Letters – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Richard Beaumont – 21 Mar 1797

Coll Beaumont                                                                         Newcastle    21st Mar 1797

M.P.       Portman square London



Dr Sir!	I wrote to you the 17th Inst to which I refer you.  Your Lead Stewards have been with me this Morning & I have paid them in Notes & Cash £2950 for Subsistance for the Workmen with which the Stewards say the Men will be well satisfied, & that they do not complain much on account of the lending being postponed being sensible that it could not be avoided.

	The Stewards inform me that the Lead Pay will amount to about £51200.  The Lead Pay of 1796 was £52100.  At the foot is an account of the Bills received & to be received for the Lead sold, & the times they will become due.  There are no material alterations in the state of the Mines since the Stewards were last down for Subsistance.

	The Widow of Westgarth Forster has been with me with her Son George in consequence of a letter that I wrote to her, she makes the following Proposal, That in case you will allow the £300 which her Husband expended in making the Road between Allenheads & Allendale Town & building the Bridges (which he always said that Sir Thos Blackett directed him to do, & that he would be at the expence of what it amounted to, more than the sixpence in the pound paid by the land Owners) she will pay £200 in May next, & give you security for the payment of the remainder in one year from that time at two payments  Mr Crawhall says that it appears by the Accots that Mr Forster brought in at the Meetings, that he had expended £300 more than he had received;  The money that he had in his hands of the Club for which he had given a Note in your Name is given up on Mrs Forster & Son paying part, & giving their Note for the remainder.  I have had a good deal of conversation with J Emerson Jr respecting the Complaint of Kidd & Coulthard, he says that he is very desirous that the matter of complaint may be fully examined into, & that he will abide by the consequencies, but that in case they are employed at present that neither his Father nor himself can have any control whatever over the Workmen, Indeed I believe (from the enquiry that I have made) they are very troublesome fellows           I am etc   J.E.B

                                                                                                                        Times due

Mr Hewitson, received & paid to 

Messrs Surtees Burdon & Co       £6,300  8th June

                                  6,400  8th Augt

Messrs Walker’s Fishwick & Co 

not recd the Lead not being      10,000  7th June         

all delivered                    10,000  7th Augt



Mr C Blackett will be received 

this day & paid to Surtees        5,000 12th June

Burdon & Co                       5,000 12th Augt

                                  5,000 12th May

                                  5,000 12th Septr

                                £52,700



Messrs Walker’s Fishwick & Co     5,000  7th Octr

  Ditto                           5,000 17th Augt

Mr Hewitson                       5,000 17th Augt

Mr C Blackett                     5,500  9th Augt

Notes & Cash recd of Messrs 

Surtees B & Co; the 21 Mar for 

Subsistance for the Workmen

  Notes of £5 each  £1,550

  Do       £1  do    1,000

  Gold                 330

  Silver of which 

    £20 in Dollars      70 

                    £2,950