Virginia Potomack River, Gunston-Hall March 10th: 1780.
Some time in the Summer 1777 Mr. Richard Harrisson remitted from Martinique Bills of Exchange, on London for the Sum of L 310 Sterling to Mr. Andrew Lemozin Mercht. in Havre de Grace, upon my Acct. transmitting him, at the same time, by my Directions, an Invoyce of Goods (not fully equal to the amount of the Bills) to be purchased with the Proceeds of the said Bills, & ship'd to Martinique, from whence Mr. Harrisson was to forward them to me in Virginia. Mr. Lemozin acknowledged the Rect. of the Bills, & Payment for them, & wrote Mr. Harrisson that he was purchasing the Goods; but complaining of the Trouble, on Account of the Variety of Articles; altho' I well know that such an Order, or one of much greater Variety, wou'd have been executed, with the greatest Ease in London, Bristol, Liverpoole, or any other considerable trading Town in Great Britain. The Goods however were never ship'd, nor cou'd Mr. Harrisson hear anything more upon the Subject from Mr. Lemozin altho' he wrote to him several times, from Martinique, before he left that Island.
Upon Mr. Harrisson's Return to Virginia, in order to put an End to this Business, &clear my Hands of Mr. Lemozin, I got him to lodge with me open Letters for Mr. Lemozin desiring him, to pay the Proceeds of the said Bills to my order; which I remitted, together with a Letter of my own for Mr. Lemozin, & an order for the Money to Mr. J. Dl. Schweighauser Mercht. in Nantes; and lately received an answer dated 10th Augt. 1779, from Messrs. Schweighauser & Dobree, in which is the following paragraph.
"We are honoured with your much esteemed Favour of the 4th March last, directed to our ancient Firm, covering two Letters for Mr. Lemozin at Havre, one from yourself, & of the other from Mr. R. Harrisson; which have been duly forwarded, asking him at the same time the Payment of L 31 o Sterling which he owes you; He has answered us, 10 return of Post, that he had effectually received Bills to that Amount, & negotiated them, as •10 Note at the Foot; but that not finding an Opportunity of fulfilling your Order, which wou'd have been very extensive, he had given orders to Mr. Bingham at Martinique, to pay that Sum to Mr. Harrisson; that therefore he can not make us Remittances, until he has Proof that this has not been done"
I own I am greatly surprized at this unmercantile procedure; as Mr. Lemozin at first undertook the Commission, he ought to have executed it; which might have been done long before the Commencement of Hostilities between France & England, & the present high Freight & Insurance thereby saved; but this is not the only Loss; for the Goods being intended for the use of my own Family, the Inconvenience I have suffered by the Disappointment is more than double the Value of the Money. If Mr. Lemozin had not cared to take the Trouble of buying & shipping the Goods, it was the Part of a candid Man to have refused it at once, & let Mr. Harrisson or me know it, that I might have drawn the Money out of his Hands; instead of trifling in the Manner he seems to have done, merely to retain the use of it two or three Years. In any Event, the Money is much more valuable to me in Europe than in the West Indies, and he had no Right, without Directions from Mr. Harrisson or me, to order it to be paid in Martinique, where it wou'd be of little or no use to me, and where therefore I cannot agree to accept it. What I have to beg of you is that you will write to Mr. Lemozin by different early Opportunitys informing him that Mr. Harrisson has been long since returned to Virginia, & from thence gone to Holland, and that the Money has not been, & will not be paid by you; that he may without further Delay, make payment of my order to Mr. Schweighauser; and I must further entreat the Favour of you to inclose your Letters for Mr. Lemozin upon the Subject open, under Cover to Messrs. Schweighauser & Dobree in Nantes (who transact this Business for me) for their Information. I beg Pardon Sir for giving you so much Trouble about an Affair in which you have had little concern, & I dare say have been no way blameable; but the Necessity of the Case I hope will be my sufficient Apology; which is my Reason for having given you so minute a Detail of it. In letting me hear from You as soon as possible upon the Subject, You will very much oblige, Yr. most obdt. Servt.