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Capt Peter Gwinn
Boston Octber 1765
Sir-
This goes by Capt Duncan Ingraham master of a Shipp of mine who I hope you will meet at Surinam You have Orders to proceed – I hope it will be in his Power to dispose of your Cargo of Slaves to a good advantage for Bill of Exchange. The 1st of each sett he will deliver You to bring Home with you. You must not make any tarry after your Slaves are deliver’d but Proceed directly to S Eustatia & there pay off as many of you Men as you can poSibly spare on the best Terms you can so as to lighten the Portlidge Bill & ifMolSses is under Six Stivers there, with the Cask given in, & you can have a good load imediately without laying for it you may purchase a Load & come home, but if not go to Anguila or S Martins & purchase a Load of Salt & make the best of your way home.
But if nothing is to be done at Surinam then make the best of your way to S Croix & there dispose of your Slaves upon the best Terms you can & purchase your Load of Choice good old Sugar & the remainder in good & undoubted Bills ofExchangeor Cash if to be had, but not one single Cask of Rum by any means – Run will confiscate your VeSsell, it is not Eterable here ~ Now you’l obsarve that you bring nothing but the very best sort of Sugar that the Island produces let the Price be what it will for the common Sugar will not Sell here for four Dollars And besides thefe is a great waste in it by draining – The Sugar that Capt Springer brought me for the Debt you left behind at S Croix shipt me by MeSs Heitmane & Campbell for their note of hande. I say the Sugar was so bade that I could not sell it here for any thing & was oblig’d to boyl it into Loaf SugaR. Therefore be particularly careful & get
the very best of Old Sugar & See every Cask opened and the Heads taken out before you purchase ~ Sell for Cash or Bills & boy your Sugar, for if you sell for Sugar they will oblige you to take such as I before mentioned which is worSe than nothing & good Sugars well bought will do very well to pay Duty upon – but I hope you’l be able to do your BuSsneSs at Surinam which will prevent any of this trouble – Whenever you go run no Risques & write me of all your proceedings from Time to Time
I wish you SucceSs & am
Your Friend & Owner
Timothy Fitch
Tim Fitch
to Capt Gwinn
Letter reference number: P:8