Letter – James Standsfield to William Blackett – 25 Aug 1677

      Edenb August 25 1677

Mr Wm Blackett

Some weeks agoe I writte to you & desired that about the 9 or 10th instant you & I might mette att Wanlock in order to setling affaires their, to wch I recd noe answer, and haveing frequent lres one enclosed to you I sent the day I tooke journey pr John Schand wch would give you an accompt of the worke. Soe I have nothing to adde. <Cant> my being upon the place & for my three fourth parts have cleared wth the workepeople on the 18th instant  And I designe to bee there againe about the 20th instant <2 & c/n proceed> and if your <occations> can allow you it is verry fitte & high tyme wee settle upon a method for an orderly management of that affaire for the future wch is now in a much more prosperous condition than I suppose you imagined it would prove, when you removed all your goods of <your> grasse Roome wch soe allarmed the Countrey that they [struck out: ‘gave all for lost that you’] would give noe creditt to the workepeople; & soe discouraged the poor workemen that many of them ran away and had I not sent a supply in July wth full assurancein August to come & cleare with them, soe farre as I was concerned, their had not one man stayd and this Myne had remained undiscoverd, and wee lost all the money disburst, and I finde notwithstanding all accompts given in to mee that you have not paid one farthing to John Courtice since the 9th of Sep past, but all money paid he hath recd from my <self>  But that matter you will adjust att your returne. When I was in the Countrey Hopton had beene and att his worke, and I finde is alarm'd att the successe wee are like to have and now is pressing howe to conclude a bargaine wth Earle of Carnwath for his Wood who demands 24000 Ms & will not sell for less as is <talked>. My Lord Queensberry hath promissed to concerne himselfe for us & if Hopton make that bargaine , that wee may have the halfe