| Description | These volumes contain copies of letters written by Samuel Galton. Although they appear to have been kept by Samuel Galton in a personal capacity rather than in his position as partner in the firm of Farmer & Galton, the majority of the correspondence contained in them relates to the business of the company. Many of the letters in these volumes are written to James Farmer, and deal with the supply of raw materials, the manufacture of guns, and with invidual contracts with clients for guns and other equipment. Other recipients include employees of the firm and parties with financial or other connnections with it, including members of the Galton and Farmer families who acted as agents of the firm, and clients of Farmer & Galton. Both volumes contain several letters to merchants engaged in the African trade, and the second volume also contains letters relating to contracts with the British government during the war of the Austrian Succession. Letters to James Farmer also contain substantial information relating to his partnership with Samuel Galton and the transfer of many of his interests, including those in the gun manufacturing business, to Galton following his bankruptcy and losses in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 The letter books also contain some letters that relate to Samuel Galton's financial affairs not directly connected with Farmer & Galton. These mostly consist of letters concerning property in Somerset left to Galton and his siblings after their mother's death. |