Merchants letter from Belfast to Portsmouth NH via New York
Collection: National Postal Museum
Object type: Covers & Associated Letters
Date: May 31, 1803
Medium: paper; ink
Dimensions: Height x Width (folded): 3 1/16 × 4 5/8 in. (7.78 × 11.75 cm) Height x Width (unfolded): 9 × 14 5/8 in. (22.86 × 37.15 cm)
Credit line: Donated by Margery W. Shaw, M.D.
Description: Merchants letter from Belfast to Portsmouth NH via New York
['[Large, stylized red ink signature or flourish]\nMrs William & Charles Neil\nPortsmouth N.H. shire\nAmerica\nWilliam'
 None
 'Duplicate  Messrs Messrs Charles Neil Gentn\nBelfast 31 May 1803\nOn the other side you have copy of our letter to you dated the 13 th of last Nov r of which we find the original did not go to hand, your favor of the 14 th Nov r we rec d the 13 th Dec r a few days since we rec d your esteemed favor of the 26 th March covering Sales of Boxes No 344-368 & 72 which are all free of error & placed to your Debit accordingly - We were very glad to know that you were no losers by the Breadfall fire, in the list of sufferers by it published, we were happy to see your names were not to be seen. We are concerned to hear complaints of our Goods from your Friends, those sealed Getty are not so strong as those of our own seal, but in London they sell full as soon, however you know our dispositions that we never wish to sell a Piece of Linen or any thing whatever that does not give satisfaction to the Purchasers - & from what you wrote to us Messrs Havin & Hoffer are Gentlemen of first-rate Character, so we allow you to make them whatever abatement you would do if the Linens sold had been your own - If we could hit upon the kind of Linens that answered your Market I would sell readily with you, we would like to send you a few regular to help up a Correspondence - we do a little in the 7/8 wide Trade & will send you some of them - We are gone to War with France again what will be the consequence is very uncertain before there was any appearance of it our Mr. S took a lot of ground\nnear the white linen Hall to build a House for himself to live in & Cloth Rooms in the rear, which would take a great deal of Timber. He was thinking of applying to you for Pine, if the prospect in respect of the War is not gloomy it is most likely he may go on with it soon as he can next Spring, so we wish you to write soon as you can on what terms you could send an assorted cargo of Timber with a certain number of barrels of Ashes, the Pine to be principally of 12 to 14 or 16 inches square, with a part of one two inch pine Blank.\nIf a Vessel offers from your Port or Boston for this Town soon after this goes to hand, we request you will send us any number from 30 to 50 barrels of Pot Ashes, clearing them out in every respect as they were your Property & sending them to us for sale; & if not in cash on our acct to pay them, draw on us either payable in London or Dublin as it answers best - the saving on paying in Dublin would at present be 4 to 5 per cent - We expect soon to have the pleasure of hearing from you again when you remit for the last of the Sales made we would like to have a balanced Acct -\nWe remain most sincerely\nEach on London 9 to 9 1/2 p ct Gentn - Your friends & humble servants Dist on Banknotes 3 3/4 to 3 1/2 p ct'
 "P.S. — Our W.S. had great pleasure in rec d his friend Mr William Neil's letter. On the 15 th of Nov r he wrote Mr Neil a great many particulars concerning his Friends here, which has not gone to hand — he will soon write to Mr Neil again, in the mean time he has pleasure to inform him that Mr William Sinclair & all his friends in this Town are as well as he could wish them to be —\nMiss s William & Charles Neil Bordemouth N.H. shore\nAmerica\nWilliam\nAugust 31 st May 1803 Sinclair & Thompson\n(Copy)\nBelfast Nov r 13 th 1802\nMiss s William & Charles Neil Gentm\nWe wrote to you the 2 nd of Sept r , by the Eagle for New York, duplicate via Liverpool there is little difference in the price of Ashes here since, but there is a great quantity expected at this Market — however we would like to have what we ordered at our limits — Your favor of the 25 th Aug r & 1 st Sept r lies before us, we are sorry you had so much trouble with the linens sent to New York to no effect, we hope you will get them all off in the sale.\nWe doubt our country Linens continue too dear for Export, particularly the strong kind of them, but surely the wearers of them will find great difference between that kind & the poor flimsy sort that are generally exported. When you want linens for sale we will send you near as possible the kind you want.\nWe have passed Rev d Robin Shapley's Bill on Thomas Wilson London for £250. — & placed the same Deb t to your Credit, hoping soon to have a letter from you, we remain in the interim Ex on London 7 1/2 p ct Discount on Bank notes 2 1/2 p ct\nGentm. Your sincere friends Sinclair & Thompson"]