Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Blackett – 27 Feb 1785

Sir Thomas Blackett  Bart.                              N.Castle .   Feby.  27th . 1785



Dear Sir     I wrote to you the 18th inst. to wch. I refer you.  I received your Card by Mrs Soulsby & have wrote to Mr Noble about the Bends that Mr Beatson sent for the Lead Mines; It is very extraordinary that Mr Beatson will not take the Orders for the Bends from me, & when he sends them write to me with an account of the Charge, that I may on their Arrival at this place, know to what Mine, or Lead Mill to send them, & likewise be enabled to make him a remittance for the same.  This he was fully instructed to do when I was at Bretton but in Septr. last he sent a pack of Bends unknown to me wch after the receipt of his letter of the 14th Jany I am informed is for Coalcleugh, but neither Mr Dickinson nor myself received any advice of its being sent, nor any notes of the same;  That Parcel as well as the Hides for Dukesfiled are Arrived & when Mr Beatson send me his Account, I’ll send him a Bill for the Amount.    You will observe by the inclosed Advertizement from the York paper that a Meeting of the Proprietors of the Lead Mines in Derbyshire had been held to take into consideration the late Tax on Lead, & that a Resolution was come to make Application to Parliament for a repeal of the said Tax.  This certainly will be a very proper Measure, not only for the reasons set forth in the inclosed Resolutions, but as this Tax certainly enables the proprietors of the Lead Mines in Scotland (by being exempt form this Duty) to Undersell the other Lead at the Foreign Markets, & after all the Tax is by no means productive.   I shall endeavour to get the Lead Owners etc in this place to have a Meeting for purposes above mentioned, & as I am informed that you are in Town you will have an Opportunity of conversing with Sir M Ridley, Mr Brandling, & the County Members etc on the Subject.                          I am etc    John E Blackett