent, England. There was until lately in existence among the descendants of JOHN RECTOR a letter which stated that JOHN RECTOR so named this town because he was born at Maidstone in England. It is quite possibly that "Our Colony" was building the dyke which failed, down in the low country about Canterbury, Rochester or Maidstone, and that these marriages took place in the vicinity. But somewhere in England, and in some way, the Colony did exist during that winter, and some time in the early spring, it started to America. We gave proof of the starting of the Colony from the Journal of the English Board of Trade. On March 12, 1714, the Journal contains a reference to a colony of miners that must be the above colony. It says that COL. BLAKISTON (the agent of VA in London) attended to give some information in answer to a memorial of the EARL OF ORKNEY relating to some miners who had gone to VA. "He represented that several miners had already been sent from home at a great charge and that the undertakers must be at considerable expense before they could hope for any return or advantage from this project." This certainly fits "Our Colony" and it will be noticed that they were on their way by March 12, 1714. Not let us turn to VA and watch its arrival. On March 15, 1713 (1714), Spottswood writes (Spottswood's letters, Vol. II, page 66), "To COL. BLAKISTON: S'R: About the beginning of January I received y'rs of 3rd July, 20th September and 10th October, w'ch gave me an account of y'r proceedings in relation to the mines, as well as y'r sentiments of w'ch the Baron had propos'd, about transporting his miners, and by y'r letter of ye 9th December which I received the other day, I perceive you have altered y'r opinion by sending over these people partly at my charge." He writes again: TO THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF TRADE, JULY 21ST 1714 (Spottswood's letters, Vol. II, p. 70) "My Lords, ... I continue, all resolved to settle out our tributary Indians, as a guard to ye frontiers, and in order to supply that part which was to have been covered by the Tuscaruros, I have placed here a number of Protestant Germans, built them a fort and furnished it with 2 pieces of cannon, and some ammunition which will awe the stragling parties of northern Indians, and be a good barrier for all that part of the country. These Germans were invited over some years ago by the Baron deGraffenried who has Majesty's letters to ye Governor of VA to furnish them with land upon their arrival. They are generally such as have been employed in their own country as miners . . . " So that according to de Graffenried's account the colony left London in the early part of the year 1714; it had not reached VA on March 15, when the first of the above letters was written, but by July 21 it had arrived, and been placed in a fort on the frontier. It would hardly seem the proper thing to place a band of helpless German emigrants at a dangerous place on the frontier, but by doing so a fort and habitations were built for them at public expense, and their location was near where his iron works were later to be erected. The mining scheme crops out in full force in the next letter, and it further appears that these people brought over for his benefit were relieved from the payment of taxes. To Col. Blakiston, December ye 1st 1714 (Spottswood's Letters, Vol. II, p. 78) thanks for "his endeavors in relation to the affairs of the mines." Hopes B. will renew his endeavors to his present Majesty (Geo. I) "to obtain as moderate terms as ye adventurers in his own territories of Germany had," says it may be some consideration to the King that the mines are to be worked by persons of the same nation and religion, "that they will be a vast charge without any prospect of benefit till they can be set to work. I have obtained for them from the Assembly an exemption from all taxes for seven years, which may be an encouragement to others of the same country to come over, but I hope their passage will be at their own charge." One more letter refers to our colony (Spottswood's Letters, Vol. II, p. 95): My Lords . . . (Sends copies of the Assembly Journals) "The act for exempting certain German Protestants from ye payment of levys, and is made in favor of several families of that nation, who upon the encouragement of the Baron deGraffenried came over hither in hopes to find out mines, but the Baron's misfortune obliged him to leave the country before their arrival. They have been settled in ye frontiers of Rappa, and subsisted since chiefly at my charge and the contributions of some gentlemen that have a prospect of being reimbursed by their labor, whenever his Majesty shall be pleased, by ascertaining his share, to give encouragment for working these mines and I hope the kind reception they have found here will invite more of the same nation to transport themselves to this colony." It is clear from these letters that so far but one Germany colony had come to VA, although others came soon after. It is also clear from deGraffenried's ms., and from the letters, that this colony came direct from London to VA. Dr. PHILLIP SLAUGHTER in his valuable History of St. Mark's Parish, in which parish Germanna was later located, conjectures that the Germanna Colony was a remnant of the Newbern, NC colony, escaped from the Indian massacre; and following him, this has since been positively asserted. This is clearly a mistake, for deGraffenried had engaged this colony, he had written for them from America, he met them in London in the fall of 1713. Spottswood was written to about them from London in the fall of that year and was expecting them, and expected to pay their passage and had done so, as he says, and the colony reached VA direct from London sometime between March 15 and July 21, 1714. As the Newberne massacre took place in September 1711, it was impossible for "Our Colony" to have been there at the time of the massacre. These letters also disprove Dr. Slaughter's story that this Germanna colony became involved in a dispute with the captain of the ship on their arrival in VA about their passage money, and the Governor HAPPENING along, agreed to pay their passage, if they would work for him. This may have happened with some of the later-coming German colonies, but the Governor was expecting the Germanna colony, and to pay its passage, and he did pay it. So the colony reached VA, and Spottswood at once took charge of it. In some way it must go to his iron properties. It was determined at once that in that quarter a defence was needed against the Indians. The reason for bringing over these Germans was carefully concealed, the blame of it is thrown on deGraffenried, and not a word is said about iron. The Governor appealed at once to his council, and on April 28, 1714, the following order of the VA Executive Council was made (See "The Early Westward Movement of VA" in the VA Historical Mag., Vol. XIII, No. 4, p. 362, by Charles E. Kemper): "The Governor acquainting the Council that Sundry Germans to the number of 42 men women & children who were invited hither by the Baron de Graffenried are new arrived, but that the said Baron not being here to take care of this settlement, The Governor therefore proposed to settle them aabove the falls of the Rappahannock River to serve as a Barrier to the Inhabitants of that part of the country against the Incursions of the Indians and desiring the opinion of the council whether in consideration of their usefulness for that purpose, the charge of building them a fort, clearing a road to their settlement and carrying thither 2 pieces of cannon and some ammunition may not properly be defrayed by the publick. "It is the unanimous opinion of the Board that the Sd Settlement, tending so much to the Security of that part of the Frontiers It is reasonable that the expense proposed by the Governor in making thereof, should be defrayed at the publick charge of the Government, and that a quantity of powder and ball be delivered for their use out of her Majesties Magazine. And because the s'd Germans arriving so late cannot possibly this year cultivate any ground for their Subsistance, much less be able to pay the public levys of the Government, It is the opinion of this Board that they be put under the domination of Rangers to exempt them from that charge, and for the better enabling the Sd Germans to supply by hunting the want of other provisions, It is also ordered that all other persons be restrained from hunting on any unpatented lands near the settlement." This order shows that the colony had reached VA before April 28, 1714. (To be continued)