| Description | (Dated at Summer Lane, Wednesday night.)
Respected Sir,
I think it my duty to acquaint you of an unforeseen impediment I now labour under, which has prevented me from the great gratification of realizing to your view the prospect of returns from a concern that has hitherto presented nothing but my anticipations to recommend it to your generous encouragement. Be assur'd, sir, the anxiety and uneasiness of mind I feel at these reitterated delays derives not less of its acumen from the consideration of your having been led to advance money without adequate security or seeing well the ground you go upon, than (serious as it is) from my own loss of time:-for my own part, I am buoy'd up with the entire confidence that the scheme must eventually succeed when the little difficulties that now assail me are vanquish'd, as they must inevitably be, by perseverance; but I shou'd be weak indeed were I to imagine that you can feel precisely the same degree of sanguine expectation; nor would I basely attempt any undue means to give you a more favourable impression of the business than will naturally result from the various objects thereof, as they occur, and pass in fair review before you.
When last I had the pleasure of seeing you, I inform'd you of the obvious defect in the buttons varnish'd at home; since then I have been trying another hand that I had engag'd for the finishing department, who progressed much, and from her having work'd with a Mr. Maddocks, who I understand formerly got up a deal of Mr. Clay's work, and from first appearances, promis'd a more successful issue than the former one; these hopes have all on a sudden vanish'd, and I am in a state of amazement at the cause. I wou'd not willingly condemn without proof; but certainly cannot help giving a little way to a strong suspicion pressing upon my mind, that, the woman I first employ'd has, through jealousy at seeing another occupied in the business she undertook the management of, had recourse to some foul stratagem to spoil her varnish; for till this day, i.e. for five days past, the work has look'd very flattering indeed, and now, through no adequate cause that I can divine, but such an one as I am almost asham'd to entertain, it is all spoil'd! The buttons stand the stove well, in every degree of heat short of absolute burning, but the varnishing drives me distracted. I now lament very much that I did not put the buttons out to be black'd, and it is an alternative I must at last have recourse to; but it need not preclude making farther tryal at home, as great will be the inconvenience of having so far to send them backwards and forwards, besides the greater danger of frequent disappointments, when engagements for other people press upon the time of such out-workers. I had strong reason last week for sending the work out to be black'd, but was restrain'd by a little shamefacedness at carrying them to people who cannot be ignorant that I have been making a fruitless effort to do without their assistance:-the reason I allude to was of a serious nature; Mr. Lloyd had built the japan stove so injudiciously that I consider it providential that William Butler and I were not burnt in our beds and the whole building destroy'd! When I awoke in the morning after I was last at Soho I was alarmed with the smell of something on fire and, proceeding immediately up stairs to the stove, found that the heat from the bars had kindled the flooring boards and joist at the bottom of the ash grate; which were on the point of bursting into flame. To avoid farther danger 'till you cou'd make it convenient to favour me with your advice on the point, and to save the great consumption of coal in drying small parcels of buttons, I have had a stove built on a diminutive scale, to be heated by the accompting-house fire, which answers well.
I have kept the people at all spare time in cutting out blanks, and shall continue to have as many got ready in that state as the force I have is equal to, 'till I get some buttons home that I shall send out to-morrow to be black'd. For myself, I have been occupied in sundry matters relative to the business that I hope will meet your approbation. I have only at present to add, wishing you the blessing of good health, that I remain, very truly, sir, your respectful and oblig'd humble servant,
Wm. Cheshire
[Edited transcript.]
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