| Title: | Roland Redmond, Charleston to W. Young, Fenaghy. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2224 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Redmond, Roland/16 |
| Year | 1875 |
| Sender | Redmond, Roland |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | merchant |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Charleston, S. Carolina, USA |
| Destination | Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Young, William |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | cousins, business |
| Source | D 1364/I/40: Presented by W. L. Young Esq., The Old Rectory, Drewsteignton, Exeter, Devon. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9011082 |
| Date | 12/04/1875 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C.R., 10:12:1993. |
| Word Count | 1630 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | My dear Willy I had my pen in hand last week to write you and put it down arguing that I would have a letter from you in a day or two, and this morning I received yours of the 22/24th ult: with the enclosures and we may congratulate ourselves that all came safely to hand for the envellop [envelope?] was so rotten that it barely held together. The contents of your note are certainly very painful and I dont [don't?] wonder at your demoralization and worry when you contemplated almost realized the apparent dire necessity of with drawing [withdrawing?] from the Rd [Road?] House of last Robt [Robert?] Young. Ballymena. The further [?] of my letter of last week would have been this, for I have been thinking a great deal about the New York business, that I had made up my mind to suggest to Roly [Roland?] when I returned to New York, at first I thought of writing him some lines, to give up his first floor & Cellars for less if finding accommodation and take a larger "loft" and thus have from $1500 to $2000 a year in rent. for it is my impressions now that he has given up the Fancy goods imports, that he can Sell as largely of your specialities on a loft as on the first floor- Roly [Roland?] has already notified his Book Keeper [Book-Keeper?] a most worthy man that he can't keep him after 1st May - My impression is that he can sell of your shirting linens & Hollands at least $300000 a year and most likely more - this would include all his sales "at" [?] store and all goods ordered by him & passing through his hands, but not goods moved by him and coming out direct to owners, which would be somewhat more. Besides this I would have consulted with Roly [Roland?] on the whole business and balanced the chances of profit or loss and endeavored [endeavoured?] to come to a reasonable conclusion on the main point profit or loss, all this I have never yet [really?] seriously considered. Having hitherto merely argued that an established trade Conducted [?] business should on the average of years [?] be profitable Roly [Roland?] writes me that you had on hand 10000 #PAGE 2 Ten thousand webs [?] on the 1st Feby [February?]: when the sales of the previous year only amounted to 7500 webs [?] and this too when you had been written, and by me too, that trade was very bad and no reasonable hopes of improvement and besides that a change of fashion in the bosoms [?] of shirts had diminished the Consumption more than a third! I must say that I dont [don't?] comprehend this loose way of doing the business, for I think that with activity and strict watchfulness that you ought to be able to keep all his numbors [numbers?] full in New York with even less than one half a years probable demand on hand at one time - & what a tremendous saving in interest!? I have I know growled on this point before to all of you and I have yet to receive a fair reasonable answer. I think I might as well give you my notions about the business before I had received your letter just acknowledged, and these I intend to further before Roly [Roland?], but now that I have read your letter you must not regard them as offering any opinion to you on the subject. You will bear in mind too that I only write about the N [New?] York business. I cannot resist writing in my [--- --?] "sharp dark" [?] style that I think Roly [Roland?] can sell you 100 000$ worth of your specialities in a year for the storage [?] of seven years with profit. yet if I knew the weak points in Billena [?] I might change my opinion, and that there are serious weak point s now seems certain for two years ago as we walked towards the "White Rocks" you told me that if you had the entire management "you could make money" - one thing I may remark the weight of the business in Billena [?] has been on your head and being cautioned against your wife has made you probably without realizing it halfhearted in the management. The "Equitable Trust' is a new concern I have not heard anything about it. I know several of the names names [sic] amongst the Directors and they are very respectable. I do not know Mr Edward, the chairman, will make inquiry about the concern when I get to New York - one thing if it was looked upon as a tip top concern there would be no trouble in placing their 7% Bonds #PAGE 3 at par in New York _ where A E Bonds can now only be bought to give 6 to 6 1/4% _____ I am glad to hear such good accounts of the Braidwater and of the Belfast nothing but indifferent management can defeat either concern, but the more prosperous concerns are the more they want looking after - non paying [non-paying?] concerns are always looked after when it is too late. I am very anxious to get back to New York for I am heartily tired of Charleston [--?] Thanks to fine warm weather I am much better yet the cough state lingers about me & I begin to fear that I shall not shake it off altogether. I have given up the Steam Engine Physic & the Doctor. My great trouble now is that I am obliged to keep a fire in my Room with the Thermometer at 70 to 75 to dry my flannel which is wet twice a day and I dare not trust any one to dry it for me I often think think (sic) of James hot closet at Portrush and what a comfort it would be had they such a one here. I find I am the only one who airs his under clothes, when mine come from the wash they are very damp _ but twenty years ago I never though of airing my clothes _ I find however many of my friends Complaining of Rheumatism I think you & Jane taught me the airing business for which I now express my thanks I suppose I ought to have done so before. The Redmond family are all well. I wish they could sell their country house it is far too expensive an establishment for them to hold, they are anxious to sell, but the thing is to get a purchaser willing to pay for a fancy place. They live very harmoniously together My next I hope will be from New York, I hope to leave here in about three weeks. I am glad to hear that Jane and the children continue well. Give my love to each of them. Whatever you decide to do I trust it will be for the best, but the trial is undoubtedly most painful especially if you decide to withdraw. when you come to a judgement you will feel better. always Your letter is burned [--?] Very faithfully W. Young Ever Rowland Redmond 14th I have reason to greatly fear that the coupons one [won?] on 1st frot [front?] of the Mobile #PAGE 4 & Ohio RR [Rail Road?] will not be paid, I may know for certain in a day or two. This is a very uncertain if not a "bad egg" and I must try and get rid of them. The central RRoad [Rail Road?] of Georgia stock which three years ago was selling at 112 is now only worth 55 to 60 The Jany [January?] dividend was passed and so too will the July ones - an investigating committee have been examining for three months and I look for the report in a few days. And [---?] Lord has 1800 shares - I have 121 - I forget if I have told you that the Home [-----?] of New York paid in Jany [January?] its usual 5% for the half year and 20% in stock and the new and old stock sells at 102!. I have pretty much made up my mind that the South is actually poorer than it was five years ago thir [their?] shrinkages in personal property is very great Real Estate Plantations and lands are almost unsaleable and when sold at unheard of low heinous prices. City property houses can [--?] only find purchasers at fearfully low rates. The reason of this or rather one of the causes is the vile corrupt government in the states Robbery of public money and terribly high taxation. yet amidst all this some few have made money but the means of the general public has dwindled [----?]. The fact is that no one realized the clean sweep that the war made of the means of the south and for a few years after the war it was thought the South would recuperate rapidly, hence values were moderately propped up. I do believe that the bottom is now touched and there will be improvement but very slow, South Carolina has compromised its debt old as well as new at 504 and says she will pay that. & holding of the Bonds are accepting. North Carolina offers 404 on the old and 254 on the new, and no doubt other states will follow suit. We have been eating strauberries [strawberries?] grown in the open air, for ten days, and quantities are being sent to New York $2 a quart - It is said there are nearly 200 acres of strawberries cultivated close to the city. nearly all of which goes north to the rich folks _ RR [Roland Redmond?] |
