Letter – Joseph Richmond to Walter Blackett – 13 Jun 1760

To Sir Wr Blackett Bt MP at his house In Pall Mall London                                  13th June 1760

Honrd Sir

   I cannot think of any thing more to be said to the Bishop as he defers giving you an answer till he comes into the county and advises with Mr Wilkinson and who I hope will not be able to controvert that acct you have d[elivere]d to his Lordship. If you were to offer a fine of 200 guineas, I do not believe he would accept of it, having no doubt had the matter set forth to him in a quite different light For it cannot be supported he knows the truth of the case himself, and you are sensible that on every occasion of this nature, here have always been persons, to ingratiate themselves, very ready to represent things with their own sanguine imaginations, widely different from the truth. I do not know that I have presumed anything in the acct but what is fact and will appear to be so on the most <nice> examination; And as to my doubting the premises i.e. whe[ther] Great Slitt Grove has been wro[ugh]t all the time, or any part of it in an ancient inclosure comprehended under Sandersons lease, is what I cannot help, as there is reason to question it, But however that may be, all the ore raised out of that grove in the last 30 yrs as appears to me by the Grove accts is included in the accts d[elivere]d his Lordship, and yet the profits appear to have been no more than £218 a year and surely his Lordship will never ask any more for a fine than a years profit of a Lead mine. The Lot and tithe being deducted from the ore raised cannot reasonably be an objection, because they have been always, except for 3 yrs under composition, wch is not made any part of the charge of raising the ore. 

    The pay of your own mines in Weardale is fixed to be the 2nd of next month, and Allenheads and Coalcleugh pay the day following, wich together amount to near £14000 but I am not in cash to make the p[ar]tnership pay wch will be near £2000 more, nor do I hear that Mr Bacon is ready for it. I am etc JR