less Quantity to arive this. And there has also arived less peper this year in Europe than was expected.

Although we have since the above none of your esteem'd Letters, we will not let any Opportunity escape us whereby we can recall ourselves to your remembrance, and repeat that we are ever devoted to your and your friends Commands. In expectation of them we remain with distinguished Sentiments of regard and respectfully, Sir,

Your Most Oved Ht. Servants. lanibun prern

P. S. Should Captain Rathbone Commander of the Ship Mary, owned by George Gibbs Esqr. of your port, stay's a day or two longer we shall furnish you with fresh prices current.

Sir,

WILLIAM WILLCOCKS TO CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN

Cork, 28th April, 1787.

I REFER you to the Circular letter of my late Partnership, adviseing its dissolution, am about forming another, and my Son is to be one of the House, which he justly merits, from his long experience and attention, when finally agreed on, you shall be informed. in the interim I do business under my present firm, and will be extremely thankful for the favor of your Commands, which shall be attended to with all diligence. good Barrel Staves are worth £7 per M. a Cargo arrived to my late firm yesterday from Philadelphia, for which I expect that price. the same Vessel brought in about 40 Tuns of Pitch, Tar and turpentine, which will be tedious

in the sale. Flaxseed 58 to 60/ per hhd. first quality PotAshes 30/ per Ct. Virginia Tobacco 13 to 15d per lb. Deer skins about 15d, in little demand, and Oak Timber 60 to 70/ per Tun, slow sale. I am respectfully, Sir, Your humble Servant

WILL WILLCOCKS

When I was in Dublin the begining of last Month, I had the pleasure of meeting Captain Sheffield, Captain Rathbone and other Gentlemen from your Neighborhood, at my good friend Mr. Edward Forbes'.

Sir,

MOSES M. HAYS TO CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN

Boston, April 30th, 1787.

YOUR favor of the 26th lays now before me. I have communicated its contents to the underwriters, who would sign a Policy were it now before them at 6 per cent. for the risque you mentioned on the Brig Elizabeth, and not under, and if nothing happens to alter their opinion, by the time I may here from you again the Premium will I suppose be the same, tho' underwriters never hold themselves bound to write at any certain Premium unless the Policy is immediately filled up. I feel much for your situation, respecting publick matters. Perhaps they may mend soon; We have no Paper money underwriters. No Business is done at the Treasury occasioned by the death of our late Treasurer.1 a new one is appointed, and Business will soon take place, when I shall be able to tell you, how your Interest on Consolidated notes can be obtained, I am with respect Your Hble Servant,

M. M. HAYS

1 Thomas Ivers was Treasurer of the Commonwealth in 1787 and Alexander Hodgdon in 1787-88.

BROTHERS DEBAUQUE TO CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN

Gentlemen:

Dunkirk, 8 May, 1787.

WE are favoured with your esteemed of 10th March, since our last respects of the 20th do. to which we refer we are sorry to observe the bad state of your Market for our hemp and iron, that it had not been in your power to command any Money for either; the Prices in Russia and through the whole Baltic are soo greatly advanced for the Hemp, that we have a great expectation to hear from you soon in much better terms. we desire the favour to clear that shipment with all speed:

We have honoured your Draft for £120 St. and it shall timely be paid, the amount carried to your debit.

We observe the Carpenters were to begin the Repair of the Dauphin. we shall be glad to receive your further advises concerning her situation and the Period you esteem the ship shall be ready to return: we are well persuaded that you shall care our interests as your own and we rely entirely on you for all the Particulars concerning that Matter. are respectfully, Gentlemen: Your most obedient Servants, BROTHERS DE BAUQUE

EDWARD FORBES TO SAMUEL FOWLER AND

Gentlemen,

CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN

Dublin, 15 May, 1787.

