Letter to Henry Laurens, Leonard DeNeufville, and Andrew Pickens from John Lewis Gervais and [John] Owen, April 10, 1786.

Letter to Henry Laurens, Leonard DeNeufville, and Andrew Pickens from John Lewis Gervais and [John] Owen, April 10, 1786.

1786-04-10

John Lewis Gervais of Gervais & Owen writes to Henry Laurens, Leonard DeNeufville, and General Andrew Pickens.

2023-06-14

600 dpi, 16-bit depth, color, Epson Expression 10000XL, Archival masters are tiffs.

DeNeufville, Leronard

Laurens, Henry

Pickens, Andrew

Cox, Danielle

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Ms. 433, Letters / by John Lewis Gervais, 1785-1787.

English

ms433_Let2

Charleston So Carolina April 10th 1786
Messrs DeNeufville & Co.
at Amsterdam

Gentlemen

We are favoured with your letter of the 25th June & 19th September 1785, the last came only to hand the 10th January 1786. We deferred writing to you untill we should have it in our power to advise you how far we should Succeed in the settlement of the amounts of Messr John DeNeufville & Son with the State. --- At the Meeting of the Legislature having consulted with Commodore Gillon upon the steps to be taken we had before them Messrs Hope & Co.s Letter of plan which were referred to a Committee. But as accepting of it would derange the General arrangements adopted for the payment of the Foreign Debt, the Legislature requested the governor to write to those Gentlemen to thank them for the offer and to acquaint them therewith, We also drew up the Memorial No.1 to the Senate & House of Representatives -- Commodore Gillon undertook to present it to the House of which he is a member & to support it, the Business was referred to the Commissioners of Amounts of which Edward Barrel Esquire is Chairman --- We stated to them the amount Current No. 2 according to a Ballance due the first August 1783, as & for a Stated amount transmitte by your house --- The Commissioners of Amounts showed a favorable disposition to settle it without delay --- Commodore Gillon attended also, and having agreed in Consequence of Directions of Mr. John DeNeufville to give him a release from any further blame, he waived any further objections respecting the amount for goods & some other charges & seemed desirous to have the matter adjusted --- The Commissioners brought in the Report No. 3 which was agreed to by both Houses, it ascertains the Ballance due to the 1st August 1784 florin* 172,841 18.9 or £**16,229.⅝ Sterling of this State Exchange at 10 Guilders 13 Stuivers per twenty Shillings Sterling which is the Rate of Exchange settled by the Chamber of Commerce. By the Tax Bill for this Year one fifth of all the Monies which shall be paid in the Treasury are appropriated for the payment of the Interest of the foreign debt, a large sum is
due to the Treasury for Duties & we are in great hopes we shall obtain one years Interest in the Course of two or three months at Seven Percent; And you may be assured we shall attend very carefully to the State of the Treasury & no time shall be lost in being amongst the first to secure it, having experienced so many delays in this business you will be entitled to some preference in future, We expect Mr. John DeNeufville will give us directions from Boston in what manner to dispose of the Monies that may come in our hands -----We have paid in the different Offices for presenting the Memorials, for the Copy of the Resolution etc. £2.6.8*** which we have charged to your Debit ----- We hope this transaction will meet your approbation, no endeavours have been wanting on our part to bring it to a conclusion upon the best terms we could and altho' No Money is received immediately yet the amounts are Liquidated and we shall shortly receive Special Indent or obligation for the Amount ----- Mr John De Nuisville has informed us that part of Commodore Gillons bonds might soon be returned if it be necessary, and as we shall receive the Special Indent or Obligation for the whole sum due by the date the 1st August 1784 there will be no great danger in moving the remainder of the Bonds from Amsterdam to us, or to deposit them in the hands of Messrs Lodwyk, Horry & Son of Amsterdam according to the Resolution & to send us a Certificate thereof as soon as possible, which appears to be most eligible. -----
We also send herewith an extract from a Resolution passed the 26th March 1784 respecting the payment of Foreign Creditors for your Information Numbered 4 ---- We are sorry to observe by your Letter of the 19 September that snake Root & Sarsaparilla met with such a bad market, in consequence of the flattening prices of those articles & of a pink Root mentioned in some of the Price Currents which your house were so obliging to transmit to us, we took large quantities of the articles in payment, but finding that the price of snake Root had fallen so prodigiously with you, we have shipped a good Deal to Hamburgh & France in hopes to find a better Market, But as we must dispose of what we have on hand, We have shipped to you two Kilos of Sarsaparilla & three Kilo Pink Root of which
which we Inclose Invoice & Bill of Lading amounting to £71.6s**** Sterling. We request to sell these articles & the Snake Root on hand immediately for the best prices you can obtain unless you should be of opinion that the prices of these Commodities will shortly be higher. --------
We intended also to send by this Conveyance two or three Kilos of half Dressed Deer Skins to make a trial of it, but their not coming in time we must defer it till the next vessel goes from Hence for your port which will be shortly. -----
We take the Liberty to inclose an order for a few goods intended for the IndianTrade which it is our wish it may suit your house to procure for us that they may be sent by some of the first vessels, as it would be necessary they should reach this port in October or November & to make Insurance thereon on our amount of Risk; as the amount of the above order will probably exceed the proceeds of the snake Root & etc. and the amount of the Deer Skins which we make no doubt you will receive before you can execute the order, we shall immediately on advice, or on the receipt of the goods remit you the Ballance – If the prices and qualities of the goods answer(?) for the Indian Trade in which we are concerned we shall import largely in future, we receive from the Indians in return for those supplies, Deer Skins half dressed and in the hair as also beaver & Otter Skins

We remain with great regard & Respect
Gentlemen
Your most Obedient Servants
Gervais & Owen

Price Current
Rice --------------------9/6 to10/ &6
Tobacco ---------------17/6 to 18/8&6
Indigo none but ordinary ⅙ to 3/?
Tar for barrel of 220 Net 6/6
Pitch ? ditto ---------10/6
Turpentine --------------10 to 11/–

JL Gervais
Charleston April 10th 1786
Gervais & Owen
about Settlement with the State of SoCa