Letter – Joseph Richmond to William Sleigh – 24 Sep 1761

To Wm. Sleigh Esqr. at Stockton                                               Newcastle 24 September 1761

Sir          I have been abroad since the date of your Letter wch is the reason I have not answered it before this. As to the refined Lead we have not above 500 p[ieces] at market unsold wch I am willing to take £14.12s.6d a fo[the]r for, the Newcastle fo[the]r. But we have of the 2 [n]d sort enough to compleat 100 fo[the]rs wch I am willing to sell at £14.7s.6d a fo[the]r in the sale of wch every 10th pig is always slag lead, for we never sell slag lead by it self. My orders are never to sell any lead but to the merch[an]ts of this Town, so that if you chuse to buy any at his market, you must apply to some here to buy & ship it for you, & I think Messrs Peareth & Sorsbie are the properest persons you can apply to. Their comis[sio]n I believe is only one p[er] c[en]t. As to the credit given it is generally two months f[ro]m the time of shipping, & we allow a fortnight or thereabouts to ship it in after the bargain is made. P.S. If you chuse to write to Messrs Peareth & Sorsbie to buy you 100 fo[the]r of the second sort of lead as above. I will abate half a Crown a fo[the]r towards paying their Comission, but this must be done on Receipt hereof, otherwise the Lead may be sold. The Lead lays at Bladon, about five miles up the river & the buyer always pays the charges of shipping it but what that is I really do not know.