Letter – Nicholas Walton to William Corbett – 15 Dec 1738

      Ravensworth Castle 15 Decemr  1738

To Wm Corbett Esqr



Sir

	We Reced yours with the Boards Minutes of the 6th Instant which we duely observe, but Scremmerston Colliery lying at so great a distance cannot this post acquaint you with the occasion of her being sett on Fire: we have wrote to be informed of it, and as soon as we can will lett you know.

	We do not find by any Copy of Letter or other Memorandum that we acquainted Mr Thompson with the postscript of the secretarys Letter dated the 6th January 1735 But we believe we did. We never understood that postscript carryd the sense of Surveying the Ingrounds only; - for tho’ he is said to Survey the Ingrounds at 2½ d per Acre he never offerd to do them under 3d per Acre and therefore we understood it and still do understand it to imply no more than the price Intended to be given him for Inground when surveyd with Commons jointly and that the Stress of this Minute was to Inforce the Survey of the Ingrounds first, so as the proper use might be made of it.

	At the time the above Minute as made it is certain no Agreement was made with Mr Thompson, for it appears plain there was not from a Letter of Mr Robert Ellisons of the 16th Janry following to Geo:Liddell Esqr who had given Mr Ellison direction to make the Agreement and Draw an Article  in pursuance of it. That part of the Letter which relates to the agreement we have from the Copy here Transcribed for the satisfaction of the Board as follows. In obedience to your Commands of the 8th Inst I have here transmitted the Draught of an Article with Isaac Thompson for the Survey of the Derwentwater Estate which I wish may be Drawn in such form as to meet with your Approbation. At the beginning of it I would have inserted that he shou’d undertake to survey the whole or any such part of the estates as he shou’d from time to time be Directed , But to this he objected as he might thereby be obliged to do all the troublesome part of it only and that his offer to you at the severall prices of 2½ d & 1½ d per acre was in consideration of having what was beneficiall as what was not and as I presume the Hospital will think proper to have a general Survey of the whole, I struck at the words   he Desired me further to observe to you Sir, that for the more exact Computation of the Quantity he intends to survey by a scale of four chains to an inch which must be afterwards contracted to bring into the folio Book and a second time for the Quarto book which will cost him a great deal of pains and was it not for Advantage of surveying the whole Estate he could not possibly undertake it at so low a rate.

	This we Believe was the agreement with Mr Thompson and no Doubt Colonel Liddell acquainted the Directors with it tho’ probably it might not be at any Boards meeting which occasions it not being Minuted. We are satisfied Mr Thompson always understood it so and we do assure you it was always so understood by Sir &c

      N.W.  H.B