Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Diana Beaumont – 27 Apr 1804

Mrs Beaumont under cover to 					Newcastle 27th April 1804

Colonel Beaumont Portman Square, London



Dear Madam

      I am favoured with your several Letters  of the 25th & 26th Inst. & observe the contents. I wrote you on the 25th Inst. and inclosed Bills amounting to £25,494-8=9 endorsed by me payable to the Order of T. R. Beaumont Esq which I hope may be a sufficient Security to Sir R[ichar]d C. Glyn & Co for the Sum which they may advance to enable us to make the Lead Pay. 

	The sum which the Bank of Loraine & Co will have Occasion to draw on Sir R[ichar]d C. Glyn & Co. will be about £24,000-. I have already drawn upon them at 3 M[onths] date for £1,000 & may have Occasion to draw upon them the latter end of next month at 30 or 40 Days for £3,000 more. Should any part of Mr Hall’s Stock be disposed of & placed in the Bank of Sir R[ichar]d C. Glyn & Co. it will so far lessen the Sum to be advanced by them. The Sum which you propose sending me in Gold & Silver I would recommend should be carefully packed in a Box & sent by the London Waggon which will not be on the road above ten Days at the utmost, the Carriage for Cash being paid, & the Clerks Receipt for the same being taken. The Bank of Loraine & Co. are willing to discount Bills to the amount of £5,000 which I shall have ready for them. I have not yet disposed of any Lead to the Lead Houses, nor do I expect any aid on the Occasion from the Bank of Surtees & Burdon.

	The Comm[issioner]s of Taxes for Darlington Ward have certainly behaved in a most illiberal, most unhandsome & unjustifiable Manner; as soon as I receive the Certificate of Assessment from them, I shall appeal from the rate & take the necessary Steps by the advice of Mr Heron.

	The Ore of Antimony will be sent tomorrow in a small Box directed to Colonel Beaumont by the Mail Coach; the Quantity of it at the Mines will not be large, but it is probable that a Ton may be procured from the Mines at Allenheads in a few weeks: the largest quantity is from Coalcleugh and Weardale.

	I hope that there will not be any Necessity to reduce the Price of Lead, for when the Buyers find that when we shall be enabled to make the Pay without doing so, I have no Doubts they will make Offers, & were we to propose to the Buyers to accept Bills from the Date of Sale & go on to renew them at the end of three Months as they would be more easily discounted than at six Months; I think that it might be a Bar to their coming forward & purchasing.

      I have just now had some conversation with Mr Pearson who informed me that the Bank of Sir W[ilia]m Loraine & Co. after their full consideration, declined providing Notes for the Lead Pay on any other Terms than those they before proposed. I endeavoured to prevail on him to accede to the Terms mentioned in your Letter, but not succeeding I have been under the Necessity of closing with him. The Amount of Notes which they must prepare, will be £34,000. I expect to pay them about £10,000 at one Month’s Date which will reduce the Sum to £24,000 for which I shall on the 28th of May draw on Sir R[ichar]d C. Glyn & Co. at sight, advising them of the same. What Bills I may receive from this Time shall be remitted to Sir R[ichar]d C. Glyn & Co. as Colonel Beaumont may possibly have left Town.

	The Allenheads Mines are doing well, as are those in Arkendale; in the latter a rich Vein of Ore has this Week been cut. 

      I am etc. J. E. B.



P.S. I hope that this Business being settled in this Manner, may be a Relief to you and Colonel Beaumont & make you perfectly easy on that Account: you will I trust excuse me for again having Recourse to an Amanensis on Account of my Eyes & I assure you that this Fortnight past it has not been in my Power to pay the smallest attention to my own affairs!