Dudley Westropp — The Pottery Manufacture in Ireland. 11 



The last letter is dated from London, January 9th, 1754 : — 



Sir, — I am glad you're safe arrived in England, and am surpriz'd you did not receive 

 my 2nd letter before you parted. The gentlemen of Liverpoole will assure you, if they 

 do me justice, that I beg'd nothing from them but to gratifye you for the trouble you 

 may be at to build kilns and to sign a petition for me to Parliament, which can by no 

 means prejudice you or them. I am informed this post they refuse to sign the petition, 

 which I think ungrateful, for this secret would never have been found out only for me, 

 who, contrary to your opinion and all others, I persued the scheme to burn with coal, 

 which several of the workmen of my manufacturie made oath of before I left Ireland, 

 and which is confirmed by the votes of the House of Commons of Ireland. As it has 

 been always my intention to serve you and settle you master of the manufacturie, and 

 that I have freed you from all your troubles, it will be the highest ingratitude of you to 

 do anything to my disadvantage, therefore beg you will not enter into any agreement 

 with the manufacturers at Liverpoole till my affair is decided in the House of Commons 

 of England, which will be done in a few days, for if you do it without my approbation, 

 the consequence may be your ruin, and perhaps won't hurt me, and there's no money 

 they can give you can recompense the loss it may be to me, and I am both able and 

 willing to pay you any sum they will give you, and even more. I now make it my 

 request to you, that you will not inform them any part of the secret, and declare to them 

 you never will, unless they sign my petition ; and if the Parliament grants me a sum for 

 this, whatever they have agreed to give you I will immediately pay you down in cash 

 that sum, which I promise by these presents, and also you will be recompensed by one 

 man in London more to build him a kiln than all the people of Liverpoole together will 

 give you. I have great friends here, and a strong interest is making for me, therefore 

 entreat you will not do anything to hurt me. As soon as my affair is decided in 

 Liverpoole you must come to London, where we will settle all our affairs, and as soon as 

 the kilns are built and properly burnt, we must go to France together, on some 

 extraordinary affairs to both our advantage ; in the interim I will continue y'r guinea a 

 week to y'r wife till our return to Dublin. Inclosed I send you a draught for five pounds, 

 and beg you will get my petition signed, with an alsolute promise that as soon as my 

 affair is settled in Parliament, that you will build their kilns, and do them all the service 

 in your power, but till then you can't do anything. As soon as the Pet'n is signed, 

 which must be done immediately, come up to me to London the next day, as fast as you 

 can ; you will perhaps get a horse at Liverpoole for London, if not, hire one to 

 Warrington, and come up in the Stage Coach to London ; you must leave Liverpoole on 

 Sunday next to get to Warrington in the Monday's stage, or you will be too late ; if you 

 can hire a good horse, you will be in London sooner than in the stage; if you can't, don't 

 miss the Monday's Warrington Stage Coach, for I want you much here on several 

 accounts, and as soon as my affair in Parliament is over, we can set people to work both 

 here and at Liverpoole not to lose time, for we must go to Paris as soon as possible. 

 Write to me Saturday's post what is done, and don't let any one in Liverpoole know y'r 

 coming to London. As soon as you arrive, get a Porter or a Coach to show you the way 

 to Mr. Chilton's, a periwig maker in Porter Street, near Newport Ally, just by 

 St. Martin's Lane or Newport Market ; if I am not at home, there's a Tavern next door 

 to me where you may sup, and I have had a bed for you this fortnight past at my own 

 lodgings. Don't let your wife know anything of our going to Paris for fear she should 

 inform mine, which I don't chuse should know it ; be assured while we are absent she 

 shan't want for anything. By all means get the petition signed, and send it to me by 

 Saturday's post. Apply to Mr. John Hardman, who is my friend, about it. 



I do assure you the manufacturers of Liverpoole, as I am well informed, have no 

 other intention to serve you, but to get the secret out of you, and then to take you as a 

 journeyman painter ; therefore take care what you do, or this affair may be your perdition, 

 but agreeing to what I would have you do, you can't fail of making your advantage of it, 



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