I wou'd have answered your Excellency's Letter sooner but delayed until I had an Answer from Mr. Toomer about the post Office, and herewith send you his Petition and Affidavit. I think Mr. Timothy has not dealt fairly by him, Toomer has been at the whole Expence, and Timothy wants to have the whole profit of the Letters  without any Expence, as Toomer can have little or no Money from Charlestown Letters, as almost all go through the Province; and Timothy wou'd have the whole Payment of Letters from the North to Charlestown—all I can find by his Letter to you which you sent is that he desires no Post may pass this Year from the North to Charlestown, and so confine all our Letters to Expresses because he is not furnished with Instructions, and if he had them, he must still confine himself to the Act of Parliament We pay our post £160 this Currency to carry our Letters to and from Suffolk in Virginia to Wilmington, and Toomer desires only £50 Sterling from thence to Charlestown. I think this reasonable, and if it be not granted all Correspondence by post must drop. I hope therefore you will recommend it.

I long to hear what Return you have had from the Cherokees. I have sent up Major Waddell with a Detachment to join with and Command the Militia if necessary to defend the Planters if any Indians come into our Settlements.