Series 5 > British Linen Company, 1745-1775

CRISIS AND RECOVERY, 1753-1763
149
the business. I am now getting these evils somehow amended, having by
interest with the Commanding Officer of the Regiment here got an order for
60 weavers who are all at work and doing generally very well.
One thing is to be noticed that our colours of white and brown will always
differ from the foreign and though the white may be made a tolerable colour
at some expence yet from no method hitherto found out is it practicable to
give the agreeable colour to ours that the foreign brown linens have. There
are just now in the warehouse some 18 or 20 pieces Navy linen as good as any
I have seen, some of which are all brown, other half brown and white. I shall
endeavour to make up the quantities wrote for on the 11th by your house to
30 p[ieces] to go by first convoy and if these should not please, they may be
returned as it is a thing of no difficulty here to sell some parcels of halfbleached
at from 9V2 to lOd per yd. There are just now a considerable quantity of white
Osnabrigs in the looms which will be ready to go likewise. With regard to
your selling off the 3/4qr wide linen and some diaper at loss, I can give no
opinion as I know not what you are offered for them in proportion to their
cost. But this I know, that bleached diapers are in the country as dear as ever
and the white linen markets not much if anything reduced.
Court of Directors
27 August 1761
Hector Scott, merchant in Inverness, (who had contracted to spin up six tons
of flax annually for the Company for three yean from and after the 5th day of
August 1760), having represented by his letter of the 26th current that the high
prices of spinning and scarcity of spinners in that country rendered it impossible
for him to execute his engagements with the Company and begged therefore
that he might be relieved therefrom as he had in view being employed by some
merchants in Inverness in conducting their affairs and had procurred from these
gendemen an order for some tons of flax to be bought from the Company.
The Court in consideration of the long and faithful service of Mr Scott agreed
to his proposal and ordered the Manager to discharge and deliver him up his
contract with the Company.
Court of Directors
17 September 1761
Messrs John Walker, James Seaton, Scott & Clerk, John Tod, Ebenezer
McCulloch and George Goldie, all merchants in Edinburgh and Messrs
Bewick, Timberman and Hodge of Cadiz, having proposed to carry on a trade