Robert Carter writes to London merchant James Bradley, [August 29, 1729], concerning his and others' efforts to establish a copper mine and requesting Bradley's assistance in finding miners to carry on the work.

     The miserable times we have of late years
fallen Under by the low prizes of ^{our tobo} the only staple we have
to support ourselves and our familys by [illegible] have
driven us to search into the bowels of the Earth to see if we can
find a treasure there to Contribute to our releif by [illegible] imp:
loying the labour of some of our people that Way And we
have been so fortunate to fall upon a place affording a Copper Oar
how much of it there may be we cannot yet tell time and Charge
and not a little of the latter too must bring to light what Encoura:
gemt we may meet with in this design And the first step we
have to take is to get proper persons skilld in these matters to
Assist us in this project We are informd there are abundance of
people of low Circumstances both in the mines of Cornwal
and in those of Derbyshire whose whole trade it is to be

     We have heard your father hath been Concerned in Iron
works and it may be in Copper mines also and we are Ap
prehensive you may be no stranger to them and are a very fit
person to apply to to procure and Send us some of these mine
diggers We mean labourers for the raising the Oar and skill'd
in Working under Ground and driving after the Veins according
to their turnings and Windings whether two or four or 1/2 a dozn.
may be proper to be imployed we must leave to your judgemt. to
Consider And to make the best bargains you Can for us
and to dispatch them to us with the first opportunity you
Can Easily no doubt Create a Correspondence if you have
not one already into these Countys where these miners are
to be got We think it advisable to begin with ^a few of them at
first Until we see how large the veins of Oar may prove
[To b] ring in Two or three or 1/2 a doz of these labouring men
upon Wages for a year or two or three as they are to be got we
think may be done with no great Charge to us When we find it
will be worth our whiles We Expect it will be absolut absolu:
tely necessary for us to Endeavour the getting in a Miner of better
Circumstances and that Will not Come Over to us but upon muc [h]
higher Wages to be a director an Overseer and Manager of them

     We have sent some of the Oar already to London
and some to Bristol and a tryal hath been made in both places
and tis agreed by both ^{on all hands} it is a Copper Oar the but they disa
gree in respect of quantity the London Experimt affords the
[illegible] and affords an 8th part Copper We have now two little casks
of this Oar ready to be ship'd for London but We are doubtfull
we shall not be able to get it on board any of the Prest ships
We have got some Tons more of it down to a landing but twill
be impossible to get that ship'd this Season

     We want to be informed whether the most Advantage:
ous way will be to Ship off this oar as it is or if we Could get
it Manufactured into Copper whether that would turn the
greatest Profit We are inform'd the duty upon Copper is a
great deal We know that Skyler to the Northward who `tis
said hath one of the richest Copper mines in the world send [s] his oar
home

     The trouble you shall give yourself in this Affair upon
our Accot. We shall thankfully Acknowledge and if you send in
Any labouring Miners to [us] upon Wages that have been used
to the digging and raising this Oar we shall punctually [com:]
ply with the Contracts you make What you shall thin [k fit]
to do in Serving us in this Affair we desire may be Carryed on
with the least noise possible We are