| Description | Letter from Alexander Gordon in Madeira to his brother James Gordon of Letterfourie, regarding price of grain ‘none is allowed to be exported from the Islands untill the Garrison of Mazagam is Supplyd with two thousand moys’, shortage of grain expected but more to arrive from England, the price he is getting for parts of their stock, sales of flour, advice on kind of flour that sells well, no hope of selling their bad beef and butter, too much competition for flax at present, looking forward to a cargo from Hamburg with mixed flax, iron pots and printed cottons and linens with some gunpowder, delivery of herring from Norway which might be emulated, the ship delivering it from Bergen goes on to sell end of cargo in the Canaries then to Carolina to load up rice for the Lisbon trade, mention of the Culloden Man of War escorting transport vessels to Antigua, shortage of iron and wooden hoops, asking for an assortment of dry goods including satins, shipping movements since his departure, sales of wine, shortage of cash, good weather for the vintage on the north side, hoping he has arrived safely in England, vessel delayed by captain’s indisposition, mention of correspondence with Dormer & Fanning on Mr Marnoch’s debts, run on grain, vessels expected to arrive soon, ‘Our vinegar adventure I know nothing of as yet but am told it will turn out very badly’, ‘after you have look’d about you a little in London think of settling a correspondence with some particular House there as may best suit us’, 8 October 1760 |