Robert Carter writes to London merchant Thomas Evans, July 4, 1723, an old acquaintance, to acknowledge receipt of goods and to complain strongly that Evans has not sent him accounts of the sales of his tobacco in three years. He sends an invoice for goods, and chides Evans for becoming too involved with merchant William Dawkins who has been feuding with another merchant. He adds in a post script his further complaint about Evans' treatment of him.

     Your goods this year per the Carter and Richardson
I reced and herein send you a bill of Lading for 4 hhds
per Graves I have some more that I intend to put into
Richardson that I purpose to Consign to you also altho
your Treatment of me is very surprizing, You have
100 hhds. of Tobbo. to Accot. to me for, for the Tobbo. --
I have sent you these three Years Successively, you have
afforded me never an Accot. of Sales, yo and for what Tobbo
you have sold you have not given me the Satisfaction
to say what you sold it at, This is a treatment beyond
all compare you give me hopes indeed that you doubt
not to do as well for me as any body Else and I will
hope so to till I find the Contrary, but I desire you
in your thoughts to ^put yourself in my place, and if
you were whether such usage would not very much
Lower your temper,

      Herein I send a Invoice for some goods, It is
a very bulky one but as I cast it up about a hundred
pound wll pay for it, about the sending of it in the
Invoice itself gives you Directions, You and I
have known one another a long time, and our Correspond
ents hitherto hath been smooth friendly and Accept
able it will be none of my fault ^{if it does not continue so} only give me leave
to tell you that I am Suspicious from a hint of yours
that Mr. Dawkins hath been too much in your Consul
tations by his Acquainting you how much of my old
Tobbo. he had to sell when the Carter arrived that
Gentm. and Another great man in the Trade [he]
h[ad] Severe Quarrells with about [the ] fr [eight of ?]
goods outward and the half [for] C [...]