Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 1
I heartily Embrace this my first oppertunity of paying my Respects to you, for your great Kindness to me while a Sojourner in Carolina, in perticular in that you indulged me with so great an intimacy with yr. Person &Conversation wch. so frequently cheerd up my Spirits in perplex'd Moments and made the dull hours of Stormy Weather pass by Undeaded;
You may remmember Sr. I mentioned to you something concerning a Black Walnut Desk & Book Case. I herewith send you an ex tempore Draught of the Front view of it, but would observe to you that I have drawn it (thro' Mistake) 3 inches narrower than it should be, which in some measure hurth the Grandeur of the Mien. This Book Case is divinded within into Partitions sutable for various Sizes of Books, &sundry Draws convenient for holding papers &c. The two pieces mark'd a a, under the Doors of the Case are Boards that draw out &shove in, for the convenience of setting a Candlestick on in the Evning when writing &c. at the Desk. The Desk is form'd like Common Desks. The Book Casse may be taken off from the Desk for the conveni
This thing I am the Possessor off & part with it purely because I have no use for it, there being to the best of my Knowledge no manner of defect or Blemish in the thing.
I recommend it to you because I doubt not it will be as great an Ornament in your Room as it will real Service in contain
The Price of it as I told you is £115 from the Maker's hand, & wn. you come to see it I believe you'll not think it a great Price for so much Worke & Beauty.
If Sr. you should determine to have it, I will take the greatest care that it shall be done up in so safe a Manner that you may recieve safe & sound.
135My Voyage to Carolina I believe will turn out but poorly by Reason of the great charges that must needs attend so long a Voyage & the dull Markett here.2
I hope Sr. that you have that Debt of Abra. Sheppard's3 into yr. hands. If as yet you have not, I confide in you Sr. to take proper measures for so doing.
As to the Accompt between us, Mr. Jos. Palmer & my self, who are soley concern'd therin desire that yo
But Sr. as you full well know that nothing can be more prejudicial to a Voyage than to lay long in Carolina, so if you undertake to procure us a load it must be by some determinate Time, with a reasonable demurrage in Case of Failure.
At present we are not determined what to do, Buisiness is so exceeding dull that we can scarce tell our own Minds, but as there will no doubt be oppertunitys of writing again very soon so we determine to inform you of our Conclusion. However we should be glad if you would write by the first opportunity, your thought of the whole Matter, how far you can engage & how far not. And Sr. I would desire you to direct yr. Letters to Joseph Palmer Card-Maker in School-House Lane Boston, for 'tis likely I shall not be at home. Write us word how Tar is like to be whether plenty or not & As to the Price; & if there should be any alteration in the Currency or any Circumstance of the Country that May affect Trade let us know it; & upon the whole if Sr. we should conclude to send a Vessell, & you conclude to provide for her; let me intreat you, to provide Tar at as good Landings as may be, for to load from the Red Banks Scares me.
I am well Sr. as I hope you are. If you have not perform'd your Journey to Virginia, (as you intended) may it be prosperous and attended with desired Success, if you have, I hope soon to hear the good Effects of it. My Freinds tho' ignorant of yr. Person yet Knowing of yr. Fame send their Compliments to you. In the behalf of Mr. Palmer and myself I Conclude yr. very much obliged and very humble Servant.
Henry Snoad (d. 1752) was a North Carolina merchant with a plantation at Maidstone Point on the Pamlico River.
RTP was in North Carolina from Feb. 14 to June 26, 1751, disposing of his cargo of cards, hollow ware, etc., and buying barrels of tar and pitch to take back to Boston. His diary gives a vivid account of his varied efforts to secure a cargo and some of the difficulties he encountered. On Apr. 2 he states that "About one o Clock this Morning a pack of drunken Fellows came abord and among many other abuses one threw a black Quart Bottle full of Rum at my Head which Broke partly Against my Head and partly Against a Beam near to my Head, which cut me very much and stouned me so that I could hardly Walk all day." An effort to raft tar down the river went awry "by Reason of a Cockling Sea," and led him to record the following injunction on Apr. 29: "Make it a Rule never to Raft Tarr more." RTP was back in Boston on July 10.
