1787 05 29 : Letter about wood for mining at Hartley

Update on Friday, July 1, 2011 at 8:46PM by Petra Mitchinson

29 May 1787. LETTER ABOUT WOOD FOR MINING AT HARTLEY. Bundle 60, Doc 20. 38 cm x 23 cm, folded in half to make four pages. Red seal and a corresponding hole where it was broken (without loss of writing). Mr. KINSEY 29 May 1787 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. DOBSON Eden-Hall Cumberland ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whitburn-West-House Dear Sir, Sunderland North Shore 29. May 1787. Durham I understand from John DAWSON, that you was kind enough to promise to set us forward wth. wood in our undertaking at the Riggs; but as I do not learn, that any particular Quantity was specified by you, and we are unwilling to exceed the Limits of your Permission, I beg the Favor of you, to signify your Pleasure on this Subject to him (as he is immediately on the Spot) so soon as you conveniently can. In conversing and consulting on this Business with Ino. DAWSON, and finding our Trial likely to be a very hard One, we have consider’d it as prudent to open one Shaft of the Old works, wh: will, most likely, require great Repairs: This, we expect, will assist us in the Expences of our grand Trial, & perhaps open a Communication between ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ between the Old & New Works. At the same Time I find it is absolutely necessary to sink anor. Shaft for Air, to enable us to carry forward the new work; of Consequence our Expences will become heavy, and we hope, this matter consider’d, you will indulge us with wood, upon Condition, upon that we shall plant and rear a Quantity of young Trees, to replace the Old ones. I am no Advocate for cuting down wood myself, but I rather think there might be a good deal of Wood found in the Woods of Hartley that is neither so valuable or beautiful as to forbid its being cut down and replaced without any Harm being done, and I have tolerable Hopes, that the Event of our present Adventure will prove so far beneficial to the Lord as well as the Tenants that from more than One Cause you may not ultimately have Reason to repent that you have afforded us Encouragemt: as I am told, those who have formerly worked it had some ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Success; & Mr. PARKE himself said to me, “that it never had been properly worked.” We truly wish yourself and Miss DOBSON temporal Happiness & permanent Felicity & I am Dear Sir, Your obedt. & Obliged humble Servt. [signed] S KINSEY Mr. DOBSON