Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Blackett – 14 Nov 1783

Sir Thos Blackett Barot                                                  Newcastle          Novr 14th 1783

    Bretton   Yorkshire



Dr Sir

	On the 11th inst Mr George Anderson paid me the further Sum of £1050 being the second payment for the Premises Purchas’d of you in this Town & inclosed you will Receive a Bill drawn by Bell Cookson & Co on Castell & Co dated 11th inst at 30 days date for £1000 the Receipt of which you will please to Acknowledge.  I have for some days past been in Treaty with Mr Hall for the Sale of 12,000 ps of Lead for wch he Offers me the same price as the last (Viz) £17 for Common & £17.5.0 for Refin’d, but at the same time he insists on the following Conditions Viz that the first Parcel of Lead that I have for Sale for the London Markett (wch will not be before April or May next) he shall have the Refusal of, & at the same time expects that I shall keep up the Price of  Lead:  The only inducement that Messrs Lancaster & Co can have for making so large a Purchase at this Season of the Year, is the getting almost the whole Quantity of Lead into their own hands, & by that measure keeping up the Price of that Article.  I ask’d Mr C Blackett if he had any Authority  from Messrs Freeman & Mr Preston to make another Purchase of Lead, he told me he had not, but wou’d write to them about it.  Now it is certainly for your Interest that the Price of Lead should be kept up, & likewise that this you shou’d make this Sale as it would enable you to make the Lead Pays, & leave a Sufficient Quantity of Lead for the Foreign Commissions to this Port, as well as for the Carrying on of your Refinery at Blaydon.  But shou’d you agree to Mr Halls Proposals, Messrs Freeman & Mr Preston wou’d thereby in a great measure be excluded from the Markett for your Lead for some time, & Mr Hall will not purchase any, unless he has the whole Quantity.  I must therefore Request your directions in this matter for my Government.  I am etc                                                        J E Blackett



You’l observe from what I have said above that Messrs Lancaster & Co give fuller Powers to Mr Hall, then the other Gentlemen give Mr C Blackett by wch the former has certainly the Advantage & really is entitled to it.





                                   £1000.-.-             Newcastle Bank     11th Novemr 1783

                                   Thirty Days after Date Pay to the order of John Erasmus

                                   Blackett Esqr  One Thousand Pounds   value received

                                                                         For Bell Cookson Carr Widdrington Co

To Messrs Castell Powell Sumner & Co                                                Thos Gibson

                  London                               Pay the Contents to the order of

No 3160                                                  Sir Thomas Blackett Barot

                                                                             John E Blackett