USA > Virginia > Some prominent Virginia families, Volume II > Part 62
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wrote forthwith to Mr. Saunder, and he accordingly came up again. He was obliged to continue at York two nights more, before we could have the happiness of being admitted to Mr. Nelson's presence, hic being either at breakfast or Dinner engaged with Company, walked out or otherwise busied. But the morning after the second night informed us we might attend him at his store on our approach. He only asked Mr. Saunder whether he had any share or claim to any part of the Tea I was possessed of: who answered No-Nothing else of consequence passed between them. From whoever it seems the apprehension of his being some how overwatched or imposed on by me in the property of the Tea was the most apparent reason of giving Mr. Saunder this trouble-for immediately upon his saying No, his honor handed me a written Instrument with these words-There Sir !- Sir if you like that! Too terrified to make objection, had I dis- covered any cause, I just cast my eye on the writing, which I returned again with an humble cringe, signifying my assent by saying; "Yes Sir, exceedingly well." He said, he must have Two of the Chests of Tea put into his possession, for by a calculation he had made, they would not amount to much more than the money he should advance. I replyed it was far from me to desire or expect any other. The Deed expressed, that in con- sideration of his Honors lending me the said money amounting to £117- Sterling, if the said principal sum with lawful interest was not repaid in Four months from the date thereof, the said Tea deposited as a security for the said sum should become forfeited to the said Honourable Mr. Nelson, and liable to be sold for the payment of the said Principal and Interest. As to my urging anything concerning the six months, the time I requested of his Honor, I judged it neither prudent nor safe.
Mr. Saunder received the money, and we came to my house very joyfully, and after refreshing himself with such poor fare as we had with a glass or two of Wine, we took, a cordial leave of each other, wishing mutual health and happiness; and he then set out for Hampton. The saddle bags he brought with him being ancient broke with the weight of silver (a considerable part of the Cash being in that Specie). I lent him a stronger pair which he promised to return, and I doubt not of his delivering them for that purpose to some unfaithful hand; but I never could sec or hear of them any more. He soon after departed for Bristol, where he safely arrived, Went to Gloucester, and since settled in Bristol, where it is said being seduced into a Partnership with one Baker, a Paper Maker, he was defrauded of the greatest part of a Thousand pounds upon which (as was also suggested to me) he used some indirect means (what I was not told) of putting himself out of the world.
While we lay in the river Thames, we received an account of the death of his first Wife's sister, by which he said £300 was devolved on him. He wished several times that his Goods were there on shore again and his passage not paid; upon which account I had reason to think, he then regretted the undertaking, and this I am apt to conceive might be one motive to his quick return, notwithstanding his ascribing it to the Climate and People of this Country. Mr. Saunder's motive for resolving to come to
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America I may since his death be allowed to declare was entirely to be attributed to his second marriage; he having in his own and his Friends opinion matched a good deal beneath himself, a circumstance which he could not bear the thought of being reproached with. And it was merely upon this account that we discouraged the visits of our friend, while we lay so long in the river on board the Ship. And Mr. Winden and another of my wife's near relations, who came upwards of a hundred miles to take their leave of us, must doubtless be surprised and justly offended at a reserve and shyness so different from what they before had ever experi- enced; nor can they perhaps easily concur the pain and grief it occasioned to my poor wife in particular in acting a Part so opposite to our real inclinations. In this, our condition truly deserved Commiseration.
While we were at sea, the first part of the Voyage especially, Mr. Saunder's sufferings (for aught I know), might be greater than ours; for he poor man, at some particular seasons had a voracious and most un- governable appetite; of this his Relations are not insensible. And it (not unlikely) may be, this appetite not able to endure the abstinance and restraints we were subject to was the Chief if not the only motive to his forsaking us in the Cabin; for till those distresses, I never did perceive in him any thing that ever wore the appearance of falsehood, treachery or insincerity. And had he not been so distressed for Provisions and had we not both of us met with such an acquaintance as one especially who was on board, Virginia had been the best place Mr. Saunder could have come to-and after we had a little armed ourselves against the current Arts and subtilities of the natives, we should have lived happily in spite of them, quiet and independent.
For whatever instance of Vulgar Craft or Villany I shall be obliged to exhibit, I shall still stubbornly insist upon it, there are even among the Natives, people of Sense, probity and honor.
