Hall, Hugh. Letter book : manuscript, 1716-1718. MS Am 1042. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

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Barbados {February} 28th 1716

Sir,

Yours with Coppy I lately Received & am fully persuaded of your Laudable Industry in all my Concerns. I am Sensible, it was not out of any great Advantage You could Propose Your self, in so readily Accepting ye Agency of my Affairs, which You did with so Generous a freedom, that of rather took it as a Demonstra= =tion of that Friendship You always Expressed to me.

I Observe what you Write relating to Mr T _ _ l & much Admire at his Deportment, not in the least Surmising such a Complication of Imprudences in him, which has blazoned his Character, & I believe given him a Vien of their Consequences; & he may depend on it, since he has lived so long with You, as to be Administrator to his own Good Name; I shall need no Prompt, now he is Arrived here, Effectually to blow up that Magazine of Villany, I discover in him & Convince him, I'le make him Honest to me, whoever else he may Play ye Knave with.

I hope e're this, You have Collected most if not all my Debts, but if any Yet Remain, desire you would Admitt of no Indulgences upon any Specious Pretences whatsoever, & Let your Remittances be in Good Train Oyl (if to be Procured) which I think is the least Precarious of all other Species Imported here.

You have here a Stated Account between Mr Smith & my Self (which I Expected not to have been troubled with, having given you a Verball Order, before I left your place of Setling with him) & if we Disagree in any of ye small Articles, would not have You Contest with him, but Ballance what is due to his Satisfaction.

–– I have now sent Sundries which I would desire you would Present with my Humble Service According to ye Directions in ye Invoice, & You will add to ye Obligations, of

Your Friend, {Servant}

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To Mr Joseph Parsons

{Merchant} in Boston

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Barbados {February} 28th, 1716/7

Sir

It has been much to my Dissatisfaction that (since my arriv -al) till now, there has not one direct Conveyance offered, to Intimate my Manual Delivery of each of Yours, & ye Gratefull Reception they met with.

The Distinguishing Character You were pleased to give of me to my Father, with ye Tender Affection you Resign'd me to him; were Favours that neither of us could have Expected, & for which I can Plead no other Merit, than ye high Veneration I have always had For Your self. The Pleasing Familiarity, & great Condescention, You always used in Your Converse with me, & ye many Civilities I lately Received at Your House, together with ye Favours I just now hinted; has laid me under the highest Obligations, & wholly put it out of my Power, ever to make a Suitable Compensation for ye same.

I Perceive by my Father, he has now Given You his reasons for Fixing me in a Merchantile way, & fully Answered ye many Weighty Arguments You were pleased to lay before him, to Induce his Permis: :sion of my entering on a Pastoral Punction.

I now Assume ye Freedom of signifying my Speedy Intentions for London, upon a very Considerable Foundation; & I don't doubt (thro'Divine Blessing) to Crown ye Schemes I have laid with that Success; as upon my Return to Arrive in as Flourishing Circumstan: :ces as any my Age can Produce.

I shall now only Request Your Addresses to ye Throne of Grace for me, & begg leave to Assure you, I am in all regards,

Reverend Sir,

Your most Humble, & most Obedient {Servant}

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To ye {Reverend}

Mr {Benjamin} Colman

In Boston

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Barbados, {February} 28th 1716/7

Worthy Sir,

Tho' it is not long, since I left Your Wing, yet I have had several Revolutions of ye many Invaluable Favours You Conferred on me, while under the happy Influences of Your good Government; for Which I shall Acknowledge ye Immense Obiligation I am under, & the utter Impossibility of Rendring any Adequate Retributions for ye Same. I am Sensible my present distance has not Prevented Your Regards, but that I have often had not only Your good Wishes, but Your Prayers for as great Succor, as I might Presume to hope for.

It has been much to my Regret, that since I have Arrived here, till now, not one direct Dportunity has offered, for Expressing my Manual Delivery of each of Yours, & ye Gratefull Reception they met within. The many Cogent Arguments you used with my Father to Countenance the Inclinations I had to a Pastoral Function I suppose he has now Answered; & Given his Reasons for fixing me in a Way of Commerce; in which I have had ye highest Demonstrations of his Affection, in the large Assistances now Afforded me, & ye Encouraging Offers he yet Tenders; from which I doubt not (thro' Divine Benediction) in some little time to Establish my self well in ye World.

