Letter – Joseph Richmond to Walter Blackett – 24 Feb 1761

To Sir Wr Blackett Bt. M.P. at his house in Charles Street near St Jamess Square London

                                                                                                                            Newcastle 24 Febry 1761

Hon[ou]rd Sir   I cannot think of any argum[en]ts about the renewal of Sandersons Lease, but what have in a great measure been made use of before, in the calculations & Lettrs you have upon the subject, wch I believe will bear the test of an impartial examination notwithstanding the Bp seems to be perswaded of the contrary.

Why will not Mr Halhead give himself the trouble of examining the quarterly acco[un]ts & pay bills, to be convinced whether I have made a fair calculation or not? In them surely there can be no art or deceit! The first estimate of the profits was called for in haste, before I co[ul]d have an opportunity of advising with Mr Maughan as to the wood & contingent charge & how much of the ore was got in the common pasture, wch I co[ul]d not myself distinguish. But those articles were set to rights in the 2nd acco[un]t made out for 14 years; & as the annual profits happen to be nearly the same in both calculations, this may possibly have occasioned the B[isho]ps beleiving there has been some contrivance. If his L[or]ds[hi]p will not first set you a fine, I am humbly of opinion it will signify nothing if you were to offer him £500. And if ever a renewal is obtained the common pastures sho[ul]d not be included in it, nor any variation allowed f[ro]m the present Lease; for that wo[ul]d be rending the Moor ma[ste]rs Lease of little value. Mr Darwin in his search into the dispute between Mr Wharton & old Sr Wm. Blackett about this very affair, finds that Sr Wm. in his ans[we]r to Mr Wharton’s bill claimed the common pastures to be held und[e]r Sandersons Lease, But he was forced, as he says in his Lre to his Attorney, to give up the cudgeals, & was glad to sell that Lease to Mr Wharton for £200 less than he gave for it. My son writes Mr Darwin this post to endeavour, if you please, to gain what further light he can into this matter. If this obstacle about the common pastures was removed there wo[ul]d then remain to be setled whe[the]r the 1/5 p[ar]t of the ore sho[ul]d not be deducted for the dues you hold by composition & for what no. of y[ea]rs the computation of the profits ought to be made. As to the first, it seems strange there sho[ul]d be any objection to your having the advantage, you have by an accident gain’d by the composition; for if you had lost by it, what satisfaction were you to have expected? & to make you pay now for the advantage in setting the fine is surely what the B[isho]p wo[ul]d never think of, if he considered the thing himself without Mr Halheads prepossession that the composition was artfully obtained; wch is so far f[ro]m having any truth in it, that you know you wo[ul]d never have given either the B[isho]p or the Rector a shilling more. The Rector of Stanhope may in my opinion with as much reason expect you sho[ul]d make him a compensation for the lucky hit you have had in Miss Shields field within the last 3 or 4 y[ea]rs. But you are in his L[or]ds[hi]p’s power & he must do wch he thinks just & reasonable. As to the time that the profits ought to be computed for, I think every impartial man will say, it ought not to be for less than the 14 years expres[s]ed on the subsisting Lease.

The price of Lead continues here about the same it has been for some months that is £12.10s.0d for the refined & the common Lead in proportion. The best Lead at Stockton sold for £13.7s.6d has always been 5s a fo[the]r above the 2nd sort wch is all refined, wch ref[ine]d sort L[or]d Darlington sells at £13.2s.6d, & that price at Stockton is nearly equal to £12.10s.0d at Newcastle. I have for some time stood at £12.15s.0d, but nobody will yet give it. I have heard nothing f[ro]m the Gent[lema]n that applied to you for 250 tons of Lead. You have always chose to sell your Lead to the merchants, whom you know & with whom you are safe & to go into any other method now wo[ul]d disoblige them, without any advantage to yourself or even the Gent[lema]n who wants to buy the Lead. For if he will send his order to Messrs Peareth & Sorsbie they will observe his directions, if they approve of him, & charge him I believe no more than 1 per c[en]t; & that they are able to save him in the freight etc as they are better acquainted with the masters of ships. And besides if you were to ship your own Lead, the custom ho[use] officers wo[ul]d be an incumbrance upon you, & exact of you more than they get of the merch[ant]s for weighing at Blaydon.

Mr Gropty I look upon to be a very good marketter; he knows the Town & will be of more service to you this year than any stranger can; but I do not find that a woman cook, fit to serve under him, can be met with here.

I desire you know whe[the]r Mr Darwin will consult with Mr Ellis about drawing the bill to be filed ag[ain]st the absenters f[ro]m hexham mils, or with Mr Witheringten, or who else?

Mrs Turner, widow of our late vicar, & who lodges at Mrs Hacketts next door to the Sunfire office in Bedford Street Covent Garden, has a tenant named Wm. Atkinson who is at present inclined for Sr. Thos.; But Mr Geo. Ord says if he had her directions he co[ul]d influence him to vote for Mr Vane & Mr Shafto. Mr Ord is concerned for Mrs Turner & says he is satisfied she has never been applied to by anybody, for her int[e]r[es]t. I have ordered two Kitts of salmon to be sent to Mr Darwin & am etc                        JR