| Description | Soho 20 May 1790.
Dear Sir
I am very happy to find (by Mr Pearson) that we are agreed in every thing except Rents, and if you can fix in your own mind (& name) the lowest sum you wou'd be satisfied with I flatter myself we shou'd soon agree; although I must confess that I think 20/ per square for the shops is more than any trade can bear, especially when all vaults & dark inconvenient shops are included-for instance the House that is now taken for the White metal Button trade used to be let @ £14 per annum but it has been thought so dear, that it has never been Lett since H. Tyson left it except by a room or two at a time & if that House is charged @ 20/ square it will come to £16..0..0 or upwards; this I mention as a circumstance to shew the very high rent it wou'd be. I woud willingly agree to 15/ or even 16/ square-which wou'd amount to 2½ per Ct upon all the goods manufactured last year or thereabouts without the mill rent, and this added to other general expences amounts up so high that no trade can support it-besides I yet flatter myself that you will find 16/ per Square will pay you 5 per Ct. including every expence that does not belong to the mill or new Buildings.
I know not what to say about the Mill; only that it was charged £100- in 1788 for the whole of the top part. Since then 8 Side Laps have been put up in the room of two flat Laps which are taken away. The Brushing Machine has also been put up since. If you can fix any price at so much per lap if we take the whole together, or at another price if we take them at so much per Lap per Month & only take what we may want, the difference of price per lap of these two way shou'd be considerable for we have had 4. 5. or 6 laps out of use many months.
If you can spare so much time as to settle this matter we shall go on smooth & pleasant and it will much oblige
Yours Sincerely
John Scale
NB The shops we now occupy measure about 140 square exclusive of the Mill & H Tyson's old House.
140 Squares @ 16/ £112. 0 0
they were chargd 64. - -
difference 48. - - |