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

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London {September} 25 1717

Sir:

I have lately been Indulged with a 3rd Instance of Your Favour, noting ye hourly Expectations of ye News of our Arrival, & ye Satisfaction You take in ye Assurance of my own Confirmation thereof.

I have often Caculated ye time of me Departure from our Me: :ridian, & find our Voyage so far Exceeded ye Limits of Your Predicted Journal, & the Vessel I first Wrote by was so long Detained (by contrary Winds) in ye Downs that there is not ye least Probability of Your Information till Lammas day.

The Spanish Money You sent has Arrived in ye most Lucky time in the World, for ye East India Company has been Disappointed :ed of a Cargo Supply Expected from Jamaica which has Occa: "sioned its sudden Start to 5 {shillings/ 9 {pence} {per} Ounce, by ye Pulse of the Bankers I am Persuaded ye Price is yet Advancing.

I have often Enquired both upon ye Exchange at ye Virginia Coffee house for {Colonel} Hill, & find he is not here in England. I cant any ways Encourage Your Sending Mould Candles they paying an Excessive Duty here, for which Reason Those I brought with me are yet Retain'd in ye Custom House.

Since my last I Understand by Mrs. Mendez she is settling Affairs with her Brother in Law here which when Concluded she Intends You (by her Attorney) an Offerr of her other house Opposite to ye Tenement You are desirous of, which if I mistake not Mrs. Tyack lives in:

Sir {William} Humphrey & Sir Peter Meyer I have lately Spent some time with at their Country Seats; who often have Express :sed, & especially ye former their high Obligations to Your Inde: :fatigable Industry in their Concerns, & with that seeming Sin: :cerity that I easily beleive, had You not wrote with that In: :difference for ye Place of Judge of Admiralty, they would have Used their Utmost Interest in procuring it for You, but it is now too late Mr. Tryon, & some others having Obtain'd a Pattent for the late Sinner; who for his Corruption was Displaced.

I

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I must Acknowldge I have been treated here Universally with a great deal of Honour & Respect; & by several both Un :known to You & my self till Favoured by an Accidental Intro: :duction of their Company.

There has lately been such Contests here among the Clergy, that the Nation has been in a very great Forment, insomuch that if any Alterations were Intended in our Government they have been Diverted by ye Noise & Clamour of these hot-Headed Furies.

I have now Ship'd You sundry dry Goods for which You have Inclosed a bill of Loading & Invoice, which hope may Surmount ye Common advance & perticulary ye Millionery Ware. - The box of Paintings & Prints I have only in general given ye Price of, because I would not have them disposed of till my Arrival with You; which I Conjecture may be in a Month after Your Re: :ceipt of this in {Captain} Ward who is now ye next Intended.

My very good Friend Mr. Nisbett (in whose Affecrtion I am well Grafted) has Consigned sundries, part of which I have Advised him to, & hope ye rest may Answer for his Expectations. - Part of Duroys, Silk druggitty, Shooes, hats, & Edgings are Mentioned in Mrs. Crofts Invoice so Presume it Propper to make her ye 1st Offerr. I have a happy Result of my Acquaintance with Mr. Alton my Fellow passenger, & Mr Betteress (an Ingenious Gentleman who Admitted him in Partnership) by their kind Offerrs of ye Consign: :ment of their Sloop gone to Guinea for Negroes, which they Conjecture with Arrive with us about Christmas. They are also about purchasing Another which they Intend for us, so desire if they now Write You as they hinted to me; You would give all Encouragement of Speedy Remittances, & a punctual Compliance to any common Forms I should Oblige my self to

I persuade my self, I shall Answer every {per}ticular Direction in Yours by Harris to Your satisfaction; so now shall only Fur: :ther Assure You of my Resolution of ever Maintaining ye Cha: :ractor I have Assumed of being

In ye highest Regards Your Dutifull Son,

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To Hugh Hall {Esquire} {Merchant} in Barbados } {per} {Captain} Combs.

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London {September} 25th 1717

Honoured Madam,

Since my Departure, I have often Re: :flected with a great deal of Pleasure & Satisfaction on ye high Instances of Your Favour, while Present with You; & more espe: :cially on ye great Demonstrations of Your Love & Affection at our Parting; with Your tender Resignation of me at the ye same time. I must Confess I cant suitably Raise ye Proportion of Honour Respect, & Reverence, I owe you, & notwithstanding I Blazon Your universal good Character, (& particularly in ye Relation You stand in) to all Your & my Friends who Inquire of Your Welfare; I readily Acknowledge I fall very short of Your Merits.

