which you'l be so good as to attend to. I am most respectfully, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, EDWARD FORBES P. S. If the Northern Powers continue the War next Summer Your Naval Stores will be wanted; I think Pitch and Tar must answer if bought cheap. Pot ashes 34/ White Pearl ashes 33/ to 34/ per Ct. both of first Quality. Sir, JOSEPH LAWRENCE TO CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN Providence, August 19th, 1788. I HAVE been apply'd to by one of the Committee for Building a Meeting house in Franklin (State of Massachusetts)1 for 10 Boxes of 8 by 10 Window Glass, and Painters Colours sufficient to paint the same for which he offers to pay in good merchantable Flaxseed at the going price when he receives the Glass which he wants in September. if you have the Glass and Painters Colors and the pay will suit please to let me know by the boat. the price of Seed is not broke here a small Quantity has been brought in and sold at 3/6 and the last at 3/. I am Sir yours, JOSEPH LAWRENCE BENJAMIN PEIRCE TO CHRISTOPHER AND GEORGE CHAMPLIN Copenhagen, August, 20th, 1788. Gentlemen, I SAIL this day in company with Capt. Page. I have on board 40 tons clean hemp 300 pieces Sail Cloth, 45 do. Ravens duck 58 Chests Bohea, 2 Boxes Green Tea and 8 tons of Iron as cargo which fills the Elizabeth full. there is a ballance of 16 Chests of tea due which will be shipp'd in the Ship Hope Capt. Jacob Westcot for providence. She will sail in all September. I am, Gentlemen, Your Obedient Servant BEN PEIRCE 1 See Blake, History of Franklin, 54. Ben Perre C. S HIPP'D by the grace of God, in good order, and well-condition'd, by in and upon the good Bilg called whereof is master, under God for this prefent voyage, inf and now riding at anchor in Copenhagen road and by God's grace bound for Newport in Rhode Island to fay CG G. Fifty Eight Chests Bohea N. 1. 58. C G C Tea in Matts Three small Boxes Tea in Cloth being marked and numbered as in the margin, and to be delivered in the like good order, and well-condition'd, at the aforefaid port of Newport. (the danger of the feas only excepted) nuto Christ & Ges Champlins Esp or to the affigns, he or they paying freight for the faid goods Owners Goods with primage and average accustomed. In witnefs whereof, the mafter or purfer of the faid Aug. 1788 to her defired port in fafety. Amen. Dated in Copenhagen 20". A Sir, EDWARD FORBES TO CHRISTOPHER CHAMPLIN Dublin, 29th August, 1788. I REFER you to my letter of the 12th instant via New York. Since received your always esteem'd of the 16th ulto. via Cork handing Sales of the Spermaceti Candles in which account you debit me £4.7.8 ballance of Candles returned per Captain Sheffield out of my part of the Candles received for the of the Ship. in your and Messrs. Fowlers letter of 12 September (last,) you desire me for to charge Captain Sheffield with that Sum which I did with other Items and sent the account to his wife and if I recollect under cover and open to you fully persuaded the Amount or Ballance you would of course have received for me so that if you have repaid this Sum to her its against me having no property of his in my hands to have stopt that Sum and wrote her to pay the whole Amount as furnished into your and Mr. Fowlers hands - so that I think you should at least receive the same back. I made a mistake in debiting Mr. Ward Arnold and Vernon for the of the Copenhagen freight as Currency in place of British Money tho indeed your Letter was very explicit on this point. you have my thanks for settling my account so properly with Mr. Ward and have charged the other Gentlemen with the difference, and you have both my best thanks for your good Sales of the Candles as well as for the Settlement of that unfortunate Vessels accounts. In my letter of the 12th instant to you and Messrs. Fowlers I sent Sales of your Flaxseed per the Hope and tho there are some of the debts yet due shall take them all on myself to ease your minds and this post remitted Messrs. Lane Son and Frazer £110 Brit: which will nearly ballance your accounts, and by a ship to sail for New York in a few days your Account Current will be furnished. with respect to the unfortunate bad debt made on Sales of youre Neighbours, Mr. Handys Flaxseed, it was not my fault, for I did enquire the Mans Character before I delivered him the same and was inform'd he was safe and if your Seed has been as clean and as well looking as youre Neighbours probably he would have had more of yours. My making this and another bad debt made me use every precaution possible this Spring and it gives me inexpressible pleasure on your and other friends Accounts that I am not likely to make any this year at least tho all is not received yet as I before wrote you I take them on myself and flatter myself upon a review of the whole of the Sales and bad debts they will appear as good and the bad ones as few as my Neighbours. If they do not turn out so I can only assure you its not my fault convinced no man endeavours to do more in every sense of the word to serve his friends than I do. were the property my own I could not do more. I am told that in consequence of a bad debt made for Mr. Gibbs that he has got Mr. Norris to guarantee the Sales of his goods. if you desire it I shall do yours on the like terms. I know two Years ago a Gentlemen who had Flaxseed consigned him from New York was so unlucky as to have made two or three heavy ones and his friends afterwards agreed to allow him 4 per cent. Commission and for insuring debts this Commission he tells me he has charged ever since and I can have no objection to act by you and other friends as my Neighbours do; and then you'll be on a certainty that the produce of your goods will be secured. The bad debt made on your Sales by Thomas Dungan who was robb'd I expect a dividend next November it will be about 15d per pound. I cannot help it as you mentioned Mr. Handys name to say that he has treated me very ungenerously after the promise [his] Son made me of punctual Remittance. I sent his account to Messrs. Russells of Providence as I knew one [of] their Daughters married his Son, so I thought they would have been more likely to influence him to remit me. its such behaviour sours Men from assisting their friends and tends to destroy confidence between Man and Man. I am, Sir, Your most humble Servant EDWARD FORBES EDWARD JAMES SMITH AND CO. TO CHRISTOPHER AND GEORGE CHAMPLIN Gentlemen: St. Petersburg, the 5th September, 1788. It was the 21st July we had the Pleasure to write you last, when we chiefly advised that your Brig the Elizabeth, Captain Benjamin Peirce was sailed from hence for Copenhagen. We have got now lately the News from our mutual Friend Nicholas Ryberg Esqr. of Copenhagen, that said your Brigg is not only dispatched there, but sailed also from thence, of which doubt not our mutual Friend has advised you. We have likewise very gladly observed in the Sound Lists he is safely passed Elsineur and we hope will be safe arrived with you before receipt of this, which we heartily wish, and then we flatter ourselves the Hemp we shipt for your account will give satisfaction, also as Capt. Peirce was satisfied with our Management, that we shall have the honour of executing all your Commands at this place in the next year, for which purpose we recommend ourselves in your favours and Friendship, requesting to be assured of our utmost Endeavours for your Interest and to merit the Continuance of your Commands. The inclosed for Captain Benja Peirce beg to deliver. By his Recommandation we dispatched from hence a Brig the Hope, commanded by Captain Benjamin Page belonging to Messrs. Brown and Francis of Providence, and upon a Letter of Credit supplied this Captain with what Goods he wanted from hence for account said Gentlemen; But as this Captain did not take his full Cargo here and wanted yet Goods from Copenhagen, for which he had no Credit with him, we furnished him with a Letter of Credit for that purpose on our Friend N. Ryberg Esqr. and recommended said Gentleman to provide Captain Page with the Goods he might want, which has been done to the Amount of £1050. Sterling, for which said Captain passed his Drafts upon his Owners Messrs. Brown and Francis at Providence Rhode Island. at 6 Months date in favour of our Friends Messrs. John |