Five letters, [ca. 1712]-1713, penned by Hughes [in Wales, U.K.?], written to the Duchess of Powys, the Duchess of Ormonde, and to his brother-in-law, Mr. Jones, all of whom resided in Great Britain; and to Capt. [Thomas] Nairne and Dr. Charles Noble [both in the colony of South Carolina], re efforts to establish a colony of Welsh settlers in North America near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Three letters dated 15 Oct. 1713, written from Pryce Hughes in Charleston, S.C., sent simultaneously to curry favor with existing and potential supporters in England, namely: the Duchess of Powys [possibly the wife of William Herbert, Marquess of Powis (1665-1745)], the Duchess of Ormonde [Elizabeth Butler, Duchess of Ormonde], and his brother-in-law, Mr. Jones; the letter to the Duchess of Powys serves as an introduction to the letter to the Duchess of Ormonde, who was to see that Hughes' letter and map were delivered to Queen Anne, along with a cover letter that suggested changing the name of the colony from Carolina to Annaria. Pryce's letter, 15 Oct. 1713, to the Duchess of Ormonde details plans to recruit and send Welsh settlers to the Gulf of Mexico region in an effort to bolster British claims to the region and take the Indian trade on the Mississippi River from the French and sever communication and trade between Canada and Louisiana, reporting "The French King has given the utmost encouragement to his colony at Movile" [i.e. Mobile, Alabama], anticipating that the French would send settlers from Mobile, "But probably they'll be little the better for it when we have a precedent title both by claim and possession ... the Welch ... have distinguisht themselves by their courage and industry wherever they've gone."; this letter describes life among the Cherokee Indians, including aspects of their character and religion, "The many accounts we've had of the American Indians are for the most part fabulous and imperfect ..." Further boasting of the advantages of the lower Mississippi region, Hughes claimed that, "There's no land in America now left y'ts worth anything but what's on the Mesisipi." To his brother-in-law, Mr. Jones, Pryce specifies supplies needed, with a request for certain seeds and plants that "do not grow here" and certain books to assist to cultivation of medicinal herbs and other plants, "We desire to make a physick garden."
