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



Letter from Robert Carter to Micajah Perry, September 27 andOctober 10, 1720

     Robert Carter writes to London merchant Micajah Perry, September27and October 10, 1720, to inform him of bills of exchange he hasendorsed and sent to Perry for £281/16/11 being payment he hasreceived for slaves from the ship Mercury ,owned by Chamberlayne& Sitwell. He believes the bills are good, but gives instructionsfor Perry's payment to the other merchants should any be protested.He reports the death of John Baylor, "The great Negro Seller & inall respects the greatest Mercht. we had among us." In a post script datedOctober 10th, Carter reported the depradations of a "Spanishprivateer," but the paper of the addition is so badly damaged that itis nearly illegible.


Letter from Robert Carter to MicajahPerry, September 27andOctober 10, 1720

-1 -

Rappahannock, [LancasterCounty, Virginia]

September 27.1720

Messrs. Perry

Gent. -- --

     The business of this is only to advi
=se You that this Day Ihave remitted Ten bills of exchange
all with my Endorsment to Messrs. Francis Chamberlayn[e]
& Frans. Sitwell owners of the ShipMercury amt.
=ing to the Sum of Two Hundred Eighty one pound
& Sixteen Shill. & Eleven pence paid to me
foraccounts of Some Endorsment to Messrs. Frans. Chamberlayne
& FrancisSitwellowners of the Ship Mercury amt
=.ing tothe Sum of Two hundred Eighty one pound
Sixteen Shill. & Eleven pence paid to me
for accounts of Some of theirSlaves sold, these bills
I have good reason to believe will allmeet with
due honour but If contrary to my Expectation any
of them Should be protested the Gentleman concerned have
the Same directions as they had with the former bills
Iremitted them, That is they are to deliver up
the protests toYou That After sixty Days You
[are] tomake payment upon my Account taking proper
[ . . . ] from them, this is my undertakingwith
them, & this I desire You to Comply with sendingm [e]
in what protest You receive bythe firstsafe Conve=
=niency that offers --

     Not many days ago I gave You the trouble of a
Lettr. to somelength to which please to be referred

     Poor John Baylor has lately taken hisleave
of this world The great Negro Seller & in all respects
the greatest merchant we had amongus, he made a mighty
noise while living. I wish for the sake ofhis remain
at the winding up of his Cotton, the Cry did not
Exceed the wool

     I am Gentleman
Your most humble Servant

     A Postscript added To Mr. Perrys last Letr

     Sir            October 10, 1720

      It will not be wrong to add a Line of the
late damages done upon our Coast by a Spanish
privateer,The 28th of last May he took a Sloop
belonging to Martin,Nelson, & Jones with [ . . . ]
th [ . . . ] Among a great many other prizeshe
took a Liverpool sloop last from Potomac
which had the Good fortune tobe retaken by a Sloop
[ . . . ] On board were
two Spaniards and one Irishman
[ . . . ] of war [ . . . ] and is to be ready this fortnight
but [ . . . ] ready nor could [ . .. ] no assurance
from her for the Captn. declares [ . . . ] he has
received ordersfrom the Admiral [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] ington [ . . . ] sincethen
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ] I had
Just now from Colonel Page



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. 53-54, and 57. The page on which the post script is written is one of the worst inthe letter book with a great deal of bleed through from the reverseand places where the ink has eaten entirely through thepaper.

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. Either Carter dictated that the letter was to be sent to the"Messrs. Perry," or his clerk wrote this from habit; Carter knew thatRichard Perry had died in April.

[1] Francis Chamberlayne may havebeen the wealthy grocer of London whose daughter Elizabeth marriedJohn Francis Fauquier, an official of the mint and director of theBank of England, between 1694 and 1702. ( http://www.geocities.com/markfreemn/francis_fauquier.html )

[2] John Baylor (d. 1720) lived first in Gloucester,and was burgess in 1692. He subsequently moved to King and QueenCounty (which he represented in the Assembly in 1718), and became aprominent merchant with stores in Gloucester, King and Queen, and NewKent counties. "His principal warehouses were at Baylor's on theMattaponai between Walkerton and King & Queen Court House."( "The Baylor Family." Virginia Magazine of Historyand Biography. 6[1898-1899]: 197-199. )


This text revised February 3,2009.