Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 3
I2 recd. your Esteemed favour of the 15th Instant per Col: Bird directing me to attend the proving &c. the cannon made at sd. Col:s Furnace. You may assure your selves I shall attend that service faithfully when ever it is needfull & direct the same in such a manner as I hope will give general satisfaction to your Honourable Board. If you should think proper to direct me to attend the proving the cannon that will be made at Col: Grubb Furnace3 I belive shall be able to attend there likwise and shall account it as an additional favour confered on your Hble: Servt.
N.B. Since the recept of your’s I have been twice at Col: Birds but have not had the pleasure of seeing him. He happined to be gon just before my arrvil. He have not got any Powder up. but I understand he intends to get some from the committee at Reading to prove 3 or 4 of his guns. I expect to be in Philada. on Sunday next when shall waite on one of your board to know what further commands you may have. I should be glad you’ll please send up with the Powder a Quire of Paper for cartherages. yours &c.
For the history of the Reading Furnace, see Estelle Cremers, Reading Furnace, 1736 (Elverson, Pa., 1986).
Capt. Daniel Joy, an Englishman, was employed by Pennsylvania to supervise the iron furnaces and to ready them for production. He arrived at Reading Furnace on Mar. 1, 1776, and by Mar. 16 had scheduled the first casting. Although his first attempt at Reading failed with a burst cannon, Joy continued his work with the furnaces through 1776 (Cremers, Reading Furnace, 66).
Col. Curtis Grubb and his brother Peter jointly owned and operated the Hopewell Forge and Cornwall Furnace, both in Lancaster County, inherited from their father. Although Curtis advertised for the sale of his two-third’s share in the furnace and two associated furnaces in May 1775, the brothers were still in partnership the following year. Both brothers held commissions as colonels during the Revolution, Curtis with the Second Battalion and Peter with the Eighth. Curtis also served as a member of the House of Representatives and on the provincial Council of Safety (Forges and Furnaces in the Province of Pennsylvania [Philadelphia, 1914], 82, 85; Pennsylvania Gazette, May 10, Oct. 11, 1775, Aug. 21, Sept. 11, 1776; Pennsylvania Packet, Dec. 17, 1777).
I have this moment receiv’d your Letter (without any date) per Winthrop1; & as the post is just going out of Town, I have only oppertunity to inform you that our public matters, in general, now go on well. Our powder Mill at Andover turns out weekly 1000 lb. of powder, another Mill at Stoughtonham is just ready to work. The quantity of Saltpetre made & making is incredible; but the Sulphur & Lead business is at a stand with us at present; as their has been no incouragment, of consequence, for the refining of Sulphur, it is not to be suppos’d that any cou’d be produc’d; but if their was a generous grant made to a Gentn. or two of Chymical abilities, I’ll warrant, from certain knowledge, that the refining of Sulphur wou’d be bro’t to perfecting in four Months. You’ll be suppriz’d to hear who our Representitives are from Taunton, viz. Old Major Godfrey & Nathll. Leonard. Their popularity arose from their heading the Mob when the Courts were oppos’d. Pray be so good as to write every post; I shall do the same. I hear your family are well. I expect to go to Taunton next Saturday. If I shou’d you must not expect a Letter next post. I have a great many things to write you but have not time at present. If Major Miflin is coming here, as we are inform’d he is, do give him Letters to me. I am Dear Sir Your Friend & Humble Servant
Not located. RTP noted in his diary, May 13: “wrote Dr. Whiting, Dr. Cobb & my Wife, Joseph Greenleaf Esqr., Thos. Cushing Esqr. Jos. Palmer Esqr. Saml. Eliot by Mr. Winthrop.” Of these, only an abstract of the letter to Palmer (dated May 11), as printed above, has been located.