Timmerman to Lopez. April 1, 1780.
Item
Holding institution
Collection
Peter Timerman letter, 1780 April 1 (RD-796)
Title
Timmerman to Lopez. April 1, 1780.
Document Type
Date
1780-04-01
Creator or Sender
Peter Timmerman
Location (creator or sender)
Cadiz (Spain)
Recipient
Aaron Lopez
Location (recipient)
Newport, Rhode Island (USA)
Language
eng
Synopsis
Timmerman laments the interruption of Lopez's trade in Europe in the sequence of the Revolutionary War and hopes his businesses in Cadiz to be recovered soon. Timmerman informs that, despite the expulsion of British houses from Spain, his company continued to operate in Cadiz. He acquaints Lopez on the prices of some articles and the capacity of his company to putt off to advantage large quantities of staves. He also encourages Lopez to form joint ventures with other merchants to send vessels to Cadiz.
Transcription
Mr. Aaron Lopez
Boston
Cadiz 1st April 1780
Sir
We refer you to the inclos’d circular letter, advising a little change here but making none in our powers of serving you nor in our just affection for our American friends in general, for after a long intercourse with you all, we have felt in silence for your distresses, with our hopes and wishes ever fix’d upon the return of peace and trade with you. Chiefly with an eye to such a happy event (that we do not think very distant) we renew the tender of our best services to you and to all the former connections of a house, that before the troubles did mote business with your continent than any other in Cadiz. This truth we have now said from a sense of past favours as well as of what we owe to ourselves, with an earnest desire of recovering our former ground, indeed we have lately had some consignments from your coast and we have reason to suppose, that we should have had many more, if some of our correspondents had not imagin’d that were comprehended in the late expulsion of British houses from Spain, which is not the case and altho for some months we thought of giving up our establishment for the sake of another, yet we assure you that we continue it entirely on our own bottom, with the sanction and interest of our predecessors, whom we release from their occurity, no longer wanted for all, our future engagements especially as it would not be just that they should be answerable for our dealings in or with a country at open war with theirs.
You will find at foot the current prices of sundry articles, which are all liable to more or less fluctuation according to the situation of public affairs however we may safely say that our market promises equal encouragement to any other in Europe for the sale and proper returns of American produce. Captain Hinkley the bearer of this may inform you that we in particular can put off to advantage large quantities of staves from our being pretty large exporters of liquors, which we can give in barters for that or any other commodity. We have a joint concern with Mess.rs Le Couteuly & Co. of this city in a house set up for the wine trade and if you and several of your neighbours should form large joint adventures dividing the risks by different vessels and if the proceeds of any of their cargos arriving in any port of France, Spain or Holland, were order’d to be kept at our disposal by good consignees thereof, we should on their arrival ship off by any opportunity such goods as you might call for to the extent of the amount secur’d in other hands for the payment of them which of course would put us under some advance and hasten the returns of the concern’d, who would find the account in it.
We submit this plan to your consideration and remain.
You most humble and obedient servants
Peter Timerman & Co.
Sir
For fear of a miscarriage we send only one circular letter to Boston which is address’d to Mess.r Sears & Smith and Isaac Smith Esq. who will show it if requir’d.
Pipe staves 110 at 120 per pr. m.ce of 1200
Hhd d.º 55 . 60 idem
Flour 13 . 14 per barrel
Tobacco 20 . 40 d.º per q.e
Bacallao 8 ½ . 9 d.º idem
Rice 7 ½ . 8 d.º idem
Beef 18 : 20
Pork 30 : 32
Salt per 6 ½ : 7 per cast
On account of the expedition every necessary of life has been push’d up to extravagant prices which can hardly be supported, we ourselves gave sold beef at £40 current and pork at £50 per barrel.
Sherry wine 88 per butt
Brandy 74 idem
Raisins 5 per barrel
Florence oil 4$ per chest
Boston
Cadiz 1st April 1780
Sir
We refer you to the inclos’d circular letter, advising a little change here but making none in our powers of serving you nor in our just affection for our American friends in general, for after a long intercourse with you all, we have felt in silence for your distresses, with our hopes and wishes ever fix’d upon the return of peace and trade with you. Chiefly with an eye to such a happy event (that we do not think very distant) we renew the tender of our best services to you and to all the former connections of a house, that before the troubles did mote business with your continent than any other in Cadiz. This truth we have now said from a sense of past favours as well as of what we owe to ourselves, with an earnest desire of recovering our former ground, indeed we have lately had some consignments from your coast and we have reason to suppose, that we should have had many more, if some of our correspondents had not imagin’d that were comprehended in the late expulsion of British houses from Spain, which is not the case and altho for some months we thought of giving up our establishment for the sake of another, yet we assure you that we continue it entirely on our own bottom, with the sanction and interest of our predecessors, whom we release from their occurity, no longer wanted for all, our future engagements especially as it would not be just that they should be answerable for our dealings in or with a country at open war with theirs.
You will find at foot the current prices of sundry articles, which are all liable to more or less fluctuation according to the situation of public affairs however we may safely say that our market promises equal encouragement to any other in Europe for the sale and proper returns of American produce. Captain Hinkley the bearer of this may inform you that we in particular can put off to advantage large quantities of staves from our being pretty large exporters of liquors, which we can give in barters for that or any other commodity. We have a joint concern with Mess.rs Le Couteuly & Co. of this city in a house set up for the wine trade and if you and several of your neighbours should form large joint adventures dividing the risks by different vessels and if the proceeds of any of their cargos arriving in any port of France, Spain or Holland, were order’d to be kept at our disposal by good consignees thereof, we should on their arrival ship off by any opportunity such goods as you might call for to the extent of the amount secur’d in other hands for the payment of them which of course would put us under some advance and hasten the returns of the concern’d, who would find the account in it.
We submit this plan to your consideration and remain.
You most humble and obedient servants
Peter Timerman & Co.
Sir
For fear of a miscarriage we send only one circular letter to Boston which is address’d to Mess.r Sears & Smith and Isaac Smith Esq. who will show it if requir’d.
Pipe staves 110 at 120 per pr. m.ce of 1200
Hhd d.º 55 . 60 idem
Flour 13 . 14 per barrel
Tobacco 20 . 40 d.º per q.e
Bacallao 8 ½ . 9 d.º idem
Rice 7 ½ . 8 d.º idem
Beef 18 : 20
Pork 30 : 32
Salt per 6 ½ : 7 per cast
On account of the expedition every necessary of life has been push’d up to extravagant prices which can hardly be supported, we ourselves gave sold beef at £40 current and pork at £50 per barrel.
Sherry wine 88 per butt
Brandy 74 idem
Raisins 5 per barrel
Florence oil 4$ per chest