Not being able to learn English, he [was] bored in our valley and . . . asked 

 them to cancel the contract he had made with them .... They have con- 

 sented and think they can get along all alone. i''" 



But in 1830, E. I. du Pont, with the advantage of hindsight, was 

 less charitable: 



After a few months and before any leather had been made ready for sale 

 Chenou probably foreseeing that the result of the first year would fall far short 

 of his expectation communicated his desire to retire before his engagement 

 expired, and as A. Cardon professed himself quite able henceforward to man- 

 age the business alone ... a sum of money was paid to the latter and he 

 went away.i"! 



However, in November 1816, E. I. du Pont wrote to New Orleans 

 recommending "Mr. L. F. Chenou who is going to your place with 

 the intention to begin there the tanning business with which he is 

 very well acquainted." ^^" After Chenou's departure, Cardon man- 

 aged "the fabrication, purchase, sales &c." and when he found 

 time, Bidermann kept the "accounts and books." ^^'^ 



In October, Guillaume Merle d'Aubigne came to "the shores of 

 the Brandywine — to visit the establishments of Mr. du Pont de 

 nemours." After mentioning "two large powder mills" and a 

 cotton mill, he described "a large tannery by some new method 

 where in 4 months they tanned sole leather as well as had previously 

 been done in 15. Besides they are making all kinds of leather for 

 harness — morocco, &c., &c., &c." ^^^ The following week, Novem- 

 ber 7, 1816, the Delaware Gazette carried the advertisement of a 

 local merchant who was to sell Cardon's leather. 



Hatters, Coachmakers, Shoemakers, &c. 

 Look Here! 



H. J. Pepper, No. 60 Market-street, Wilmington, Informs the public that he 

 has on hand, and intends keeping constantly, a large and general assortment 

 o^ Morocco s; Boots, Shoe, and Soal Leather, From the Manufactory of Messrs. 

 A. Cardon & Co. which he will sell at the factory prices. 



"Hard weather" stopped operations briefly in the winter of 

 1816-1817,^'''^ but by June the company again solicited curriers to 



"'" du Pont de Nemours to wife, letter no. 74, December 27, 1816. 

 '*'' "Statement written by Bidermann," B. G. du Pont, op. cit., vol. 11, pp. 251-252. 

 "2 Letter book, 1815-1817, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, November 27, 1816 (OSOR). 

 "'^ "Statement written by Bidermann," B. G. du Pont, op. cit., vol. 11, p. 252. 

 '"•^ La vie Amiricaine de Guillaume Merle d'Aubigne; Extraits de son Journal de Voyage et de sa Corres- 

 pondance imdite, 1809-1817, with introd. and notes by Gilbert Chinard (Paris, 1935), p. 11.'?. 

 i"5 Letter book, 1816-1827, A. Cardon and Company, March 8, 1817 (OSOR). 



6o 