Mr. Saunder's misfortunes as well as his faults have I believe been very considerable. His weakness I pitied, and had he sought it in time, would have forgiven, as I in general believed him to be a person of upright inten- tions. This affair of the Money being thus finished and perceiving clearly, I should have no willing aid or advice from the Mr. Nelsons, I went again to the Walthoes at Williamsburg, and by his kind aid took a house there. After I had left York, with the two first loads of Goods, my Wife wrote me word, that the Honourable Mr. Nelson had acquainted her he believed he could help me to a person who would treat with me for one of my Chests of Tea, but as I considered our retailing of it, would not only be a kind of employment, but attended with considerable more profit, I advised her to say nothing upon the subject, and I would endeavor to keep out of his way. But in less than a fortnight, my wife also being come away with the rest of our things, he chanced to see me in the street in Williamsburg. He spoke to me very Courteously and taking me a little aside acquainted me he would give five S. a pound for one of my Chests of Tea which is just 4 S. Sterling, wanting (at the least) Five per cent. I was afraid of refusing, for fear of his pressing me for the money before I could raise it,
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therefore told his honor, he was welcome to take which Chest he pleased. The Tea cost me 3-6 in the India House, exclusive of the charges of Broker- age, Bonding, repackage, Insurance, etc., and it was now safe arrived in good order, and the common price here by the pound was 7-6 or six Shillings Ster- ling. So that for want of my retailing of it (upwards of three hundred weight) I lost not much less than Forty Pounds this currency. It was in- deed a considerable consolation that I had diminished my Debt a good deal more than one half, and I indulged in the hope of having obliged a person capable of being a powerful friend. During our stay at York, (about 5 weeks) we had neither encouragement or spirit to open any of our Goods; so that the little Cash we brought with us being consumed, we had broke in upon the Queen Ann Crowns, half crowns etc, etc, which my Daughter Molly had been many years collecting, when very luckily, Mrs. Reynolds having tasted some of our Green Tea requested we would spare her half a dozen pounds (at the price we proposed selling it, vizt, 14 S. a pound) before we removed to Williamsburg. This we readily complied with, a Cannister of the same being very handy to come at, and she sent the money, upwards of four pounds, immediately. This treasure enabled us to re- move and to purchase Bread and fuel for some time after we came there. But it being the time of year that People here usually lay in their Winter's Stock of Provisions, such as Corn, Beef, Pork, Butter, Firing etc, etc in quantities, we were again reduced to difficulties wherein, as we could think of no other remedy, I sent my son with a note to Mr. Walthoe, requesting he would favor me with the lent of Five Pistoles. My son who returned directly agreeably surprised us with the Sight of Two Doubloons, or Eight Pistoles. I went that moment to give my Note for the Money, but he rejected it as a thing extremely trivial, and urged me to make up of his purse upon all occasions.
A treatment like this, so different from what we had hitherto experienced obliged me to turn my back upon him sooner than I otherwise should have done, and when I came home to relate the reception I met with to my Wife and Daughter, their sense of it immediately gushed out at their eyes.
In about two days after, Mr. Walthoe came to see us, enquiring kindly how we all did, and whether it was in his power to assist us in any shape; and tho' we assured him he had amply supplied our wants, he gave us handsel for our Tea, and did not depart till in one thing or other he laid out about Ten Pistoles with us. In vain we entreated him to discount the Two Doubloons we had borrowed; he insisted on paying the Cash, again repeating that he should take it unkindly, if we did not use his friendship.