This may be Abraham Sheppard, of Dobbs County, who served for a time as justice of the peace (The Colonial Records of North Carolina, collected and edited by William L. Saunders et al., 30 vols. Raleigh, 1886–1914], 5:657, 6:1007).
The Anxiety I have for your welfare, & a desire to hear from you, are the great Motives of my present writing to you. You doubtless Remember, that before I went away I gave you from Time to time a Summary Accompt of my transactions, My prospects & Schemes, & in my last that I had settled a Voyage to N. Carolina &c. The 5 of February I sailed and the 14th. arrived at the Barr &c. As for my Transactions in the Country they are so many, & of so very different Natures that it is impossible I should give you any tolerable Idea of them, only in generall. I was plagued almost to Death, workd exceeding hard & with vast difficulty loaded my Vessell. I had my Health well, & after a Passage of about 14 Days got to Boston the 10th of July. As to the Navigation of the Vessell, I met with no difficulty. When I got to Boston I had but a dull Markett for Pitch & Tar, & the Charges of the Voyage so high occasioned by the Length of the Voyage that we shall loose Money upon the Whole, tho' the Accompts are not as yet made up & so I cannot tell exactly how much. Times here are exceeding dull, no Money, nor any Business, so that I am Not determined where to go next, tho I have many Prospects. Thus, my Freind, you see I still continue to give you Summarys of my Affairs, & it would yeild me vast Satisfaction if you would be as open to me. I do assure you I am very anxious for your Interest & welfare, I understand you have not been to Boston since last Fall; & what Shoks me more than all is, that you are keeping Schooll there. If so; you cant137possibly be in any other Business & consequently crazy, even allowing, that School keeping would mentain you handsomely, (which I deny) yet can you bear to live from Year to Year and get nothing before hand, or can you bear to be the Wash Pot or Rather the Dogg Whipper of Hallifax which Title yr. occupation deserves. There is a flying Report in Town that you are going to be marryed to An Irish Woman down there; don't think I believe it because then I should only have writ you a Letter by way of Farewell. Don't think I'm too harsh, for what can be more disagreable then that James Freeman should marry a meen Woman and keep School for a Living. My Freind, I very much fear that yr. affairs at Hallifax are not attended with much Profit. I really think that with the Stock you have you might carry on Business to much greater Advantage some other way. Mr. Palmer & I talk much about you & it would pleasure us much if some way could be found for you to settle in N:England. For Instance, suppose you should settle at Providence & there open Store, & sell Goods for Provisions of all sorts, those Provisions will purchase any thing in Boston for a Cargoe to send any where, or it self may be sent to the West Indies. In short it is evident that if Goods can be vendered quick for Provisions any scheme of Business may be carried on from that footing. The sd. Goods we imagine we can easily import our selves by Keeping a Vessell going as we have Occasion, we can load at Carolina for London, or any Port of England as Plimouth &c. & for Ireland with Lumber & the West Indies with Lumber & Provision &c. Mr. Palmer & my self have about 700E still lying in Carolina which we talk of sending a Vessell for with enough to make up a Load, & from thence to Plimouth, but how we shall do I cant yet tell. Or if you can propose Any Scheeme of Trade that can be carried only taking in Hallifax in any Shape let us Know it, or if you have Any Scheme of Business let's hear it for surely the talking of it can do no Hurt. Do write me a correct Answer to this Letter, & let me Know exactly what are the Circumstances of Trade there & how yr. Circumstances are. If we could any way be concerned in a profitable Business, I should be much pleased.
All Freinds are well, there is no News Stirring, Ant Eunice is dead.' I am loving Cousin yr. Wellwisher and humble Servt.,
Eunice Willard, the great-aunt of RTP, died on July 25, 1751.