Harrison & Hooe Letterbook, 1789-1796 (Images 276-374)

Mesrs Jacob Dohrman & Co [Company] Lisbon Alexa [Alexandria] Decemr [December] 31st 1793

Gent [Gentlemen]

Your esteem'd [esteemed] favor of the 21st Feby [February] 1793 I Recd [Received]. I am under obligation to you for the Advices it contain'd [contained]. Your Remarks on the Trade between Philadelphia & Lisbon is but too true, & even between this & Lisbon Speculations have been often carried far beyond the Mark of PrudenceBut however in general Wheat & Flour can be Shipt [Shipped] from this Port 10 PCt [Percent] under the Prices at Baltimore & Philadelphia, & generally as good an exchange on London can be obtaind [obtained] here as at either of those places. To Prove these things the Coasting Vessells [Vessels] are constantly employed in carrying Wheat to those places & I can venture to say the bulk of the Wheat exported from by them is from Virginia.

If Vessells [Vessels] can be obtain'd [obtained], I think during the War very handsome Speculations between this and Lis - bon Lisbon may be made in Wheat & Flour. I will be one half concern'd [concerned] in all Cargoes you may order Provided you stand Concern'd [Concerned] the other half & Lodge a Credit in London for Payment of my Bills whenever they appear for amount of the Cargoes Shipt [Shipped] accompanied with orders for Insurance Bills of Lading & Invoice. This I think but reasonable when it comes to be consider'd [considered] that I am to do the Business here with ready Money, & am in the first Instance at the whole Advance.

Our last crop was very plentifull [plentiful] but of light quality - Wheat at present rates at 5/6 to 5/9 P [Per] 60lls [pounds] & Flour from 30 to 32/ P [Per] 196 lbs [pounds]. I should suppose you might at all times Charter Sweedish [Swedish] Vessells [Vessels] & Load them for this place with Salt, which might be consider'd [considered] as part Pay -ment of the Wheat & Flour and would tend to lessen the Frieght.

I am &C [etcetera]

Exch [Exchange] on London 37.5 to 40

Messrs [Messieurs] Maynes & Brown (Lisbon) Alexandria Decemr [December] 31st 1793.

Gent [Gentlemen]

Your several favors of the 7th Jany [January] 1st & 22d March 23d May 30th July & 8th Octr [October] are now before ^me^ I am very thankfull [thankful] for your Advices & shall be obliged by a continuance of them. I observe what you say in answer to my Proposal of being Concend [Concerned] in Cargoes of Wheat & Flour- And as I am now of opinion good Speculations between this & Lisbon may be made during the War I now propose instead of 1/4th as I formerly offerd [offered] I will hold a half letting me draw for the ^whole^ on your Friends in London you guaranteeing Pay -ment [Payment] of Bills when at Sixty days Sight, Bills of Lading & Invoice with orders for Insurance to accompany them.

I think during the War you might get Sweedish [Swedish] Ships at Lisbon to come here for Cargoes by giving them a Freight of Salt from thence, which might be consider'd [considered] as part Payment of the return Cargoes & _case_ the Freight of them. Wheat & Flour Rules at present at 5/6 to 5/9 P [Per] Bushell [Bushel] of 60lbs [pounds] & 30 to 32/ P [Per] Barrell [Barrel] of 196lbs [pounds].- I wish to hear from you soon & am.

Gent. [Gentlemen]

Yrs [Yours] & C [etcetera]

Exche [Exchange] 37.5 to 40

----------

Messrs [Messieurs] John Brent & Co [Company] Alexa [Alexandria] Feby [February] 22d, 1794

Gent [Gentlemen]

I Recd [Received] your favor ^of the^ & am much obliged by the Contents. I Presume you have done nothing for me in the Vessell [Vessel] way & I should have been Advised by Post. It is now too late, & I therefore decline Chartering one. If you will be so obliging as to deliver the enclosed Letter & procure answers it will add to the obligations you have laid me under- Myers for what reason I know not seems much averse to giving me any kind of answer. Mr. _Nivison_ will I hope have Recd [Received] some Money from short for me if so Pray get it & Remit to me.

I am &C [etcetera]

The letter alluded to is of 9th March 1792.

Colo [Colonel] Philip Barbaroy Alexa [Alexandria] March 24th, 1794.

Sir,

I Recd [Received] your favor of the 15th Inst [March] & have been waiting to receive a Sum of Money from Philadelpha. [Philadelphia] which I am still disap -pointed [disappointed] in. I therefore can do no better than to send you the draft of Mr W. [William] Hodgson on Mr Ichabod Hunter of Richmond for One Thousand Dollars at 10dst [days sight]. It was imposible [impossible] to get it at a shorter Sight or I would have done it. I beg you to endorse a Rect [Receipt] on the Bond for the Thousand Dollars, & thro' [through] Mr Hunter to lodge that Bond in the hands of Mr. Hodgson to whom I can be Paying part of it every Week & so he can remit you drafts on Mr. Hunter for the Money.

