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 John King, June 9, 1732

     Robert Carter writes briefly to Bristol mechant John King, June 9, 1732, to report the arrival of a letter from him and complain about the "wretched" price his tobacco realized. The shortage of tobacco in the colony means some ships will not find complete cargoes and, he hopes, will raise the price.



Letter from Robert Carter to John King , June 9, 1732


-1 -

Rappahannock, [Lancaster County, Virginia]

June 9 1732

John King Esqr.

Sr -- --

     Capt. Sweet hath been arrived for some time as he went
Sent his boat on shore to me with your Letter and invoice, promis'd
to let me have the Goods, but I see none of them yet, the price you tell
me you had Sold 3 hogsheads of my tobacco for is a wretched one, it was good
Clean Tobo. and well done, such prizes will make us think of no
more troubling your Market till better times, which we are now in
hopes of from the Scarceness the Shipping find of Tobo. several of
them tis reported will not get near Loaden, you say you intend to
leave off the Trade, I am sure we can't get cloathing for our familys
by it. I am


              Your most humble Servant

NOTES



Source copy consulted: Letter book, 1731 July 9-1732 July 13 , 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] Henry Sweet was captain of the Chester , a ship thst traded to Barbados and Virginia. ( Survey Report 04590 summarizing Public Record Office Class: T 38/264."Treasury, Departmental Accounts-Barbadoes, Journal of 4 1/2% Duties, 1730." "The following ships and cargoes were bound for Virginia." Henry Sweet is shown as master of the Chester , and the cargo was 1980 gallons of molasses; ; and Survey Report 07233 summarizing Hampshire Record Office Class Wyndham 1725-1753. "Invoices and Sundry Accounts of Henry Wyndham, June 1725-September 1753." Included are records of several voyages of the Chester to Viginia, 1728-1730. Hampshire County, England, includes the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth. )


This text, originally posted in 2006, was revised May 20, 2016, to add a footnote and strengthen the modern language version text.