Letter from Robert Carter to Robert Cary, June 26, 1729

   A Collection Transcribed
        and Digitized
   by Edmund Berkeley, Jr.

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Summary

Letter from Robert Carter to Robert Cary, June 26, 1729

Robert Carter writes to London merchant Robert Cary, June 26, 1729, to complain about the price the mechant obtained for his tobacco and noting that he has not sent more because Cary's ship was not near this year. He also reports a complaint against James Hopkins, captain of Cary's ship.

Letter from Robert Carter to Robert Cary, June 26, 1729

-1 -
Rappa [hannock, Lancaster County, Virginia]
June 26. 1729

Mr Robert Cary

Sir

I think the last letter I received from you was
of the 6th of September Your Accot Currt I have I am sorry
that the sales you have made of my Tobacco were not only at a
lower Price than I had for the same tobacco of Other men but
that the Proceeds did no more Equal theirs than their Price
Your Ship not coming this way this year I have not given
you the trouble of any Tobacco by this Fleet You may Per:
haps please me so well in the sale of my 20 hogsheads in your hand
s in your hands [sic ] that I may ~~think~~ be Encouraged to continue
a further Correspondence with you

I shall now desire you will Allow me to tell you
an Unagreeable story of your Captain Hopkins he promised
to Allow me 3/ sterling per hogshead for Fetching my Tobo home And ma:
king it convenient all at my house at our landing An Allowance I always have from every master that has my tobacco under this
conveniecy this I did
and helped the Tobacco down to his Sloop side so that they had it
in in less than 24 hours had he gone away Accidently with out
paying the money I should not mention it but he Actually

-2 -

refused it to the Person I Employed to take it denying any su [ch]
Promise to me which I can freely give my Oath to the Truth of

I am Sir your most Obedient humble Servt

NOTES

Source copy consulted: Letter book, 1728 August-1731 July, Robert Carter Papers (acc. no. 3807), Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

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.

[1] Captain James Hopkins commanded the Mary, a London ship of 130 tons owned by merchant Robert Cary, in 1727-1728 and perhaps later. He is mentioned in Carter's diary. ( Adm. 68/194, found in the microfilms of the Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

This text, originally posted in 2005, was revised April 2, 2015, to add footnotes and strengthen the modern language version text.