Letters – Joseph Richmond to Walter Blackett – 16 Feb 1759

To Sir Walter Blackett as above						16 Febry 1759

Honrd Sir	

I find that the <Cas> whose Stew[ar]d applied to you & Mr Ridley persist in opposing the watch & Lamp bill  I am told the Butchers Co[mpany] have advanced 5 Guin[eas] the Coopers 4 Guin & the other Co[mpanies] 2 guin[eas] each & the Managers are going ab[ou]t the town to collect w[ha]t money they can get & they boast they have already raisd between £80 & £100.  The Managers are Mr Tho[mas] Davison Mr R[ichar]d Wilson & Mr Smales & they were at Durham yesterday to advise w[i]th Mr Rudd ab[ou]t drawing their petition & its matter of debate among them who they will desire to present it for Mr Ridleys & your joint Lre is not satisfactory to them all as they think you incline rather for the bill.  This is an unlucky business wch will create a deal of ill humour in the town & I wish it c[oul]d be rectified by any reasonable expedient.  I cannot think of any method to conciliate matters, but either to withdraw the petition or the corpora[tion] to pay w[her]e the expense may exceed 3d in the po[un]d. but as to the withdrawing the petition it may justly be said it is giving up too much & will disoblige the greater p[ar]t of the petitioners & whether the opponents wo[ul]d now be satisfied to pay 3d in the po[un]d is a question as the matter is now gone so far & the Managers have now got the money into their hands.  Let the matter and as it will you have no Occasion to be any way uneasy abo[ut] it, for they all know you had no hand in projecting it-

The Money I shall want to pay Weardale Mines & the Lead Mils will be abo[u]t £5000 – As to Mr Bell he cannot expect his money at a days warning he will be satisfied if he can have it in 6 months & I hope to be able to pay off in that time.  It will be equal to have Postbank bills sent me down for 3 or 400L [pounds] each or for me to have liberty to draw at 25 days date for what money I want, but bank bills will be more unexceptionable than bills of my drawing – I am sorry I sh[oul]d have misunderstood you ab[ou]t the 200 g for I tho[ugh]t you s[ai]d afterw[ar]ds I need not send it – Mr Gamble has not yet been able to get a good salmon was fit to pickle, for we have had but very little except w[ha]t comes f[ro]m Carlisle, wch he does not think proper to send you – We have had surprising fine weather for the last six weeks & the spring is almost as forw[ar]d as in May – Mr Ald[erman] Simpson sets forw[ar]d tomorrow & purposes to be in London on Tuesday  I am &c JR