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

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Assurances I have of an happy Establishment therein, which doubt not will be Crown'd with an Answerable Success.

I Confess the Repeated Complaints of ye Barbarous Usage of {several} Gentlemen here by some of our Barbadians, from their deferrence in Remittances, & Unaccountable Negligence in ye Species Exported; has justly Incensed some very Generous Traders, & been so great a Discouragement to them, that they scarce harbour any thoughts of Ad= =venturing our Way again. – Now I am well Apprised by this high Impudence our Country has lost ye bright Characters of Honour & Honesty, & we are all Reckoned as birds of a Feather, tho' we have men of sincere & Irreprovable deportment with us.

It is not my Province to Inform You who I apprehend these men are, nor to suppose those of a Reverse Reputation, but this I shall Freely Assure You, if we have ye Honour of Your Commands in Barba= =dos; You shall find none ever discharged themselves with more Fideli= =ty, Industry, & Integrity, & yt will give an Higher Satisfaction to their Employers than, Sir,

Your most Obedient, Humble {Servants}

{Hugh} Hall & Co.

To Mr. J. Horagan In Seralion}

London August 2nd 1717

Sir

It is no small Pleasure & Satisfaction to me, to find our former Amicable Correspondence Productive of so Generous a Favour (as I perceive by my Father You have done me, by Your late Congratulations) which being so Unexpected, sufficiently Evidences Your Caresses Sincere, & not the Vain Starts of Complement, & Ethe= =rial Flights of Ceremony, which our Modish Young Gentlemen too frequently now a days barter in.

I hope this Resurrection of our Friendship will now be Immortal, & that this long Interval of Silence was only to Conduce to a Stricter Al=

=liance

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Alliance; as a Demonstration whereof, I now Assure you there shall be no Neglect on my Part studiously to Advance ye same.

It is my present Unhappiness not to have Yours before me, so can on= =ly Return You my Reciprocal good Wishes, as a general Acknow= =ledgment at this time.

I Presume You have E're this been Informed of my Safety here, & the Views I have of great Success in Merchantile Affairs.

It would be a gross Tautology to Acquaint You, what Foundation my Father has Afforded me, & ye Advantages I have by being in Partner= =ship with him, having fully wrote several of my Friends, whom You have some Acquaintance with.

I have lately presented Mr Dows with a Demi-Satyr, & Mr Wentworth with my Speculations since my Arrival here, which doubt not You'l have a Sight of.

I Perceive the Latter has (made) me a handsome Tender of being his Cor= =respondent in Barbados, which with several other Solicitations from Your Place, will propitiously Introduce me a great Trade with Your Party. To which End I am Resolved (thrô Divine Grace) to discharge my self with that Honesty, Fidelity, & Integrity, as shall Constrain their Honourable Character of me.

I Persuade my self Your Candour will pass over these Plain, & Familiar hints; upon which I Promise upon my Return to {Barbados} to give You a more Correct Testimony of my being, In the highest Regards,

Your Sincere Friend, & most Obedient Humble {Servant}

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To Mr Joshua Winslow {Merchant} In Boston } {per} {Captain} Gore

London August 2nd 1717

Madam,

Tho Propitious Opportunity of Your Congratulations Presented at ye very Moment I was Conjecturing Your Receipt of one of mine, of ye same date, wch seem'd to Confirm me in my Augury.

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The Honourable Character You are Informed I had in Barbados, wth the Applause of my Country-Men, thô I cant plead any Merit, yet have always Studied a good Deportment, & am Resolved (thrô the Grace of God) to Carry an Unsullied Reputation to my Grave.

I am now to Acquaint you the present Conveyance favourably Offers by the {Honourable} {Colonel} Tailor our late Governor whose Company I have often had the Honour of, & Entred an Intimacy with, & doubt not his Friend= =hip may be very Serviceable to me upon several Accounts.

