| Description | Glasgow July 8th 1776
Dear Sir
I wrote to you upon the fourth inst: advising that I had got the consent of all parties but that my intended Father in law wanted to see the agreement between you & I, and begging of you to get one drawn out in terms of my missive and executed on your part which I shall do upon my part so soon as I arrive at Birmingham; Or if you could make it convenient, that it would make me very happy to see you here, as that might be a means of concluding matters both more to the old gentlemans satisfaction and to my advantage, as I am afraid I shall other wise make a very bad bargain in money matters, which wise men like you esteem the most essential part, and I myself although I be an enamoured swain do not altogether despise-You may perhaps think it odd that in the midst of my friends here I should call for your help in this case, but the fact is, that from several reasons I do not chuse to place that confidence in any of my friends here that would be necessary in such a case & I do not know any of them that have more to say with the gentleman in question than I have myself, and you are the only person who can give him satisfactory information concerning my situation. If not convenient or agreable to you to come, or to send the deed, You may write me that Mr Meredith is out of town & you could not get the deed I ask drawn without exposing our affairs in an improper manner, but that you will have it ready to execute so soon as I arrive at Birmingham and in the mean time for my friends satisfaction, the contract is, so and so, at any rate save my credit don't let me be detected in a falshood or accused of imprudence. The thing which seems to stick most in his stomach is that some how or other in case of the failure of success I may be brought into a load of debt which may totaly ruin me. I hope you will excuse his caution in this matter, as I do, when you consider that he is disposing of a favourite child and consequently must expect all the security possible for her wellbeing. I must also do him the justice to say that he has behaved to me in a very open & friendly manner; and when he found that his daughters affections were engaged beyond recall, gave his consent with a good grace--Sir Archd: Hope came here last night-he wants an engine to work a 12 inch pump 76 yards high and a six inch pump 16 yds-At 11lbs upon the Inch it will require abt a 38 inch cylinder, which will use about 2¼Cwt of coals pr hour when going full stroke but upon the average of the twenty four hours will not use above 2Cwt pr hour as although the engine must be constantly Jogging yet it will not have full water The price of his Coals is only ¼ pr ton at the engine so the savings will not turn to great account by the year I proposed to him rather to pay a sum in hand which seemed agreable but I did not mention any thing untill I had considered matters & wrote to you-He has upon the work a 52 inch cylr going which works a 15 inch barrel to 54 yds high & a five inch to 40 yds which altogether makes about 1/7th more weight than proposed for the new engine. This eng: is c[onstant]ly jogging & burns about 30 tuns in 7 days but I w[as no]t informed of the length or frequency of the strokes-would you chuse to put the matter uon this Issue, comparative trial to be made, and valued at ten years purchase of the half savings, or third, do as we can agree but in the latter case to pay £50 to us for our trouble-in the former only £21 for drawings-I shall exchange missives with Mr Colevile before I come away or if you think proper bonds upon stampt paper, which must be signed by you-
I have nothing to write you in the way of news, I am banded about like a foot ball & perfectly impatient to leave this country but do not care to come away without my Errand-I long vastly to hear from you how you all are & how matters go on-I hope Jimmy is minding his school and is well you need not tell him nor any body else that I am going to bring him home a mama-I ever am
Dear Sir
Your's sincerely
James Watt
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