Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Richard Beaumont – 17 Feb 1794

Thos Richd Beaumont Esqr                                                         Newcastle 17th Feby 1794

No 4 Portman Square  London



Dear Sir	I am favoured with your letter of the 12th inst and observe the Contents.

	I inclosed Mr Thompson’s Ltr [Letter] respecting Haydon Chapel to Mr Bell, as he will have it in his power to give you more full information on that matter than I can, It is a Chapel of ease to the Liv[in]g of Warden the Patronage of which is in Mrs Beaumont and yourself; the repairs of the Chapel (I believe) falls on the Landholders of the Parish, the Chancell excepted which you support.  If the Chapel is in that ruinous state that it is represented to be and it should be found necessary to take it down, and to have it rebuilt on a situation more convenient to the Parish I imagine that the Bishops Consent must be obtained, that the Landholders will not be compellable to pay the Expence without having an Act of Parliment for the purpose but that it must be supported by a volantary Subscription wch must amount to the estimate or pretty near it before the Bishop will give his Consent to the Chapel being taken down and rebuilt on a new site; should it be meant by Mr Thompson & Co that the Application to the Bishop was to come from you?  he in that case w[oul]d probably expect that you sh[oul]d give security for the Building of the Chapell wch which means a considerable load might fall on you.  Mr Bell I have no doubt can give you every necessary information.

	Mr Wm Surtees has for sometime past had a considerable part of the Business for supplying your Mines with Timber  Messrs Hindmarsh & Blaylock have had a small share of that business; they frequently purchase your Lead and have always been punctual in their Payments.  I have not heard of their declining Business; we have always thought it advisable to divide the Business amongst a few of the Principal Dealers in the several Articles for the Mines, as it serves to keep up some kind of Competition.  I much fear that Lead is on the drop, but I hope not in the degree which Mr Walkers mentions; their partner Mr Fishwick the other day offer’d me £15-10 for Ref[ine]d Lead, but wo[ul]d not go further, I made him an offer of a quantity at £15-15- the price wch Mr C Blackett gave wch he declined; Mr Broadley of Hull has wrote to me about 600 p[iece]s which I have offered him at £15-15- but I am doubtful of his giving that price

	Your Lead Agents were with me the 11th inst for Subsistence for the Workmen and Cash to pay the East Lead Carriage both of wch amounted to £3375.   The report that they made of the Mines, was that they were very much the same state as when they were last down at this place; I strongly recommended to them to desist for the present all expensive Workings and to carry forward as little dead work as possible, untill the Lead Trade is more promising.                                                                               I am etc    J.E.B