Robert Carter Nicholas letter to John Norton, 1769 January 13
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Folder 16
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Williamsburg 13th. Jany. 1769.
Dear Sir
I wrote to you yesterday by a Vessel
which I expected would soon sail from Norfolk
& inclosed you sundry Bills of Excha. amounting to
£1364.15.9 Stg. This is chiefly to hand you duplicates
of those Bills. I am persuaded you'll not think
much of the Trouble I give you, from a Persuasion
that I shall always be glad of an Opportunity to ren:
der you any acceptable Service. The Scarcity of
Money obliges me to accommodate the Merchants, who
engage to pay the People's Taxes by accepting
their Bills; this is not strictly regular, tho' it would
make no Difference if our public Fund, from
the great Difficulty in collecting the Duties &c. was
not in Arrears. You'll be pleased to open a distinct
Account with me as Treasurer for these Bills. The
Country will be indebted to Mr. Montagu next
March £1000 Stg., which I shall take the Liberty
of drawing upon you for; Most of the Bills are
drawn at fewer Days Sight than the accustom'd
issuance & payable in London, that you might be in
Cash. I did not think it handsome to send Mr. Mon:
tagu to Scotland for his Money, which is the Reason
of my giving you this Trouble. I may have Occasion
to draw upon you for the Bala.; if any Expence
attends negotiating these Bills, be pleased to let me
know what it is upon each. The Losses I have sustain'd
in my slaves, and my Inclination to enlarge my Plantation
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added to the considerable Sum I laid out last year in
purchasing tobacco, have left me pretty bare of Cash;
so that I may be obliged to avail myself of yr. Friend:
ship by several Draughts; You are already advised
of all the Bills I have drawn, except the last to
Miss Mary Davenport for £100 Stg., which I don't
doubt you'll give due Honor to. I will be as sparing
as I can, & you may be assured that I will not suffer
you to be long, if at all in Advance for me.
I was surprized when I recd. my Acct. Current,
not to find myself charged with a Bill of £40 to
Mr. Earnshaw & supposed it had miscarried; but
your after Letter informed me that the Omission
happen'd thro' Mistake; you have before this
I hope rectified it. I send you a List of the Bills &a
Memo. of a few Books for my Children, which
you'll be pleased to send me by the earliest
Opportunity. I before advised you of the Death
of my Friend Mr. Ambler, & desired to have a
State of the Acct. with his Estate. I trouble you
with this small Invoices for Estate & Mrs.
Ambler; you'll be pleased to have the Things
sent in separate Packages under different
Marks, & let the Account be distinct, that we
May avoid Confusion in our Transactions.
I mention'd to you in the Fall that Mr. James
Cocke had Thoughts of sending to you for another
Parcel of Goods & that if he could satisfy
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you, as to the Remittances being made in agreeable
Time, I had no objection to standing his Security
ultimately; this I confirm; but if you ship
him any more Goods, lest any Accident should
happen to him, I repeat the Request made in
several former Letters, that the Bills of Lading
may be fill'd up to me; tho' the Acct. may be
made up, as he directs, just inclosed to me.
I had the strongest Assurances that he would
remit you the Bala. of the last Parcel from
the last Count; you'll be pleased to let me
know how that Acct. stands. I write in
a good deal of Confusion, Mrs. Nicholas
being very ill, & I myself out of Order, tho'
not so much as to make me forget that I
am always with the hightest Esteem. Dr. Sir,
Yr. affte. & mo. obt. Sert.
Ro. C. Nicholas
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Virginia 13th Jany 1769
Ro C. Nicholas Esqr.
Rec'd the 20th Feby
Goods for sundry accots.
as p Letter entd pa 81
& 82
Ansd th Mar. 1769
p Briliant