Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Diana Beaumont – 23 May 1804

Mrs Beaumont under Cover to					Newcastle 23rd May 1804

Colonel Beaumont Portman Square, London

					

Dear Madam,

      I have the Favor of you Letter of the 21st Inst. & observe the Contents. When I wrote to you the 27th April that I expected that the Sum I should have Occasion to draw for on Glyn& Co. would not exceed £24,000, I expected to have at least £10,000 in Bills to have discounted to one Months with the Bank of Loraine & Co. ; in your Letter of the 13th April you write ‘Colonel Beaumont & I (by the Advice of Mr Cockshutt) beg that you will send us all the Bills that you can possibly spare, under Cover to Colonel Beaumont drawn at whatever Dates they may be, to shew Security’. In Mr Bowns’ Letter of the 27th April from London; ‘To remit all Bills either in hand or to be received by you, which you cannot dispose of in Payments in the Country, to Sir R[ichar]d C. Glyn & Co to be placed to the Colonel’s account’. In Complyance with these Letters, instead of reserving Bills to the Amount of £10,000 at least, to have discounted at the Bank of Loraine & Co. (which I intended) the whole has been remitted as directed, so that I am in Hopes that no Blame can be imputed to me on this Occasion; I observe by your Letter, that the  Sum of £15,000 is to be paid by Glyn & Co. into the Hands of Messrs Veres & Co. in which Case I shall not have Occasion to draw on Messrs Glyn & Co on the 28th at Sight for a Sum exceeding £19,000 which I shall be under the necessity of doing, The Propositions which Messrs Glyn & Co make to the Bank of Loraine & Co they decline according to. I wrote to you the 21st Inst. respecting the Receipt of Silver to which I refer you.

	We have received the Certificate from the Commissioners of the Property Tax at Darlington rating the Profits of the Weardale Mines on an Average of five years, to be the £20,000 whereas we do not have admit of it, & instead of being rated for the Payment of £1,000 we alledge that it should not exceed £792-11-10 out of which an Allowance is to be made of £39-12-7 on Account of Children; Mr Heron has wrote to Mr Bowns  of Darlington acquainting him that an Appeal will be made from the Rate.

	Had I not received such positive Directions of sending up all the Bills, those of Easterby & Co. should not have been sent, at the same Time they promised to allow Discount on the same.

	The Property Tax on your Mines etc. in North[umberland] amounting to £575-0-0 is settled with the Hexham Commissioners & is paid. My last Letter would give you a more promising Account of the Lead Trade the Price I have great Hopes may be supported, & in the present Situation of the Country, a Reduction would not have the Effect to induce the London Houses to purchase a large Quantity. I observe that the Bishop of D[urham] has lately lost a charitable Cause in Chjancery, I trust that his with you may have the like Fate. The Account of the Prices which you require, I send enclosed.	

      I am etc J. E. B.