Letter – Edward Blackett to John Erasmus Blackett – 9 Dec 1796

Thorpe Lee 9th Decr 1796

Dear Brother

      I Rec'd the favor of yours, I was very sorry to find that you was hurried away from an agreable Set at Harrowgate, & just as you began to find that the waters agreed so well wth you, & you began to began to receive benefit from them. Mr & Mrs Ormsby are very good sort of People; she is a pleasant woman, & we lost exelent neighbours when they left us.

      I am sorry my Bro. H does not take a greater liking to Newcastle; for if he will pass his Winters at Bolden; Newcastle would be an agreable change now & then.

      I find my Daughter does not mean to budge from Quarters this Winter, altho she finds no small difficulty in procuring a house in Newcastle; I should think that the house owners of Newcastle should be better pleased to let their houses at reasonable rates to those who come to defend them & their property; than be wthout them, & run the risk of having others come & take up free Quarters among them.

      I have obey’d your directions & have desired Mr Couts to buy as much Stock in the Consols in Capt. Cuthbert Collingwood of Morpeth's name as two thousand pounds will purchase; & to acquaint you when he had made the purchase. I must own for my part I was for a mortgage, or purchase of land as I have no great opinion of the Funds, The investing money in the Funds is I think like lending money to an extravagant Fellow, who's Estate is mortgaged to near its value, & who spends what he can get like a wanton spendthrift.

      I am very sorry for poor Mrs Clavering's accident; the frost is now arrived, & has laid hold of us, & it is now a very hard frost indeed.

      I hope you have heard a good account of Doc. Carlyle before this, he is a most valuable Member of Society. I am very glad that you have lately heard from Capt Collingwood that he was in good health; I fancy it will not be long before he is obliged to return home. Our Fleet will not be able to continue in those Seas, where there will not be a Port from whence they can draw provisions & other necessary Supplys. as to Corsica, when it was the opinion of Capt Collingwood that it must be given up, & that it was not worth keeping; the accounts from Sr Gilbert Elliot were that it was a place of great Importance to us, that it was perfectly safe, & in no hazard of being taken from us. I wish they had left him there for a reward for his good Intelligence.

      I think the behaviour of Sr J Swinburne to Mr Brandling was very Illiberal, & I think the Duke of N could not be well pleased wth his representative.

      I am very glad that Heathpool is likely to be so well advanced; I wish it could be advanced equall to <Coll: Sr P..> Estate; what a wonderful advance was that; hardly credible.

      My Wife & my Son write wth me in their love & best wishes to yself & Mrs Collingwood & her little ones & I am Dear Brother 	yrs most faithfully

	E Blackett