Letter – Joseph Stagg to Thomas Masterman – 19 Oct 1808

								Alston 19th. Oct: 1808

Mr. Masterman



Sir,

      I wrote two Letters to you since you were in the Country both of which I hope you received. My principal Reason for writing at present is to have your, or the Court’s, Directions how to proceed with Respect to fixing the Price per Barrel to take the Gunpowder off the Workmen. Mr. Dodd has hitherto fixed the Price and of Course allows himself & Brother what Profit he thinks proper by what they furnish the Workmen with. We are just going to commission the Reckonings I therefore conceive it my Duty to <represent> this to you & to request your Directions as soon as convenient. Mr. Dodd charged the last Quarters Candles 14/6 but I paid them only 11/- observing that the ready Money Price of Candles was no more, & that the Greenwich Hospital’s Works were furnished by Mr. Dickinson at six Months Credit at that Rate. I find the Company have to pay for Candles used at Ireshopeburn Mine every Quarter the same as for Candles used at the other Mines. Two more Bargains have been let in the Moor that I know of upon the same Conditions as Ireshopeburn Mine is let, since you were here: I got this out of Briggs the new Agent without his being aware I had any Design in the Enquiries I made.

      We are much plagued with the Lead & Ore Carriers at present - All Proprietors of Lead & Ore are doing their utmost to get them carried before the Winter set in: and there is a great Deal more in the Country than can be got off. Col. Beaumont’s Superintendent (my Father-in-Law) told me this Week they have upwards of two thousand Bings of Ore at Coal Cleugh & Allenheads that must remain at the Mines over Winter, and in Weardale a great Deal More. I suppose at least four thousand Bings in the Whole. Our Lead has gone away from the Mills very briskly of late.

      I have quite brought Matt. Johnson the Agent at Nent[hea]d Mill into my Measures. They have been smelting very badly at that Mill for some Months past which he is now well convinced of. He therefore sees it indispensable to go upon another Plan. They have taken about one third of a Bing more at Nenth[ea]d Mill for the last three Months to make a Fodder of Lead than we have done at Stanhope Mill. I have the Stanhope Smelters at this Time at Nenthead Mill smelting Tontale Ore. The Nenthead Smelters had smelted some Tontale Ore so extremely ill that the other Workmen complained very heartily to Mr. Dodd and he got quite out of Patience with them and Johnson. However before I heard this I had turned some of the Smelters of Work and made other Arrangements which, when I told Mr. Dodd, perfectly satisfied him. I have also reduced <the> Price of smelting from 10/- to 8/6 per Fodder <in> Consequence of which the Smelters have <packed> up their Work expecting we could not do without them: This I was aware of, and considered how to <must>, and have so laid my Plans as to convince them we are independent of them and when they are made sensible of that, it will make them better to manage.

      One of the Workmen at Mannergill has been killed by the crushing Machine catching his Foot about a fortnight since.

      I am with great Respect Sir Your most h.ble Servt.

      Joseph Stagg



P.S. Should the Court think of appointing my Brother to my former situation, I should wish to know it as early as it can be done with Propriety. At the same time I will observe to you that I wish the Court to determine on the Point just as may be thought most for the Company’s Interest, for except the disagreeableness of a Traveller’s Life to a married person, my Brother has no Motive for desiring to change his present Situation.