We now went on pretty well, and our little business increased; But Three of the Four Months being gone, our hearts began to ache, for fear of Mr. Nelson, for we had not more than Thirty pounds in the house to pay him upwards of Sixty. Upon which consideration, I ventured to write to his Honor imparting, that if it accorded with his pleasure or conveni- ence to suffer the money to remain in my hands (agreeable to my first request ) till the General Court, I should ever regard it as a most signal instance, and augmentation of his favor and great goodness. But if it
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was disagreeable to him, I would whatever I suffered take care in pro- viding his money against the time appointed. The letter I know was delivered to him safely, yet the time was just upon expiring without his vouchsafing any answer. I even ventured to address myself again to Mr. Walthoe, exhibiting to his view the whole of Mr. Saunder's affair and the obligation I was under to Mr. Nelson, circumstances which I hitherto entirely concealed. Mr. Walthoe attended to me with great patience and silence, and when I had done, asked me how much money would serve my purpose. I told him about Thirty Pistoles. He walked to his escritoir and counted me out Forty-asking if that was sufficient? I said it was too much, and offered to intrust Ten of them, which he would not admit, alleging, I should not be distressed, nor was it proper for me to be quite unfurnished of Cash at home, so obliged me to take the whole, adding he was very sorry I had not informed him of this business when I first arrived. I now wrote forthwith again to Mr. Nelson, returning him great thanks for his kind favour, acquainting him I had procured his money and would either pay it into the hands of any merchant of his appointing in this place, or, (I not being then well) my wife should wait on him with it in York. To this letter I received an immediate answer, that I need give myself no trouble, for if he had the money at the General Court, it would suit him as well as now. However as I was possessed of the Cash, and had provided a chais, I sent my wife down with it to York and redeemed my Tea. In settling the amount with my wife, his Honor assumed an air of generosity refusing the four months interest, tho' by the calculation of the weight of the Tea under his own hand, it appears he was as great a gainer by one weight, only as would more than have paid the interest due. (But there's a Vanity and Subtilty in the generality of Virginians, not unobvious to persons to Common penetration who have been at all accus- tomed to a more genuine generous way of acting or thinking). The little acting of little people that have fell in my way and which are in truth innumerable, I shall pass by unheeded; they are indeed as much the objects of pity as contempt. But such as who may be justly be esteemed the Fountains of baseness, the leaders of the Fashion or promoters of mean and vicious habits among the opulent, or as they are fond of styling them- selves-Persons of Note .-
These me thinks have a just claim to distinction; and in truth they should have it so far as they come within my reach or the compass of my observation. In less than a year after we came to Williamsburg, a large house near the Capitol became vacant known by the name of the English Coffee House, and that which we lived in lying much out of the way for any kind of business, we were advised to take this, tho' the rent was larger. I thereupon consulted my good friend Mr. Walthoe, who showed no aversion to the thing, but said if we came into the proposal, he would not only do us all the service in his power, but apply himself to Mr. Wetherburn (the Person who had the letting of it) in our behalf. At our request he did so and Mr. Weatherburn and I in his presence came to the following agreement.
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I to take a Lease of the House for Three years, certain at the Rent of Forty pounds a year, for which Mr. Walthoe to become bound; He to put and keep the House in good repair, and in case it answered my purpose, and suited my farther inclination, I to have the liberty (upon the same terms) of taking a further Lease either of Three, Six or Seven years more, just at my option.
Mr. Wetherburn to induce me to come up to this Rent, assured me morcover I should have the use of a Billiard Table, the best he said in the Country; upon my promise only of leaving it in as good a Condition as I found it, which being but reasonable I readily complyed with. But notwithstanding this agreement to which Mr. Walthoe was the only witness, within two days, one Coln. Bird happening to come to Town, he sold the Table to him for Thirty Five pounds. Mr. Walthoe, however, desired me to pass over this matter. 1 had been a month in the House when Mr. Wetherburn came with the Leases to be executed. He brought with him Mr. Walthoe as my security. One Mr. Swan who drew the Lease, and one Mr. Thomas Carter to be the Witnesses. The Lease at my request was read; whereupon I took notice that the article concerning Repairs, and that also for granting me a further Lease, was omitted. Mr. Wetherburn very readily acknowledged our agreement, and declared the omissions were not made by his direction. Mr. Swan took the fault entirely upon himself. said it was owing to inapprehension or forgetfulness; observed however, that what related to repairs was quite superfluous and unnecessary, as the Laws and Customs of the Country if not otherwise particularly stipu- lated, always obliged Landlords to keep Houses in proper Repair; Appealing to Mr. Walthoe for the truth of what he asserted: who said he believed what Mr. Swan had affirmed might be true. As to the further grant of a Lease, he said Mr. Wetherburn's worth and honor were so well known, that no body who had any themselves would scruple taking his word for anything of much greater consequence; and hoped I would not give the trouble of drawing fresh Leases, and the Company that of another meeting upon so unnecessary an occasion. But I still persisted in not subscribing without the last mentioned alteration at least; Mr. Swan expressed great amaze- ment in this exclamation, What! do you distrust or do you doubt of Mr. Wetherburn's honor? adding that no person, right himself, could ever entertain any such jealousy or suspicion. And Mr. Walthoe, uneasy, I believe, to see me so reflected on, and conscious of his own sincerity and honour, with his accustomed candour and calmness saying, I dare say Mr. Fisher you may rely safely on Mr. Wetherburn's word; and he desired all persons to bear witness. Mr. Wetherburn now making a formal and solemn declaration of both the conditions to which I signed directly without any further hesitation.
