A Collection Transcribed
and Digitized
by Edmund Berkeley, Jr.
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Summary
Letter from Robert Carter to Edward Athawes, August 8, 1728
Robert Carter writes to Edward Athawes, the new partner of London merchant William Dawkins, August 8, 1728, to express his general dissatisfaction with Dawkins' poor sales of his tobacco, and to comment on the losing voyages of the Carter.
Letter from Robert Carter to Edward Athawes,
August 8, 1728
-1
-
Rappahannock, [Lancaster County, Virginia]
Augst: 8th: 1728
Mr. Edwd. Athawes
Sir --
Yours . of the 29th: of December is now before me Mr. Daw=
kins
has not intimated to me any thing of his taking you into
partnership with him when he does I shall be better able to return
you an Answer,
My business has been Con [signed] to
Mr. Dawkins
for many years but I have too often fou [nd from exper] ience [that]
the larger my Concerns were the worse hat [h been my return]
-2
-
and the more dilatory my Sales, the last year Mr. Dawkins had
a large Share of my buiness, My Accounts are not yet Completed
and that which troubles me most is to find my Crops Sells at a penny
per pound less than many Genlemen upon York river of my long Acquaintance had
for theirs the reasons of this prodigious difference I shall never be able
to fathom times have been when we were upon a Level and I have
Instances to show when I have Exceeded them I Should not be so partic
ular to you but for the intimacy you acquaint me you have in
my Affairs I have Just now received Mr. Dawkins's Sale of my 20 hogsheads
per Keiling
it Seems on the 18th: of May he had 25 hogsheads of my other
Concern unsold I will please my Self with the hopes to come off as
well at least with these unaccounted for as them I have the Sales
of. We are fallen into very poor times it is dificult for us to live
[u] nder a Series of so many Successive mean years. The Carter
con
[t] inues to be an unfortunate Ship I almost think I am taking
my leave of her for good and all, and can hardly think the O [wners]
will any longer be
Satisfied in making any more losing V [oyages]
and unless a better provision be made for her and She be und [er a]
better regulation I cant Entertain hopes of better Success She has
bin all along a heavy load upon me and I have never failed of
loading my Quota and more and yet must be brought in for a
Share in the loss a very disagreeable Story I am
Your humble Servt: --
per Carter
NOTES
Source copy consulted:
Robert Carter Letter Book, 1727 April 13-1728 July 23, Carter Family Papers, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond. The leaf of the letter book on which this letter was written has some marginal damage and a missing portion at the bottom.
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, especially to merchants abroad. The county and colony have been added for clarity to the heading on the draft.
[1] Captain William Keiling (Keeling) commanded the Betty.
( Survey Report 6800 summarizing Adm. 68/194, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.
)
This text, originally posted in 2004, was reviewed December 4, 2014.