Letters – Joseph Richmond to Walter Blackett – 14 Dec 1755

To Sir W[alte]r Blackett Bart. in Lond[o]n

14 Dec 1755

Hon. Sir

I waited on Mr Ord yesterday agreeable to your Directions & desired to know his Resolution about Kenton estate, but cannot find he is resolvd one way or other. he desired me to send him a Rental which I shall do tho I gave him one 12 months agoe, & says he will examine into the Estate & give you a definitive Answer when he comes to London which will be the latter End of Jan[ua]ry. He talks as if he still has some Expectation of getting West Kenton, which he says will be an inducement to his concluding with you, for as the Colliery is undivided he thinks it would be best that the Estate should all be in one hand, I do not think he will buy Kenton tho it would be a very cheap Purchase at £20000. I am very glad to find the Disaster at Lisbon is not so bad as was at first represented, & that there are some Reasons to hope for an accomodation with France, as the same would revive the Lead trade in which nothing att all is done here, for I cannot get a Pig sold at any price. It is a hard matter to know who to trust at this time, & I do not know what End it might answer to apply directly to Mr Stainbank as he has declined giveing any Answer to Messrs Peareth & Sorsbies repeated Letters. I therefore now think it would be better to forbear takeing this step till wee see a little further, if it were not for your wanting money, & Messrs Lascelles their intrest, which I doubt will lay you under some difficulties, I am endeavouring to raise money to pay the Lead mils, which should now be done, for the People are pressing for their money, & I hope to be able to pay them before Candlemas, but then I do not see when it can be in my Power to make you any Remittance, I therefore desire your Directions whether I am to make this Pay as soon as I can, or postpone it, I have sold a h[ogs]h[ea]d of Clarkes wine to Mr James Atkinson for £28.  I am etc    JR