Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Blackett – 14 Jan 1791

Sir Thos Blackett  Bart                                                                   Newcastle 14th Jany 1791

    Bretton  Yorkshire



D[ea]r Sir	On Monday last your Agents Mr Bell, Emerson, Forster & Dickinson were with me & we had a great deal of conversation respecting the Partn[er]s[hi]p Lead Mines, the next morning I was with Mr Cooper, Warner & Masterman the Gentn of the Lead Co who came down before on the same business, they were greatly surprised to find that you had come to a resolution of purchasing the Moiety of these Mines,  If the sale had not been put off the last Month they certainly would have purchased them & they told me that they were empowered by the Governor & Co to make the purchase & that they had come down for that purpose, on talking over the Matter they made me the following Proposal (Viz) To give you £500 if you would not interfere with them in the purchase or to accept of the like Sum from you for their declining it or that they would not bid against you for the 5th Lot (which they understood was the chief Lot you wanted) in case your not interfering with them in the other Lots.  None of which Proposals I thought advisable to accept of;  At length we agreed that on consideration of my not bidding against them for the 4th Lot (w[hi]ch on talking with your Agents I found they had no opinion of) they would not bid against you for any of the rest.  I accordingly purchased the 5 Lots for £2045 & the Lead Co the 4th Lot for £315 agreeable to the Account that I enclose you  A Stranger of the name of Philip Worship was the only person that bid against you & the Lead Co it was said that he acted for a person in the South that had made a purchase of an adjoining Estate _ I hope that you will approve of what we have done which all your Agents as well as myself are of opinion is an advantageous purchase for you & should not have fallen into any other hands on any account _ The Moiety of the Lot purchased by the Lead Co may be worked in Partn[er]ship or you may let them a  tack of your Moiety, they being at the expence of the working & paying you for your share every tenth Bing of Ore, they likewise being subject to pay a proportion of the Compositions paid to the B[isho]p of Durham & the Rector of Stanhope as well as that of the Fines on the Renewals hereafter; this is what I would recommend w[hi]ch would be a means of easing your Agents of trouble & helping your Accounts more clear & distinct; besides I believe that it would be more agreeable to the Lead Co & I must do these Gentn the justice to say that they have Acted very handsomely in this business, they dine with me on Friday & propose waiting on you on their return I believe on Monday or tuesday next; Mr Cooper is a Wine Merchant, Mr Warner was in the Coal Trade & Mr Masterman a Distiller; they are men of Character & considerable Property & I recommend them to your Notice              I am etc  J.E.B