Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Edward Blackett – 26 Jul 1803

Morpeth 26th July 1803

Dear Brother	

      Your letter of the 4th inst pased mine of the 3d on the road (wch has frequently been the case with our letters; I should sooner have replied to it had not this distressing business of the Stop of the Bank of Surtees & Burdon with the consequencies attending it engaged my whole time for some days. I am not personally affected by it materially but the Beaumonts are to a considerable degree, having a the present time a sum locked up as I may say by this event amounting to upwards of £80,000 – and in the end must be considerable sufferers; not withstand which I have placed in the Bank of Sir Wm Loraine Baker, Pearson & Co upwards of £10,000 .. for the carrying of their Lead Concerns, & provided for the future; It is a great satisfaction to  me that I had not only warned the Beaumonts against having so very large a sum in the Bank of Surtees & Burdon, but I disapproved of the very extensive speculations of the Surtees's who are connected in trade with Easterby & the Halls, and the means which they used by buying up a very large quantity of Lead to raise the price to a degree which I was confident the trade could  not long support, the event has shown it to have been the case, & the B[eaumont]s when too late are now sensible of it, Mr Burdon brought down with him from Town an able Accountant who has been busseyly employed arranging their affairs, which at present is laid before a set of Gent[leme]n who have undertaken to go through the same & to communicate the result to the Publick.

      Mr Burdon is realy to be pittied, (although he has often been warned of the fatal event) for he had no Concern in the extensive Speculations in Lead & Mines, Iron Works & yet by his Connection with the Surtees's in the Bank he ultimately subjected himself & his estate to the deficiencing, as well as to the several extents which have been granted for the Government money; he told me that his Father had originally brought a sum of money to that Bank which with the Profits for 35 years & that of the Berwick Bank he expected to be about £60,000 would be all sunk, exclusive of a part of his own property this certainly is a hard loss.

      This very unpleasant business has so far engaged my attention & distressed my mind, that I found it necessary for a little ease & quit [sic], to come to my daughter (who wanted my advice) for a few days & shall return the 29th. Mr & Mrs Blackett came to me in Charlotte Square on friday to Dinner, I was very much pleased with my Neice, she answers the character & description that you gave of her, she & Mr Blackett favours us with their Company the Assise week, my Daughter meets her & makes her a visit at Matfen the week after & hopes for the pleasure of their Company at Morpeth when convenient to them. The detention of Coll  Scott & his Family in Franc[e] is certainly a very unfortunate circumstance particularly at this time, but it is very happy that they have so far met with so Civil treatment, I fear that he will not be permitted to come over on his Parole. We are concerned to find that Lady Blackett's complaint in her leg confines her, & prevents her using exercise at present, & us the Pleasure of seeing you both down in the North this summer; from Mr P Stanley's letter to Mr Blackett I was apprehensive that Mr Pope had not treated this case properly, & before I left home I took the liberty of consulting Mr Ingham in whom I have a very high opinion from a similar case of Sir J Trevelyans in exactly the like quartr who had been badly treated in Town & he perfectly <...>   Mr Ingham told me that the warm Poultices & <fo….> were certainly very proper to reduce the inflam[ation] & to remove the Core & to give her ease, but that it <...> require a little time & to heal the part, that it is necessary it was to be kept perfectly quiet & at rest, I ask your pardon for taking this step, which I hope that you & Lady Blackett will excuse, Mr Ingham desires his best respects.

      I delivered to Mr Blacketts charge the Norman Ring of the Empress Sabina with my account of it.

      The Publick Affairs have certainly a most alarming aspect at the present time when all of the Kingdom are called to Arms; you & I have had our share in 1745 and for three years after from 1759 so that younger men must stand forth & take their share at this alarming crises.

      My Daughter & her Girls write with me in Love & best wishes to Lady Blackett & yourself.

		I am My Dear Sir Yours very Affectionately

			John E Blackett



Our last letter from Admiral Collingwood was dated the 10th inst. he was then laying off the Black Rock at the entrance of Brest Harbour with three Ships of the line & two Frigates, narrowly watching the Motions of the French. He says ‘as it requires alertness to keep our eyes open at all times I have bid adieu to snug beds & comfortable knaps at night only lying down with my cloths on’; he is in good health but rather fatigued.



[addressed to:] Sir Edward Blackett Bart/ Thorpe Lee/ Egham/ Surrey

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