Robert Carter Nicholas letter to John Norton, 1769 January 13

Title

Robert Carter Nicholas letter to John Norton, 1769 January 13

Date

Description

Robert Carter Nicholas letter to John Norton, merchant in London, England. Nicholas writes concerning several bills of exchange; the scarcity of money affecting the people's ability to pay taxes; the colonies debt to its agent, Edward Montagu; his losses in slaves and his lack of cash; his bill drawn on Norton for Mary Davenport; books for his children; the death of Edward Ambler; goods for James Cocke and a bill of £40 payable to Mr. Earnshaw.

Identifier

MS 1936.3.168
Folder 16

Source

John Norton and Sons Papers, MS 1936.3

Publisher

Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Original Format

Ink on paper

Text


Recto

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

Citation

Nicholas, Robert Carter, 1728-1780, “Robert Carter Nicholas letter to John Norton, 1769 January 13,” John Norton & Sons Papers, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, accessed March 29, 2024, https://rocklibnorton.omeka.net/items/show/168.