we

To close a most unfortunate Concern in the Brig Fame, Aaron Sheffield, Master, (formerly the Queen of France) inclosed you have my Power of Attorney to dispose of my one fourth of her on arrival after discharging her Cargo from Copenhagen at Rhode Island, and in Conjunction with the other Owners in Rhode Island namely Mr. Welcome Arnold, Coll Samuel Ward and Samuel Vernon Junior, finally to settle all accounts with Captain Sheffield, and you'll be pleased to concur with the said Gentlemen in sending the

vessell to discharge at Providence or for sale there should they desire it, as I would wish her to be disposed of to the best advantage for the Benefit of all concernd. hitherto we have been unlucky in the Plans that have been pursued, and my not agreeing with them in the voyage they had proposed for her to Copenhagen has made the Business very unpleasant indeed, as you'll see by the inclosed Protest, the Copy of my letter to Mr. Ryberg, and the note sent Captain Sheffield from Drogheda in reply to a letter he wrote me to that Place. you'll also please to receive from the other

Owners my Quarter of the Vessells freight from hence to Copenhagen, and thence to Rhode Island, which they must pay as they sent the vessell on said voyage without my Approbation. I askd Captain Sheffield what he thought it would be worth, who told me £6 Eng per ton for Hemp and in proportion for Iron, and the Gentlemen with you wrote me they thought she would carry 72 tons Hemp and about 25 or 30 of Iron. however this Matter may be easily settled by two intelligent and indifferent Persons to be chosen by you and them, wishing for what is fair and just only, and all Matters settled in an amicable Manner if its possible. You'll likewise be pleased to adjust and settle with Captain Sheffield my account for the cost of the Ship, he not having furnished me with the Particulars thereof untill his arrival here this Voyage, having only given me the amount lump'd in the Account Current he furnished me, of which you have Copy herewith, together with the Account he produced me this Voyage from Messrs. Mason and Malbone. my reason with troubling you therewith is, that Mr. Arnold wrote me his reason for breaking with him for a vessell that he and Coll Ward had agreed for, was that he paid for the half of the Fame in dry Goods, and indeed Mr. Vernon in a letter I had lately from him informs me he thought she might have been purchased for £250 less had she been paid for in Cash, and I do presume this is agreable to the Practice with you as well as throughout all America, if it is so its but fair, that as my was drawn for in favor of his London correspondents, that I should be allowed a

proportionable Part of what Profit he had on the dry Goods he gave Messrs. Mason and Malbone in Payment. I spoke to him on this Subject, and all the Satisfaction he gave me was that the Vessell would not have been purchased for less had the Money been paid for her, but into this I must request you'll be so good to enquire, and if Mr. Arnold and Mr. Vernon are right you'll please to oblige Captain Sheffield to make me a proper Allowance for the same, the Persons from whom she was bought would be proper to enquire of and Coll Ward.

By the inclosed Copy of my Letter to Messrs. Arnold, Ward and Vernon you'll perceive the footing Captain Sheffield and I parted upon, the Morning of the day of the Protest being made say the 20th April, I told Captain Sheffield in presence of the Notary I would go to Drogheda that Evening, and requested he would determine where he would go to with the Vessell. his Answer was he would consult some Persons. the next day the 21st he protested against me for going out of town and not leaving any Letters for him, tho' the same day he wrote me to Drogheda that I should return as soon as possible that he might take the Opinion of two Persons where he should proceed to. his Behaviour to me obliged me to write him the Note I did from Drogheda, and on my Return to Dublin I told him I could have no Conversation with him but in Presence of a third Person, but he never afterwards came to speak to me, and sail'd without letting me know where he would proceed to which I afterwards found out was to Copenhagen, as you'll see by my Letter to Mr. N. Ryberg; sorry and concerned I am to have Occasion to trouble you on so very disagreeable a Business, but as I would do the same and more to serve you, I hope you'll act in this Affair for me as if it was your own, which will truly oblige, Gentlemen, Your most humble Servant,

EDWARD FORBES

I will send you next Opportunity the Copy of my letter to the other Owners if I have not time to do it now, to whom