letter – Isaac Hunter to John Erasmus Blackett – 6 Dec 1787

J E Blackett Esqr                                             6th Dec'r 1787             



      Have made an Assay of 1lb of the Test Bottom Lead that we made a Trial of as to the quantity of Lead the contained in the Ton and find by the Assay that that Lead will yeild in Silver 11 oz to the Foth.r; the Assay I have inclosed that you may try it in your scales as being more accurate then mine. On the other side have given you a calculation (supposing that Sir Thos. can have for the Test Bottoms at this Refinery £3 / 11s per Ton) what a Foth[er] of Lead extracted f'm them would cost & also the exp[en]ces of Refining, Reducing & deliv[er]y at Blaydon. It will take 6 months to smelt all the Test Bottoms thats here w[hi]ch would cause one thousand ps less of Slag Lead from being sent to Markett, therefor have set 6 M[on]ths intrest for that quantity of Lead against the Gain - if Lead is likely to keep it's present price would not advise you to take loss the the above, though that you are the

best judge off.    

      I am &c &c IH 



P.S. I have just rec'd a Letter f'm Rotherham that the Cylinder Bellows are sent to Hull to be ship'd per first Vess[e]l to N-Castle, I beg you let Mr Straker inquire when any ship comes to the Quay f'm Hull & acquaint me on their arrival that I may send & have them taken f'm the Ship w[i]thout being put in to a Warehouse - have made free to send you a Pheasant killed yesterday.

                                                                                                   

                                                      £  s  d

To 4 Ton of Test Bottoms @ £3/10s per Ton            14  -  -

   to make 1 Foth[er] of Lead

To Smelting, Fuel & Ware & Tare for d.o               2 12  1

To Refining & Reducing the above                        15  6

To Ware & Tare in d.o                                       9

To Carriage of the Reduced Lead to Blaydon allowing     10  -

   for Wast in Refining &c 1/12th part w[hi]ch will 

   make 19cwt 1qtr 0lb of Lead to send               --------

Total exp[enc]es on 1 Foth[er]                       17 18  4



By 11 oz of Silver extracted f'm 1 Foth[er]           2 17  9

   as per Assay @ 5s/3d per oz

By 19cwt 1qtr 0lb of Lead Reduced as above           18  6  8

   @ 20£ per Foth[er]                                --------

Total Value of Silver & Lead for 1 Foth[er]          21  4  5

                                                     --------

                         Gain in 1 Foth[er]           3  6  1 



To 6 Months Intrest on 1000 ps of Slag Lead being    31 17  6

prevented sending to Markett by Smelt.g 26 Foth.s

of Test Bottoms (being the quantity of Leads that

they are computed to contain by their taking that

time at the Slag Hearth to Smelt Them 



Cr

By Gain on 26 Foth[er]s of Test Bottoms Lead         85 18  2

according to the above acct 3/6//1 per Foth[r]       --------

                                                     54  -  8