Letter – Nicholas Walton to Peter Mulcaster – 22 Mar 1782

Messrs. Mulcaster						Farnacres 22d. March 1782



      We have reced your Letters of the 17th. & 19th. inst and are much obliged by Mr. Peter Mulcasters readiness to assist Mr. Thornton, but we doubt the Weather is so cold that they will both be hurt if they have made the View in this cold Weather.

	The several Errors shall be rectified agreable to yours of the 17th.

	The Lead Mill Pay we desire may be at such time as to be convenient to you, and therefore we desire, if everything cannot be ready against the 27th of April in the Evening, that it may be let alone ‘til after we return home after the Hexham Recets.			We very much approve of what you have done and are doing respecting the losing of the Lead, and hope, after all, you may discover the Vilain.  We realy cannot help joining you in opinion that Francis Carr is the Man, but we have seen before how dangerous a thing it is to suspect, and, from the Circumstances you mention, we are inclined to hope that he is innocent.

	We reced with your Letter of the 17th. the several Papers therein mentioned.

	What you are doing about the carriage of the Lead is perfectly right.

	We assure you that the Hazards which the Peats and great Peathouse have been in makes us very inclinable to find fault.   It certainly was a most idle thing that any person shd. be permitted to carry a red hot piece of Iron to the Peat house, but you cannot always be looking on, and we think ourselves exceedingly happy that this Accident has ended so fortunately.

	The Coal and Level Pay must be made at the same time as the Mill Pay is, and we desire it may be ended at the End of any Week so as to have every thing ready in time to suit the Lead Mill Pay.

	We approve of your employing Wm. Brown & James Robinson.

	Mr. Walton having been at Throckley the other Day observed a great Quantity of Lead lying at the End of the Lane leading from the Turnpike Road to Newburn.  We desire you will acquaint the Carriers that unless they remove it and deliver it either at Newcastle or Newburn immediately, we will take care to give Directions to have it taken away, and certainly will not pay one farthing carriage for it from the Mill to the place where it now lyes.

	The Carrier who delivered his Lead at Newburn contrary to Direction must not have any more Lead unless he can give a sufficient reason shewing that he could not deliver it at Newcastle without being put to very great Inconvenience.

	The Founders have been so very ingenious as to get wrong in the only place they could get wrong, for instead of making the Breadth from the Back Ledge to the Front 24 Inches, they have made it 22 ¼ Inches, and between the two side Ledges they have cast it 24 Inches.   If those Dimensions can be made to do without inconvenience to the Work, we desire it may be taken, tho’ not cast according to Direction, but if the least inconvenience shd. arise by our taking it, we desire it may be rejected, because we certainly ought not to put our Work to an Inconvenience on acct. of the [struck through: ‘Stupidity’] of the Founders.   Whichever way you determine, you are desired to send a Letter to Mr. Menham at the Foundery at Skinner Burn, and he will either send you that which is now cast, or cast you another.   

      We are Your &c.

      W[alton] & T[urner]