Robert King Carter's Correspondence and Diary

   A Collection Transcribed
        and Digitized
   by Edmund Berkeley, Jr.


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Electronic Text Center , University of Virginia Library


Summary


1720 July 13
Letter from Robert Carter to John Gale, 1720 July 13

     Robert Carter writes to Glasgow merchant John Gale, July 13,1720, that his tobacco sent to Gale yielded a low price; he couldhave sold the 5 hogsheads of stemmed in London for enough to meet theprice realized in Glasgow for the entire shipment; he adds that herealizes the difference in markets and does not blame Gale. SinceGale advises him not to send more tobacco there and to use hisbalance, he has drawn a bill to Edmund Jenings. He mentions a debtpaid to Micajah Perry on his behalf, and concludes with comments ontobacco prices at Bristol and in Holland.



Letter from Robert Carter to JohnGale, July 13, 1720


-1 -

Rappa[hannock, LancasterCounty, Virginia]

July 13th. 1720

Mr. Jno. Gale

Sir.

     I rec'd Yors. of 25th Janry. wth. Yor. Accot.
of Sales of my 10 hogsheads by the Lucretia, They Yeild
me much less than I could have sold them for here
had the 5stemmd gon for London they would have Yeil
ded [sic] me more money Than now the 10 Doth [sic] however I
consider the Difference marketts so lay no blame
at Yor. Door You advise me againstsending any
any [sic] more to Yor. port &Encourage me to make use of
my ballce in Yor. hands wch. by Yor. accot. is 72"17"2
accordingly I have drawn on You payable to Edmund
Jennings Esqr. For£70" -- " -- wch. I desire You to give
honr [sic] to attime --

     Mr. Ferry's I believe hath paid wt. he calls my
ballce to Mr. Perry as for the bad debt, twill be good
Fish when It's ketch'd --

     You mention the Bristol and the otheroutport Markts.
to be very low, my Stemm'd at Bristollast Year sold
at 101/2. how twill Do there this [year] I dontyett know, our
last advices from Glasgow tell us Tobo. in holland
was advanced two Stivers in the pound whether true
or no Icant say I Shall not be further troublesome
to You at presentbut Conclude


Sir Yor. most humble Servt

NOTES



Source copy consulted: Robert CarterLetter Book, 1720 July-1721 July, BR 227, Huntington Library, ArtCollections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California. Printed:Wright. Letters of Robert Carter. . .. pp. 18-19.

Robert Carter generally used a return address of"Rappahannock" for the river on which he lived rather than"Corotoman," the name of his home, on his correspondence, especiallyto merchants abroad. The county and colony have been added forclarity.

[1] John Gale (c. 1760s-1729) was a Whithaven merchant whom Carter would write a number of times times between1720 and 1729. "Like his brothers John was engaged in maritime trade. Operating as John Gale and Company, he was named as the owner of the vessel Clotilda, built in England in 1726 and registered in Whitehaven in 1727 at 25 tons." The Gale family had many connections with the colonies, especially in Virginia and Maryland. (Gayle N.Mandell, "The Gale/Gayle Families," extensive genealogical and historical notes available online. )

[2] A stiver is a Dutch coin equal to 1/20 of aguilder.


This text, originally posted in 2003, was revised first on November 25, 2008, and again, on June 11, 2013, to strengthen the footnotes and modern language version text.