I take now ye Freedom to Acquaint you, of my Speedy Intentions for London, where I should be Glad to meet your Recomendations of me, to some of ye Royall Society, or South Sea Company, either of which I am well assured will be very Serviceable to some Views I have upon Initiating my Self into a Correspondence with them. I should not have Presumed to Request Your Favour herein, were I not Sensible of Your own good Innate Dispositions; & since its Grounded on ye Generous Offers You made me, I am Persuaded you'l Gratify me herein; wch will Infinitely Oblige,

Your Honours, Most Dutifull Son & Obedient, Humble {Servant} {Hugh} Hall

To ye {Honourable} John Leverett {Esquire}

In Cambridge ––

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Barbados March 6th, 1716/7

Sir

Among ye Train of Congratulations Yours brought up ye Rear, which was a Favour I did not in ye least dream of & so Unexpec: =ted a Manifestation of Friendship, You may think was no small Satisfaction to me.

Your Condolence of my Misfortunes while under ye Frowns of Neptune am Obliged to You for, & Really did I not hope never again to meet his Unlucky Trident should not in hast Cross his Dominions; for I have no Curiosity to Renew a Visit to his Subjects, nor to be tossed about in thou Wooden Worlds called Ships; besides ye Profanity, Nonsense, & Anarchy, which is ones Continual Entertainment are Enough Sufficiently to tire a man of Reason or Religion.

I don't hint this to dissuade You from Travelling, when you have any Assurance of Advancing Your Fortune, nor that it is my reso -lution never to Remove my foot off Terra Firma, but yet I shall never Ramble out of a Giddy humour, to visit another part of ye World, & then Return only with a Journal of my Adventures, to Acquaint my Friends, what Curiosities of Art & Nature I have been Entertained with & perhaps to Add several Romatick Stories of Greater Monsters, than moreover soon or heard of in ye known World, which those that Travel too frequently Assume ye Liberty of.

Your going to Law with Mr B– –l wish You had Informed me of before, that I might have advised you what Methods to Pursue & doubt not to have laid such a Scheme as to Enervate his Designs, & have brought him to a Compliance to your Advantage, but it is too late now, so can only wish You good Success.

Your Offers of Friendship I always Accepted as Sincere, & think you could not have given an higher Demonstration of it than Your Assisting my Attorney in Collecting my Debt; for which Services, you may Rely on Utmost Efforts of Introducing you

here

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here to ye best Advantage, or Promoting Your Interest there in any thing, you Imagine my Capacity Extends to, which I hope You'l be so free as to Intimate to me, & You shall never find it more in my Power than Inclinations to Serve You.

I am (Sir) in all due Regards, Your most Humble Servant

{Hugh} Hall

To Mr. Robert Smith

{Merchant} in Boston

Barbados March 6th 1716/7

Madam

Your several Favours I have had ye Honour of, & it is much to my Dissatisfaction, that none but Circular Oportunities have afforded (since my Arrival) of Rendring Acknowledgements therfor. I have now Assurance of a more hopefull Conveyance of this, & fearing my former may be Retarded, have Given You a copy of each, as well to prevent any Surmises of my Neglect, as to Represent at one View, how particularly I have ballanced ye Scale of Your Requests.

I am frequently Informed of Your great Dejections since I left Your Place, & how Unhappy You deem Your self at our Unavoidable Separation, which I have often Ruminated on with ye same Melancholly Reflections. But I shall now Endeavour to divert this Scene, by a free Information of the Methods I Intend to Pursue, in order to Establish myself well in ye World. You are not Ignorant that when I left Your Place, by a frugal yet Gen =teel way of Living, from ye Generous Sum annually Allowed me for my Education; I had Reserved an handsome Aggregate to begin ye World with, which Probably Surmounted my Fathers Expectations, & I easily beleive, has induced him to make so large an Addition, as he has done since my arrival; he has also laid a Very Probable Scheme for my Advancement by a voyage to England, which (thro' Divine Blessing) doubt not happily

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