Being soon tired of this Public Business to which I had made great and many objections, I with my Good Friends consent, quitted it, and stuck to my dealing in Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Arrack, Claret, Madeira and other Wines, English Beer, French Brandy, Rum, and several other articles, both from Europe, New York, Philadelphia, and the West Indies, proposing too
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as my house was large and in front particularly, to divide and let it out into several distinct Tenements. I entered on my House the 29th Sep- tember 1751; and I made this alteration about the Christmas following; vizt. Four months after. I had not entered upon executing this last. Resolution above a Fortnight or Three weeks before a strange Mortal stalked into my house, in the garb or habit of one of our Common Soldiers (a thing then rarely to be met with, tho' extremely it seems affected by this singular Person whom I had then not the least knowledge of) and demanded to see some of my rooms, which he was informed I proposed to let. He had no servant with him, but an arrogant, hauty carriage, which in the opinion of most men is a necessary or insepparable accomplish- ment in what they call a Person of Note, would at once indicate to you that in his own thoughts he was a Person of no mean Rank or Dignity. The pride of sometimes putting on mean clothes or going unattended, I had seen before, but none to appear to me so ridiculously as now. However, I showed him my rooms, and treated him with the same deference and respect as even in his own sentiments he had a right to expect, supposing also I had known him. We had some talk about the price of several apartments, but he soon let me understand that his design was upon my whole House, he modestly proposing that I should resign the Lease I had taken of it to him, and take off from his hands another house in Town which he had hired, but did not like, tho' to evince his great kindness and condescension in the matter, he assured me the house, which he proposed to favor me with, was a much better one than mine, would come at less rent and would likewise suit my intended business better-and he named the house to me-vizt. that which Dr. Dixon lately quitted, As to which house was the best, I assured him it was a matter that I would not pre- sume to dispute; but humbly craved his leave to be of a different opinion as to the convincing of dividing it into various departments. Its vicinity also to the Capitol, as I likewise craved leave to inform him, gave it the preference in humble apprehension, as its situation for business, in which I said I chiefly depended; besides-as I ventured to observe, the roominess of mine when Mr. Wetherburn had repaired it would enable me to let out so much thereof as would absolutely pay the whole of my rent, reserving what would be quite sufficient to carry on my own business. To this he replied I was under a great mistake, and delusion if I preferred to think Mr. Wetherburn would ever repair the House while I continued in it, or would grant me any further Lease when the Three Years was expired; that he would not have me flatter myself with the vain idea of reaping any of the benefits I had proposed; for I should only deceive myself therein. The best thing I could do was to take his generous offer, and that if I did not, I should surely repent it. To all which I only entreated he would allow me to suspend my thinking Mr. Wetherburn had any intention of acting so dishonourably by me; and that I must at least experience some- what of what he was pleased to assure me should happen, before it was in my power to believe it possible. Upon my saying this, he turned immediately out of the house seemingly very much offended. However in
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less than an hour, he sent his servant who informed me it was his master's order that I should attend him immediately at Mr. Wetherburn's, and on my inquiring of the servant who his master was, he seemed surprised at my not knowing that it was Col: Lee, eldest Son and heir to the late President of the Council. On my arrival at Mr. Wetherburn's the noble Col: with a haughtiness peculiar to himself (as being in the superlative degree to any I had ever beheld, even in this Country) informed me that sinee I refused to eredit him on the affair we had been talking about, he had sent for me to receive satisfaction upon the subjcet from Mr. Wether- burn himself, and elosing the whole of his genteel behaviour with observ- ing, if I still persisted in my obstinacy in refusing him my house I might have time to repent of it. He turned from me with an air of what they call a Gentleman.
