Letter – Christopher Blackett to Thomas Richard Beaumont – 7 Jan 1807

Tho[mas] Rich[ard] Beaumont Esq					Newcastle January 7 / 1806

			

      I have been duly favoured with Mrs Beaumonts letters of the 23 & 27 and yours of 29 Ultimo. On finding by the former that Mr Thomas Walker had lately considered your selling price for lead to be £38 & £39, I inquired of Mr Parker whence such an idea should have originated: he seemed much surprised at the question, but promised to refer to copies of his correspondence and then to give me an answer, he told me yesterday that he found he had offered £35 & £36 for 10,000 P[ieces] on the 13th Sept. on the 18th I declined accepting that price but offered to take £37 & 38, and to wait a week for the answer from the London House, provided Prices should not be declared in the interim, in which Case I should not consider myself bound on your behalf in this offer at the expiration of the Week was declined & I have never since been asked the Price by Mr Parker with any view (as I thought) of buying__he tells me that on the 13th Oct – the Week after you left this Country with your family – that he asked me upon Charge what we were selling Lead for, I told him we were selling small quantities at £38 & £39 – he never gave a syllable in answer, and I thought no more of it, considering it only as a question of Course, as Mr Parker well knew he had been offered a quantity at £1 per F[odder] less, only a Month before, and he must have been well aware that the clear State of the Market could not justify my expecting an advance. Mr Parker says also that his Uncle does not take any part in the Management of the Lead Concerns, and if he did mention it to him , it has been done in a Cursory way while writing on other Business. I have now only to request your attention to the time when this conversation took place—near three months ago – and you will then, I hope be satisfied that I have not been too tenaciously (consistent with the opinions then entertained), stood out for prices to your prejudices. There have been 2 or 3 small Parcels of Refined Lead sold in this Markett at £36 – 6 Mo[nths], and there is scarce any demand, the situation of public affairs having put a stop to all commerce with the North of Europe for a time, but we must hope for a Change in our Favour in Spring.  – you may be well assured that not a Pig of Lead shall be delivered to Mr Row till the Conveyance is properly made. J. Crawhall will set out from hence by the Mail on the morning of the 20th Inst which will be in time for the consultation.

	The Weardale Acc[ounts] amounting to £20,115 are come in but I have not yet got the others, they probably will be about £10,000 more. Inclosed I send you Acc[oun]t Sales for the last two Months, Mr Mulcaster not having sent the Refinery Acc[oun]t to the end of the year preventing my forwarding my Cash Acc[oun]t till receipt post.

				I am with all due respect to Mrs Beaumont

					D[ea]r Sir 	Yours		CB