Letter – Nicholas Walton to Peter Mulcaster – 15 Jul 1770

Mr Mulcaster. 								Farnacres 15th July 1770

      

      I reced your Letter of the 12th instant including the Assays as desired in mine of 9th from whence it appears as above that Wear & Tear not considered the Lead that we now deem Common leaves 3s/11d after considering all Expences except Wear and Tear. I desire you will carefully examine and take notice in a particular manner whether I have taken on every Article of Expence, and if I have, whether I have made a Sufficient Allowance, and if not, hope you think it should be put to Show the real Expence and difference between Selling this Sort of Lead as Common or Refined for I would not think of our Refining it til we can be clear in our Computations and as Common Lead seems now more wanted than any other Sort, I would have you deliver the Lead produced from Old Cowslitts Ore singly til you come to the Parcel from which the Assays abovementioned were made and in the mean time before you try the two next Operations and as soon as you can to give me your Opinion upon the above Computation and what you think necessary to add to and take from it, and also what you think the Wear and Tear pFodder may reasonably amount to. Those things I cannot expect you to do exactly til you make a Tryal.

      It seems absolutely necessary for us to know the real Expence of Refining and Reducing as without that it is impossible to make Computations with Exactness and therefore at any Expence we must have the most accurate Amount of the two next Operations of Refining and Reducing Showing the Expence in every Article, the Wear and Tear must be guessed at as near as the thing will admit of.

      As the Season is so very uncertain I wish to see how our Assay is got before I come up but shall certainly be with you very soon: as to provision I beg youll make none; we can always bring a Joint of Mutton with us from Hexham. I am

      Your Hble Serv

      N W Junr.



PS. I shall be glad to receive your Computation or Observations upon mine by next Fridays Post and if I have missed the mark pray dont hesitate to tell me freely. You may send Common and Refined Slag after Old Cowslitts Lead is all come away. I am possitive that some part of the Cowslitts Ore must be well worth Refining & I desire that Mr Wilkinson may be told so and that you may write to Mr Hilton abt this and tell him to mention it to Mr Wilkinson. This Shows the Impropriety of mixing the Lead altogether.





Computation Shewing the difference between Selling the Lead from which the two last Assays were made, as Common Lead and Selling the same after it is Refined, supposing Common Lead to Sell at £14 pFodder.



One fodder of lead immediately from the ore                 £14

Refined lead from Do would sell for               £12 19  7

5 1/5 oz of bullion                                 1 11  2

                                                  £14 10  9

Charges of Extracting and Reducing vizt

Carriage of lead between mill and refinery     2

Refiners wages                              2 10

Bone ashes one bushel                       1  8 1/2

Coal   2 loads                                11

Reducers Wages                              1  6

Coals    3 loads                            1  4 1/2

Weighing Lead                                  2

Carriage and package of silver                   1/2

                                            8  8 1/2

Charges of Carriage &c saved by 

  lead lost in refining                     1 10 1/2

      this you need not trouble yourself about

                                                             £14  3 11

                                                                  3 11