I should long e're this have Addressed You, but was Willing to Evidence my Industry in Your Adventure, which (I am thankful) has just now been Crowned with ye Success of two several offerrs of Gauze Scarves, Embroidered Aprons, Ribbonds, or any Sort of Millionery Wares, at Money Price; in a way of Barter, for ye whole Quantity of Citron Water at 10 {pence} a Quart Bottle, which is ye present height of ye Market, & they being Intermediate Friends to the Court (of whom they make great Advantage) hope to Engage ther Promises of taking a Further Supply; & so bring your Citron Wa: :ter into ye best Repute.

I hope You wont take it Amiss, if I Acquaint You great part of what is here both of this & ye last years Stilling, is really Muddy with ye Sediment of Sugar, at ye least motion; others have large Black motes in them, which I Impute to ye Careless & Idle Method our Blacks take in Washing ye bottles: And a 9 {pence} defect is ye Want of Flowers in them, which is Reckoned Essential in ye Sale. Each of which I must desire You for ye future to prevent for Your own Interest, & I Intend to fix a Correspond here who may dispose of any You send after my return to You, & so once or twice a Year Invest ye Returns. I have already procured ye Particulars for Your Self , which with Your Cargo, I hope {per}sonally in a Month after Your Receipt of this to Pre: :sent You with; In ye Interim, I am, (Dear Mother)

Your Dutifull Son

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To {Madam} Ann Hall In Barbados - }

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London {October} 2nd 1717

Honoured Sir,

Your last Favour reacht me just at ye Close of my large Letter which Obliged me to give only a bare hint of ye Receipt of it; & an Intent of following Your Or: :ders therein; since which I have disposed of the Spanish Money sent by Mackey ay 5 {shillings}/ 10 {pence} {per} Ounce, & have ye same Offerrs for ye last parcell, but am willing to Retain it a little longer from a Private Information I have of its great Demand.

The Bills of Exchange Inclosed have offered to Captain Richards, but cant prevail for Acceptance he several times Averring to me, there is but a trifling ballance between him :self & {Captain} Jones; & that unless he should Receive Effects within ye daies of Notation he should not discharge ye Bill, so that I find there is danger of a Protest.

The Furniture for ye dining Room with Your Prescriptions am strictly following, & also providing my own Cargo; so that I hope this may be the last litoral Address, & that the next Opportunity I may personally Embrace You: In ye Interim I beg leave to Assure You,

I am, Your most Dutifull Son,

{Hugh} Hall {Junior}

To Hugh Hall {Esquire} {Merchant} in Barbados }

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London {October} 25th 1717

Honoured Sir

Had not this Propitious Opportunity Offered I should have Remain'd in Arrear to You for ye two last Instances of Your Affection lately Received, the former Noting ye perticular Joy my first Messenger brought; & Your earnest desire of being let into ye Success of my Bills, & ye effect of ye Retinue of Recomendations which attended me to this Place: which Information by a Postscript in Your latter must have Reacht You just before Your Sealing ye same. I have within this few days been with Sir {William} Humphrey, Sir Peter Meyer, & Mr. Stewart, & have Apologized according to Your directions, & assure You, each of them Express their high Approbation of Your Conduct in their Affairs, & very Codially desired me to Present their Humble Services to You.

I was a few day ago very luckily Introduced ye Company of two Gentlemen just Arrivied from Virginia, who were well Acquainted with {Colonel} Hill there, by whom I Perceived he had no Intentions of Coming to England this Year.

I also fortunately (upon Enquiry for Dr. Nusum at the Philadelphia Coffeehouse) fell in Company with one {Captain} Can: :eran very lately come from thence, who freely hinted his great Intimacy with ye Doctor, & {that} by ye Favour of his Recomendations he had ye Honor of a Personal Knowledge of {Colonel} Cox an Un: :kle to ye Mrs. Newman You mention as ye Doctors Idol.

Now this Gentleman has Informed me that (a Report) of Dr. Nusums Wife being alive in Jamaica, had fix'd a Resolution in ye Lady not to Entertain him, so that he is neither to accompany or follow her here to London, which renders Your direction Impracticable.

I Intend in a day or two Another Visitt to Mrs Mendes, & strenu: ously to Urge her Orders for sale of ye Promises (so often promised) by {Captain} Ward, who I Conjecture, I shall take my Passage with, Hurrying all I can to get away; so that in an Ordinary way, You way expect me within three Weeks of Your Receipt of this, till