I am & C. [etcetera]

----------

John Vaughan Esqr [Esquire] Alexa [Alexandria] April 22d, 1794.

Sir,

I would have answer'd [answered] your favor of the 16th sooner, but haveing been waiting to get inform -ation [information] respecting the value of the Potomack [Potomac] shares &C [etcetera] as you requested. I find the Sums paid (without Interest) are the highest offers made; The Directors will want Money to amount of the Subscriptions & the Boats are expected to Pass into Tide water in July.

Mr Hartshorne might have saved himself the trouble of writing to you for if he had only opend [opened] his Lips I would have Paid ^the last called for &^ your Share. Inclosed [Enclosed] is a Rect. [Receipt] for it.

I am DrSir [Dear Sir], Yr [Your] most Obe [Obedient] Servt [Servant]

RTdH [Robert Townsend Hooe]

H.G. Otis Esqr [Esquire] Alexandria June 28th, 1794-

Sir,

Your letter of the 27th Ulto. [May] to Mr. Harrison upon the Subject of Barries [Barry's] claim was enclosed by him to me. In May 1793 I Recd [Received] a Joint Letter from Mr Foster and Mr Blake upon that Buseness [Business] and on the 5th June following I answer'd [answered] that Letter in one to Mr Foster requesting him to Communicate it to Mr Blake and on the same day wrote to Mr Barry (& afterwards forwarded duplicate) informing him that I could not come under any further engagements upon his Acct [Account] untill [until] he Accounted with me for our 1/2 of an Adventure to the Havanna [Havana] amounting to 80.884 Rs Plte [Reals de Plate] and our 1/4th part of the Ship Union put into the hands of Mr. Hollihan to Manag. [Manage] for the owners generally, but our part put by us under Mr. Barry's care to Manage for us with Mr. Hollihan. Whether the Ship has been Sold or kept Runeng [Running] we cannot learn for Mr Barry has never answer'd [answered] any Letter. The 1/4th of her Cost us however [however] 64,982 Rs Plte [Reals de Plate]. These things with Payments made Mr Barry as P [Per] Statement made in my Letter to Mr Foster above referr'd [referred] to I expect will leave him in our Debt. And that he must Account for them is certain, because we have from under his hand so to. This Letter and Statement perhaps you have not seen, if so I shall be thankfull [thankful] if you will call upon Mr Foster, who will readily shew [show] it to you. On the whole 'till [until] Mr Barry renders fair and Just Accts. [Accounts] of the above two matters I cannot consent to make a further Assumption to any Person- And even if these should on final Settlement turn out a Ballc. [Balance] due Mr Barry it must be paid to Mr Foster, because in that event I assumed it on Barries [Barry's] order and Request by Letter.

RTdH [Robert Townsend Hooe]

Mr. William Foster Alexandria June 28th, 1794 Sir, Your several letters of the 14th & 19th Inst [June 19th] are before me. With Respect to your Ship was she now here I could Sell her or Lett [let] her to Freight on good Terms. Vessells [Vessels] have been & are still in demand, but they begin to arrive fast, and of course the Freights come down, also Prices. Three Pounds Seven Shillings and Six Pence ^Sterling^ p [per] hhd [hogshead] for Tob [tobacco] to London & 13/6 Sterling p [per] Barrell [Barrel] for Flour to France & Spain were the last Charters. Nine Thousand four hundred Dollars for a Ship of 3000 Barrells [Barrels] was burthen was given last Week. And altho' [although] I do not expect you will ^obtain^ any thing like these Prices, yet if you will send your Ship instantly, I think you may catch a good Price in one or other of the Cases. If you will put in ^for ballast^ good round Stone large enough for Paving you will get 3/ per Tonn [ton] for it, as Commissers are now Paving our Streets. And afterwards fill the lower hold & between Decks with Plank or board I expect you will it will Sell for 60/ or Perhaps more p [per] Thousand. I Refer you to Prices Current at foot from whence you can Judge of other Articles. As to engaging Freights - if you will Recollect I have al -ready [already] wrote you that Merchts [Merchants] here would never Contract for Vessells [Vessels] that do not lye [lie] in Port. I Received a Letter within these four days from Mr. Otis Respecting Barry's ^claim^ & have this day given him an answer. I have referred him to you for what I wrote you on that Subject on the 5th June 1793 & wish you to show him that Letter also to see my answer to his Letter which I expect he will readily Communicate. I have never yet Rec'd [Received] the Scrape of a Pen from Mr. Barry in answer to my Letter to him of the 5th June 1793 Respecting the Havana Expedition & the Ship Union, a Copy of which I now enclose you. If Mr. Barry expects by his Silence or any other means to draw us into the Payment of his demands without Accounting for the above two very Capital things charges he will find himself mistaken. Last Year Just before I wrote you on the 8th Augst [August] respecting the Letter of Credit he gave a French Gentleman on us, a Mr. Boyd of Richmond came to me alledging that Mr. Barry had received his Consignments fallen very largely in his Debt, Stated to