I have also troubled him with sundries tendred to Your Acceptance as a Sincere thô small Acknowledgmt of my being, with ye utmost deferrence Your Dutifull Son,

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To Mrs Lydia Colman In Boston

London {August} 2nd 1717

{Worthy} Sir

My first Address to You was a gratefull Acknow= ledgment of Your several Favours while under ye benign Influences of your good Government; with a General Reason for my Entring a Merchantile life, & ye Views I Intended to Prosecute upon my Ar= ral here. – – I Presume You have been Acquainted of my {Honourable} Reception in Barbados by most Gentlemen of Rank & Distinction there, from ye happiness of whose Favour, I came here Attended with a train of Recomendations, which have Introduced me the Company of several Members of Parliament, & an Intimacy with men of bright Character & good Figure; which Advantage I shall [Cauteously Improve at every Favourable Opportunity.

I should now have given you a Sketch of News & modestly At= tempted a Prophesy of the Consequence of ye Unhappy Contests of the Present Ministry; but am Sensible the Bearer can give You a more Accurate Account than I can Pretend to.

I now as a small Testimony of ye Regard I owe my Beautifull Mo= ther, have Dedicated to the Use of her Sons, a Compleat System of Divinity, by that Noble Prelate, Bishop Beveridge; with a Disser= tation of Atheism; & Intended several others, which I Expected

would

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would have been Published ere this Time, but their waiting for further Subscriptions have deferred them.

I have nothing further to Add than ye Repeated Assurances of my being, In the highest Regards,

{Honourable} Sir, Your Dutifull Son & Obedient {Humble} {Servant}

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To the {Honorable} John Leverett {Esquire} In Cambridge. {per} {ditto} }

London August 10th 1717

My First to You was Penn'd Immediately upon my Retirement, after having been Moderator to ten Thou= sand Furies, in two Female Monsters under ye Common Apellatives of Whigg & Tory; & seeming to be Placed in ye Chair of a Comenta= tor I thought by my Extempore flights of Fancy, I might Pretend to an Equal Inspiration with my Neighbours, & so without an Impri= matur, Publish my Descants upon their Unreasonableness, draw the Vail from of their Imperfections, & set those two Daughters of Darkness in their propper light; to ye End, they might see their own Deformities, Retract their Errors, & hiss these foolish Distinc= tions from ye Stage of Reason.

The Introduction of my first, thô it may seem to have a Tincture of Bombastry, I am Persuaded upon a Second Reading You'l Find it was neither Studied nor Affected; but purely ye Result of what we form an Instantaneous Thought.

I should now have Further Regaled You, with some Remarks I have made upon those Locusts of time & Conversation ye Courtier, & Beau Esprit, whose Essential Constituents are Sparkling Drapery, Eternal Cringes, & Unlimited Impertinencies, Complicated with a Confidence to Blazon their great Proficiency in Vice Rampant. But I shall divert this Theme, & pass to a General Answer of the Favour I Perceive by my Father You lately Directed to me.

I Understand after Your Friendly Congratulations You (with

some

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some others) have made me a handsome Tender of Your Corre= spondence in Barbados, which Voluntary Offers (I'le Assure You) I Esteem ye highest Evidences of that Sincere Regard, Ye all Expressed for me; & tho' I am here at present Establishing a happy Correspondency, yet I hope ere Christmas to be in Barbados, where If I meet ye Honour of Your Commands, shall demonstrate to You, that there are none here in a better Capacity to Serve You than my self; & I am Resolved to Acquit my self with that Honour, Honesty, & Integrity; as shall Merit ye highest Approbation from all such as it shall be my good Fortune to be Concerned with; In the Interim I am,

Dear Sir,

Your Sincere Friend, & Devoted {Humble} {Servant}

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To Mr. Benning Wentworth {Merchant} in Boston. {per} Walker }

London August 16th 1717

Your by {Captain} Buckley have Received Inclosed in one from my Father, & find there by Your Direction & Distinc= tions ye highest Caution, as if You were dealing with one of ye same Kidney with your late Antagonist.

I can't but observe a very Unpolite & Assuming Freedom, backt with my Obligations, which seems more ye Product of an Incor= rect & Supercilious thought than ye Mint of a Familiar & Amicable temper, & I am Persuaded upon a Strict Examinati= on, You'l Find it had been better omitted than Intimated to me.

Since this one of ye 11th of June has Reacht my Hands, Stating a Gen'l Account between us, & Your Intended Remit= tance of ye Ballance; which I little Expected would have fal= len short of ye Summ directed; however have no Occasion or desire, for Your being in Advance for me.

The Furniture of my Chamber You Possess, have once or twice Or:

dered