Letter – James Standsfield to William Clerke – 1 Dec 1676

Memor[andu]m to Mr Wm Clerke anent Mr Vermuden.



In the first place to obtaine from Mr Hartlip the <abbreviate> of my owne lres they make use of, and according to my lre left for him yesterday at Mr Lindsays. I shall then bee enabled to make a good and sufficient answetr; and shall know what lres are abstracted, for I finde Mr Hartlip had the perusall of all my lres in Mr Lindsays hands & tooke of them what hee pleased, wthout anye receipt or noate made of them & their dates.



July 1st 1676. Mr Lindsays Br[other] Reeves in his absence writes mee if Mr Vermuden does relinquish his interest his Br is willing I should oblige my friend by letting him have a fourth part.



But this was an undue answer to my lre and not agreeable to what I writte in the matter; wch defect upon Mr Lindsaya p[er]usall of my serious lre in the affaire Mr Lindsay writes mee after mentioning other particulars, that hee recd mine of the 29th of June wch was before him; and hopt the former adviseing his being out of towne would pl,eade excuse for the undue returne made mee, referring the business of the Myne wholly to my managemt being willing to run in equall fourths wth my selfe, nothing doubting my care & prudence after this fourth was separate, and that if Mr Vermuden was to have any share it was of Mr Lindsay fourth, and if  Mr Lindsay had desired itt hee might have beene restored againe to the fourth taken of for fear the party designed <for deserted itt> [rest of final line of page damaged and illegible] intending to make a visitt wthin 14 d[ays] to the Mynes.



Mr Lindsay answered my lre the 11th November but not a <sillable> to that particular.



This lre is left in Mr Lindsays hand, haveing not beene put upon the file but put in a cabinett box, otherwise Mr Hartlip had snatched itt up & probably should never been heard tell of .

I know not how to secure itt if discovered to them, it may bee <unfit> when necessary to use I thinke before any notice of itt I should gett that paragraph attested by Mr Lindsay.



In a lre July 8th 1676 from Mr Lindsay to Vermuden he writes severely concerneing his indiferation in delaying the paymt of £500 to him, att a tyme his occations soe pressing upon him. in another of the 8th of August from Mr Lindsay to him, hee sayes hee had recd his order for £300 but it afoorded him little hopes of money.