Letter – Diana Beaumont to John Erasmus Blackett – 23 Sep 1803

                                                  		Portman Square  Sep[tembe]r 23rd 1803

Dear Sir

Colonel Beaumont has been in the City, & was informed of some particulars which we think it right to communicate to you in confidence, & you will draw your own conclusions, Mr Ellill

has been playing a deep Game, he has offer’d Lead to the India Company at so much lower a price than any others, that his offer was of course accepted, it was under £25 pr Fodr w[hic]h will in a short time be to him upwards of 50,000 £, it is imagin’d the greatest part of this Lead is Easterby & Halls for which <it> is known he is to pay the same price you make your next Sale to the London Houses, & he now thinks he has fixed the price of Lead, & that you will be obliged to Sell at a still lower price that he has done, w[hic]h will ascertain the price he is to pay for the Lead of Easterby & Halls, & he exults no doubt at having as he thinks duped every one, & disappointed the London Houses of making the Sale to the India Company, he has played them so many tricks it is concluded they will very justly be greatly exasperated at this Conduct, & that in a short time you will receive proposals to make a Sale to them at you own Price as usual, & it is thought whatever Price you think proper to ask will be complied with by them, w[hic]h will be a very proper return to such a Man as Mr Ellill, he will then have to pay the Committee of Easterby & Hall the Price you Sell at, even if that should be 32 & 33, for it is not for Mr Ellill to fix the Price for you, it is too evident what he has done it for, & utter Ruin must be his fate for his Friend Mr Astlett may be hanged by that time, & cannot now assist either Ellill or the Halls with his Bills, it is not imagined you will be asked by the London Houses for a large quantity of Lead at this time as it is thought if this does take place, it will be with the intention of throw[in]g him entirely out of the Market, & that immediately afterwards Lead must lower very considerably, but it may be advisable for us to Sell as large quantities as we can at that time, & wait the Event after, & as it must now be known that Ellill will soon be in possession of this large Sum of Money from the India Company (as they pay ready Money), if any of it can be got by the Committee, it may be advisable for them to make the trial, as it is probable Ellill may be in debt to the Halls for Sheet Lead, & other things that may not depend on the Sale you make to the London Houses, or he may be induced to pay part of the sum for the Lead on Account, when he receives 50- or 60,000£ from the India Company, & the remainder when you have made a Sale, w[hic]h he expects will be at a lower price than he has now done: - we shall soon see what the results will be, & as it can only be conjecture what Col: B has been informed of, we must keep the information to ourselves, & give no hint to any one of it, a little time will show: - who is to advance the Money for the Arkendale Mines? I hope not the Creditors, for the Halls are more than a Match for honest Men, & will play us some trick at last I fear, Astlett, Ellill & the Halls w[oul]d puzzle Buonaparte himself & Cheat him too, they have not had such frequent Meetings at Ellills for nothing: - Col: Beaumont unites with me in best Comp[limen]ts I am Dear Sir very Sincerely Yours

D. Beaumont