Mr. Wetherburn did not however think proper to disown his promise of a further Lease, but denyed his being under any engagement to repair the House, swearing by his Maker that if I would not part with it to Col. Lec, the house should not be repaired by him. This occasioned some words between us, but I quickly came away, and repaired directly to one Mr. Benja. Walker, an Atty of great practice, showed him my Lease, and acquainted him with the whole agreement. One of the witnesses to the Lease (Mr. Thos. Carter) chaneed to be his own Clerk (tho' as I have since found a dependent on Wetherburn, being in his debt) and he being now present, when I made the relation to his master, Mr. Walker turning to him, said,-"I see Tom yon are one of the witnesses to this agreement. pray tell me what you know of it." His clerk showed an unwillingness to talk at all upon the subject, and when urged, declared he remembered but little of the matter. He admitted, I for some time was Serupulous, and refused to sign, but upon what particular occasion would not under- take to say, or what verbal promises Mr. Wetherburn had made. Mr. Waller, before we parted, gave me for Law that a verbal promise attested by two witnesses, would be binding: said it would be advisable for me, (in ease of death or other accident) to get under the witnesses hands what they knew of the affair. Carter I found either would or could remember nothing. Swan who drew the Deeds, and argued so strenuously for my relying on Mr. Wetherburn, however, lived now a great distance off. So I wrote to him the whole state of the ease, conjuring in the name and for the sake of Justice and Truth, to favor me with what he knew of the affair under his hand, acquainting him at the time with Mr. Waller's opinion of the necessity of my taking this step. But he would never vouchsafe me any answer: and two Persons of my acquaintance who had an opportunity of seeing and mentioning the thing particularly to him, assure me Mr. Swan's memory is no better than Mr. Carter's and that he is very averse towards recolleeting any matters that may prove disagree- able to Mr. Wetherburn.
On My application to Mr. Walthoe, the other witness who it may be pre- sumed had never been bought by Mr. Wetherburn, but on account of his being my security for the Rent, the worthy gentleman with his acenstomed
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clearness and generosity wrote thus: "I very well remember Mr. Wether- burn promised to put the House into good Repairs and to grant a further Lease when required and shall be ready at any time when called upon to attest the same upon Oath. N. Walthoe."
Whether this disingenuous behaviour in Mr. Wetherburn was the result of his own mind, or that he was prompted thereto by Col. Lee, is not in my power to determine: but certain it is this last gentleman was far from being pleased when we parted and it was not long before I had a further confirmation of it, A friend of mine at Richmond in Surry (anxious for our welfare) by the means of a Brother of Lord Chief Baron Clive, obtained a recommendatory letter from Sir William Gooch our late Gov- ernor, to the late President Col. Lee the Father of this said Gentleman the present Col. Lee. But my friend had no sooner obtained this letter, and was looking out for the first ship to send it by, when he saw in the Public Papers an account of Col. Lee's death. However, he sent me the letter with an account of Sir William Gooch's death also. My friend had likewise enclosed Sir William's letter to Mr. Clive, wherein I and my family were mentioned with peculiar tenderness and affection. Sir William in this letter assures Mr. Clive of what he had so earnestly solicited of him in my behalf, Countenance, Favour and Protection in Virginia,-adding he wished his friend would have waited till he Sir William came to London, as he should then have bettered the recommendations of Mr. Adair, who it seems (and I wish I had known it before I left London) is the real secretary of this Colony; Mr. Nelson being no other than his Deputy. These letters which arrived soon after this Mr. Lee and I had posted as above, I delivered to him the next time he came to my door, and he stopped my passage to read them which when he had done he very gravely returned me that of Sir William's to Mr. Clive, saying: That I suppose belongs to you, and putting the other into his pocket stalked off without uttering another word. As Sir William Gooch was dead as well as his Father, I should not have been startled at this cool neglect, had I never offended him by not quitting my house; for I am experiment- ally convinced they are utterly void of all sensations, unconnected with their mean pleasures, interests or revenge. This I am now obliged to acknowledge is in general their just character, tho' I would even yet fain persnade myself there are some few exceptions. Tho' while I am writing this I am informed this same Col. Philip Lee has obtained the title of Honourable by being appointed one of the Council. I hope never to have any more to do with him, being fully persuaded no further knowledge or acquaintance with me can ever be to my advantage.
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