| Description | Letters from Alexander Gordon in Madeira to his brother James Gordon of Letterfourie, firstly copy letter in response to several letters of James’, the madeira trade not good at present, ‘though many people may decline ordering them because of the high price, others must have them cost what they will’, suggesting James should cultivate wealthy friends in London, but praising him for having made such good progress in so short a time in a difficult market, refusing James’ offer to reduce his agency fees and encouraging him to find another agent in Scotland, glad to hear he has acquired flax, dealings with Mr Tate in wine and cloth, wheat almost gone, the hot dry summer has led to a good price for flour as the mills have no water, wanting to know how the wines ‘of last vintage have been liked, which was a most rascally one without doubt’, continued presence of a French privateer, money owed to them is likely to be diminished by a good crop of wine and brandies this year, the letter is to go via Dublin by a Spaniard that brought beef, camblets and calfskins, waiting for a convoy to ship wine safely to Antigua, barley and straw scarce, asking for oats and hay for the horse, 26 – 29 August 1761; secondly letter sent by ship hoping to slip round the French privateer in port, the privateer has taken two ships since he last wrote, ‘Please to tell Mr Yule … that I have found out a strange piece of Villany Intended by one Campbell passenger with Captain Dewar … in regard to some goods Mr Yule had shipd by said Vessell consigned to Mr John Scotland of Antigua, nothing less than his endeavouring to appropriate them for his own purposes’, low stocks of wheat and flour, and no flax left, no herring as yet, 6 September 1761 |