Robert King Carter's Correspondence and Diary

   A Collection Transcribed
        and Digitized
   by Edmund Berkeley, Jr.


List of Letters | About This Collection

Electronic Text Center , University of Virginia Library


Summary



Letter from Robert Carter to Edward Athawes, June 28, 1729

     Robert Carter writes to London merchant Edward Athawes, June 28, 1729, to point out to Athawes that neither he nor his partner, William Dawkins, has bothered to confirm to Carter that partnership. He notes that he has sent more tobacco to their firm than to any other and states what he expects from a merchant who handles his business.



Letter from Robert Carter to Edward Athawes, June 28, 1729


-1 -

Rappahannock, [Lancaster County, Virginia]     
June 29th. 1729

Mr. Edward Athawes

Sir --

     In answer to a Letter of yours Dated in 1727 I wrote to
you at large the 8th. of August 1728 . I do not remember I have received any return
from you to this neither has Mr Dawkins yet so much as mentioned to me your
name much less that you are his Partner. I find you are much in the Esteem
of my sons who from their Personal Acquaintance Say a great many good
things of you that you are a Person of a great deal of diligence and undergo a
great part of the weight of Mr. Dawkins's business. and they are desirous
now you [have] married and Live in the City that I should enter into a Correspond
ence with you. Which is the gives Occasion to this

     My Consignments to Mr. Dawkins are this year 78 hogsheads
Exceeding my business Considerably to any man in the trade, the best reco=
mmendation you can give yourself to my respects will be by being In=
strumental in your utmost Endeavrs. of rendering me a good Account of my. Tobacco
Upon which the sinews of my Life livelihood etc depend. I suppose you are no stranger
to My Letters to Mr. Dawkins To which I shall refer you. Another very
Considerable Article is the well buying of our Goods both as to their Price
and goodness I Esteem my self a ready money Chapman and that the
Merchant Carries my money in his Pockets to pay the Tradesman and I am
no stranger of to the great difference that which the Tradesmen can afford to make
between him that pays his money ready down and where he trusts for a
Twelve month I shall not give you any further Entertainenm at Present
only to tell you that I am


              Sir --
                  Your very humble servant

Per Bailey


NOTES



Source copy consulted: Robert Carter Letter Book, 1727 April 13-1728 July 23, Carter Family Papers, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond.

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] A chapman is "a man whose business is buying and selling; a merchant, trader, dealer." ( Oxford English Dictionary online. )

[2] The Bailey was a London ship owned by William Dawkins and commanded at various times by Adam Graves (1725-1730) and by Thomas Dove (1731-1732). She was a vessel of some 250 tons and carried 15-17 crew members. ( Survey report 6801 summarizing Adm. 68/195, 156v, and other data in Adm. 68/194 and /196, found in the microfilms of the Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia; A letter of Carter's to Dawkins May 12, 1732, refers to "your ship Bailey." as does a letter of August 10, 1733, from Carter's executors to Dawkins. [ Lloyd T. Smith, Jr., ed. The Executors' Letters of Robert Carter of Corotoman, 1732-1738. (Irvington, VA: Foundation for Historic Christ Church, 2010) p. 76]. )


This text, originally posted in 2005, was revised April 17, 2015, to strengthen the footnotes and the modern language version text.