Letter – Diana Beaumont to John Erasmus Blackett – 7 Aug 1803

							Worthing Sussex  August 7th 1803

Dear Sir

Colonel Beaumont & I arrived here on Wednesday last with our Six Children all in good health, we propose continuing here 5 weeks, Col. B. is in daily expectation of receiv’g orders from the Duke of York as he offer’d his Services in any manner they chose to employ him, immediately on the declaration of War; - I am favor’d with your Letter of the 1st August, with the account of Easterbys & Co, it does indeed appear a very fallacious Statement, they can expect no mercy from their Creditors, & if we can by their effects, & the fixtures in their Mines etc, contrive for every one to be paid little thought will be taken to what will become of them; - we hope our Miners will be satisfied with the £2-//-// every two Months, they must be unreasonable to expect more know’g the situation of the Banks etc – Col. Beaumont has recd a Letter from Messrs Ransom Morland & Co. informg  him they have recd a Bill from you of 2000£ wch will be due Sept 4th, I make no doubt but Mr Bowns is anxious at this time to have all the Money he can in the London House, for if the other Banks at Newcastle were to be under the necessity of stopping Payments for a Short time on account of the constant drain, tho’ no actual run on them, we should indeed be great sufferers, & it wd be inexcusable in us not to use every precaution in our power for you know our Estates are strictly entail’d, in London many entertain the opinion the other Banks will be under the necessity of stopping Pay’ts for a short time, but this we only name in confidence, what destruction Surtees & Burdon have been the occasion of is Melancholy to think of, we imagine this has occasioned the failure of <Lock Lubberns> & Co who are in our debt £1600 – the Family of the Surtees’s can surely never bear to remain in a County where they have been the cause of so much ruin, & the Halls can never more hold up their Heads – Colonel Beaumont has this morning recd a Letter from Mr Bowns, he says in consequence of the uneasiness he observed we felt on your account, & our anxiety to relieve you as much as possible from the fatigue wh must now press very hard upon you, he had been induced to propose you havg the Assistance of any Gentleman that would be agreeable to you in the Management of our concerns, & from the conversation that passed on the occasion, we are happy to find you named Mr C. Blackett, we have a very high opinion of him, & have not a doubt from the great respect & sincere regard he has at all times expressed for you, that he will with pleasure agree to any proposal we shall make him, which we shall be very happy to do, when we are favor’d with your answer, if you will have the goodness to point out what you would wish us to propose to him, & the Salary you think we should make the offer of to him, or if you would prefer mentioning the Subjects to him yourself we beg it may be in any manner most agreeable to you, & beg to assure you we shall with pleasure do anything that will contribute to your ease & Comfort; Col. Beaumont unites with me in best regards to yourself & Mrs Collingwood – 

I am Dear Sir very sincerelyYours

Diana Beaumont