| Description | Letter to James Gordon of Letterfourie, London, from Daniel Henry Smith, Madeira, regarding arrival of Lee’s ship and passengers staying with them, ‘Lee was detained longer than expected he had a mutinous sett of sailors aboard of his ship and was under necessity of having six of them confined in the Castle of which two as the worst remain here for a Man of War at Lee’s expence,’ cultivating customers, criticism of the merchants in Madeira, large order for Mr. Baillie, arrival of ‘little F.G.’, shipping malmsey, arrival of pipe staves, ‘free of sap but narrow’, recovering money from West Indies, Kennedy in Halifax has not been acting fairly, next vintage not expected to be good, waiting for opportunity to ship wine to Jamaica as ships generally full, and one captain is ‘a strong American, who perhaps would not doubt to give his vessel easy up when meeting with a privateer’, hoping to send good wine to a loyal customer in Boston when ‘the reasonable and good people are again on the head of government in America’, glad the present governor is sensible, ill health of the King and unsure what will happen when he dies, reluctant to help Amsinck despite his long association with the family because the current representative lied to him, delivery of spectacles and penknives, arrival of fish, trade to India flourishing but must not bring a great return as so much wine is going there, trade has been opened up as the Portuguese were afraid of having wine on hand in the absence of American trade, this is not a good thing, prices and quality of goods, departure of a number of boys to be educated in Portugal, 7 August 1776; reluctant to take herrings for next year, glad to take French brandy and Swedish iron, but no tea, as there is too much, governor’s request that the company insures the island’s Comedy House in London, problems with insurance, the circumstances of the fire that destroyed the last theatre, description of the Comedy House ‘Caza da Opera’ in Portuguese, list of bills enclosed, 10 August 1776 |